Call for Proposals

AIM-AHEAD Program for Artificial Intelligence Readiness (PAIR)

Cohort 2

Overview

The AIM-AHEAD coordinating center was established to enhance diversity in the field of artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML), with an emphasis on reducing health disparities and promoting health equity. We hope to achieve this by engaging in a fair, equitable, and transparent process of building a consortium of AI/ML to promote health equity and an inclusive and diverse workforce. Many communities have untapped potential to contribute new expertise, data, recruitment strategies, and cutting-edge science to the AI/ML field. AIM-AHEAD Coordinating Center (A-CC) seeks to increase participation and engagement through mutually beneficial partnerships, stakeholder engagement, and outreach to advance health equity. To learn more about AIM-AHEAD, please visit https://www.aim-ahead.net.

The AIM-AHEAD Program for AI Readiness (PAIR) leverages AIM-AHEAD's capabilities to jump-start AI for health equity research in eligible institutions (as defined in the Eligibility Section). Low-resource organizations encounter substantial challenges stemming from their limited experience in AI/ML research related to health equity, a lack of adequate AI/ML infrastructure, insufficient collaboration across disciplines, and limited grant funding. PAIR is specifically crafted to strengthen the foundational elements of these organizations, paving the way for sustainable success in research endeavors. Through a two-phase funding model, PAIR will facilitate the connection between institutions and AIM-AHEAD resources, along with experts in AI/ML and health equity research, and grant-writing coaches. This collaborative effort aims to establish AI/ML health equity research labs, fostering cross-disciplinary teams dedicated to conducting research projects and proficient grant writing.

Background

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is dedicated to harnessing the power of AI/ML to expedite biomedical, social and behavioral science innovation, with a primary focus on addressing health disparities and inequities. Through the NIH's AIM-AHEAD program, strategic partnerships have been established to enhance the involvement of institutions, which often face capacity limitations hindering the conduct and sustainability of cutting-edge health-related AI/ML research. The program aims to elevate the capabilities of emerging technologies, initially concentrating on electronic health records (EHR) and extending to diverse datasets, to effectively tackle health disparities. Recognizing untapped potential in various communities, AIM-AHEAD fosters collaboration by encouraging contributions in expertise, data, recruitment strategies, and cutting-edge science to the AI/ML field. The overarching goal is to amplify participation and engagement through mutually beneficial partnerships, stakeholder engagement, and outreach, ultimately advancing health equity.

The AIM-AHEAD Coordinating Center is a consortium of institutions and organizations that have a core mission to serve minorities and other under-represented or underserved groups impacted by health disparities.

The AIM-AHEAD Coordinating Center consists of 4 Cores:

• • Administration/Leadership Core - Lead, recruit, and coordinate the AIM-AHEAD Consortium
  • Data Science Training Core - Assess, develop, and implement data science training curriculum
  • Data and Research Core - Address research priorities and needs to form an inclusive basis for AI/ML
  • Infrastructure Core - Assess data, computing, and software infrastructure to facilitate AI/ML and health disparities research

PAIR Awardees will have access to all of the cores, as well as hubs and other AIM-AHEAD resources.

Purpose/Objectives

PAIR will support multidisciplinary teams from eligible institutions (according to the criteria specified in the Eligibility Section), to build capacity for AI/ML health equity research. We strongly encourage a multi-PI structure that promotes cross-disciplinary collaboration among public health researchers, healthcare professionals, data scientists, and behavioral scientists or ethicists. The research objectives are as follows:

1. 1. Acquaint low-resource organizations with AIM-AHEAD resources for long-term success of AI/ML Health Equity research
   2. Facilitate the formation of a multidisciplinary research team focused on the application of AI/ML to Health Equity research
   3. Strengthen research skills via expert mentoring support and training
   4. Jumpstart AI/ML Health Equity research via a learning-by-doing approach
   5. Improve grant infrastructure and writing skills for long-term sustainability
   6. Establish an AI/ML Health Equity Lab with strong institutional support
   7. Engage and guide the next generation of researchers at various levels (such as undergrad, masters, doctoral, post-doc, and early-stage investigators)
   8. Generate translational knowledge of establishing AI/ML Health Equity research labs for broader impact and attracting more members to AIM-AHEAD with similar needs

The PAIR program is closely aligned with the North Star goals as it focuses on leveraging AIM-AHEAD resources to advance AI research for health equity in eligible institutions. The program’s focus on supporting eligible institutions in AI/ML health equity research covers areas such as workforce development, knowledge empowerment, targeted research to address disparities, and building community capacity in AI/ML.

Specific ways PAIR is aligned with AIM-AHEAD North Star:

North Star I: Develop a diverse, equitable, and inclusive AI/ML Workforce

• • PAIR contributes to the development of a diverse and inclusive workforce by engaging with eligible institutions. Through its initiative to strengthen AI/ML health equity research, PAIR promotes inclusivity by providing resources and support to institutions that may have limited resources, thereby contributing to the overall diversity of the AI/ML workforce

North Star II: Increase knowledge, awareness, and community engagement/empowerment in AI/ML

• • PAIR directly addresses this goal by connecting institutions with AIM-AHEAD resources, AI/ML experts, and grant-writing coaches. By providing these resources, PAIR empowers institutions to increase their knowledge and awareness in the field of AI/ML. The establishment of AI/ML Health Equity Research Labs further fosters community engagement and cross-disciplinary collaboration

North Star III: Use AI/ML to address disparities and minority health in behavioral health, cardiometabolic health, and cancer

• • The primary focus of PAIR is to use AI/ML to address health disparities in institutions. By establishing AI/ML Health Equity Research Labs, PAIR facilitates research projects specifically targeting behavioral health, cardiometabolic health, and cancer in minority populations. This directly aligns with North Star III's objective of leveraging AI/ML to address health disparities in specific areas

North Star IV: Build community capacity and infrastructure in AI/ML to address community-centric health disparities and minority health

• • PAIR is designed to build community capacity and infrastructure in AI/ML by providing the necessary resources and support to institutions. Through the establishment of AI/ML Health Equity Research Labs, PAIR contributes to creating dedicated spaces for cross-disciplinary teams to address community-centric health disparities and minority health

The PAIR program is intended for organizations facing challenges in developing research capacities for AI/ML. An institution may propose a single team with key personnel from the same institution (normally identified by having a unique DUNS number or NIH IPF number) including 2 to 3 Co-PIs, each from a distinct discipline. To meet the program’s goals, each team is encouraged to have at least one investigator with a background in a health-related field and one investigator with a computer science background with basic knowledge of AI. Only one application per institution is allowed. Institutions with an existing PAIR award are not eligible to apply for PAIR Cohort 2. Applicants may apply to more than one AIM-AHEAD program in addition to PAIR, however, the A-CC reserves the right to manage multiple awards for the same applicant.

Consistent with the goals of the AIM-AHEAD Coordinating Center, the following types of Higher Education and other institutions/organizations are highly encouraged to apply for support:

Higher Education Institutions

• • Public/State Controlled Institutions of Higher Education
  • Private Institutions of Higher Education

The following types of Higher Education Institutions are always encouraged to apply for NIH support as Public or Private Institutions of Higher Education:

• • Hispanic-serving Institutions
  • Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)
  • Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs)
  • Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions
  • Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs)

The following types of organizations other than institutions of higher education are encouraged to apply so long as they are a domestic organization located in the United States and its territories:

Nonprofits Other Than Institutions of Higher Education

• • Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) IRS Status
  • Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) IRS Status
  • Community-Based Organizations
  • Tribal health and/or human service organizations or Tribally derived institutions (Urban Indian Health Organizations, Tribal Epidemiology Centers)

For-Profit Businesses/Organizations

• • Small Businesses
  • For-Profit Organizations (Other than Small Businesses)

The primary applicant organization must be a domestic institution/organization located in the United States and its territories.

The institution/organization must have a documented mission to educate students from any of the populations that have been identified as underrepresented in biomedical, behavioral and social science research as defined by the National Science Foundation (see http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/wmpd/), including African Americans or Blacks, Hispanic or Latino Americans, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, U.S. Pacific Islanders, and persons with disabilities, or has a documented record of:

• • Recruiting, training and/or educating, and graduating underrepresented students as defined by the National Science Foundation (see above), which has resulted in increasing the institution's contribution to the national pool of graduates from underrepresented backgrounds who pursue biomedical research careers
  • Working with community stakeholders (e.g. Community-based organizations, Nonprofits (with or without 501(c)(3) IRS status, Faith-based organizations, Healthcare Providers, Health Systems, Small businesses, Large businesses, start-ups.) that have historically not participated in biomedical, behavioral, and social sciences research in the areas of AIM/ML

Community organizations, nonprofits and non-academic institutions are strongly encouraged to apply and need not demonstrate a mission to educate students but should have a documented interest in working with health disparity populations. Before applying, these organizations must be registered with System for Award Management (SAM; see https://sam.gov/content/home) and must maintain active SAM registration throughout the award period (please see below for Required Registrations).

Foreign Institutions

• • Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) are not eligible to apply
  • Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are not eligible to apply
  • Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are not allowed

Required Registrations

Applicant Organizations

Applicant organizations must complete and maintain the following registrations as described in the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide to be eligible to apply for or receive an award. All registrations must be completed prior to the application being submitted. Registration can take 6 weeks or more, so applicants should begin the registration process as soon as possible. The NIH Policy on Late Submission of Grant Applications states that failure to complete registrations in advance of a due date is not a valid reason for a late submission.

System for Award Management (SAM) Applicants must complete and maintain an active registration, which requires renewal at least annually. The renewal process may require as much time as the initial registration. SAM registration includes the assignment of a Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code for domestic organizations that have not already been assigned a CAGE Code.

• • NATO Commercial and Government Entity (NCAGE) Code Foreign organizations must obtain an NCAGE code (in lieu of a CAGE code) in order to register in SAM
  • Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) - A UEI is issued as part of the SAM.gov registration process. The same UEI must be used for all registrations, as well as on the grant application

eRA Commons - Once the unique organization identifier is established, organizations can register with eRA Commons in tandem with completing their Grants.gov registration; all registrations must be in place by the time of submission. eRA Commons requires organizations to identify at least one Signing Official (SO) and at least one Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) account in order to submit an application.

Grants.gov Applicants must have an active SAM registration in order to complete the Grants.gov registration.

Program Directors/Principal Investigators (PD(s)/PI(s))

All PD(s)/PI(s) must have an eRA Commons account. PD(s)/PI(s) should work with their organizational officials to either create a new account or to affiliate their existing account with the applicant organization in eRA Commons. If the PD/PI is also the organizational Signing Official, they must have two distinct eRA Commons accounts, one for each role. Obtaining an eRA Commons account can take up to 2 weeks.

Eligible Individuals (Program Director/Principal Investigator)

Any individual(s) with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as the Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) (PD(s)/PI(s)) is invited to work with his/her organization to develop an application for support. Individuals from diverse backgrounds, including individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, individuals with disabilities, and women are always encouraged to apply for NIH support. See, Reminder: Notice of NIH's Encouragement of Applications Supporting Individuals from Underrepresented Ethnic and Racial Groups as well as Individuals with Disabilities, NOT-OD-22-019.

For institutions/organizations proposing multiple PDs/PIs, visit the Multiple Program Director/Principal Investigator Policy and submission details in the Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) Component of the How to Apply - Application Guide.

Additional Eligibility Criteria Training Program Applicants

• Applicants must be U.S. Citizens, Permanent Residents, or Non-Citizen U.S. Nationals.
  • U.S. Citizen definition: any individual who is a citizen of the United States by law, birth, or naturalization (https://www.law.cornell.edu/definitions/uscode.php?width=840&height=800&iframe=true&def_id=42-USC-630966247-802284531&term_occur=1&term_src=title:42:chapter:99:section:9102)
  • Permanent Residents definition: a status given to United States immigrants/non-citizen who can legally live in the United States in perpetuity (https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/lawful_permanent_resident_(lpr))
  • Non-Citizen Nationals definition: a person born in an outlying possession of the United States on or after the date of formal acquisition of the United States at birth (https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/8/1408)

***Accepted applicants must be able to submit a W-9 tax form***

Application Submission Guidelines, Components, and Review Process

Application and Submission Requirements

Applicants must register with AIM-AHEAD Connect before applying. The application is due by January 15, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. The PAIR board (including the PAIR directors and A-CC experts/Stakeholders) will review all applications. Proposals must be submitted as a single word or pdf document via our online submission system: InfoReady application portal.  The awardees will be notified on February 26, 2025. Questions regarding the submission process may be directed to: https://helpdesk.aim-ahead.net/ticket/create/PAIR

To address the specific challenges faced by low-resource organizations, PAIR will assist the awardees with idea proposal and research proposal in Phase 1 and Phase 2, as well as the Institutional Review Board (IRB) applications, via proposal workshops, help desks, and IRB.

Proposal Requirements for Phase 1

Required Format:

• • Arial font and no smaller than 11 points; margins at least 0.5 inches (sides, top and bottom)
  • Single-spaced lines; Consecutively numbered page, in Word or .pdf format
  • Submit as a single Word or .pdf document to the InfoReady application portal

Required elements:

Title Page (2-page limit): Project Title, List of Principal Investigator(s) with institutional affiliations, cross-disciplinary multi-PI structure (refer to eligibility criteria), and the project summary/abstract, the specific aims, and the intended target demographic.

Project Plan (3-page limit): Description of the proposed project must include the following elements:

• • The way in which the institution will benefit from this program in building AI/ML research capacities to address health inequity and increasing diversity.
  • Current AI research capacity if available, as well as faculty and staff expertise to establish AI research lab.
  • How the proposed project is aligned with one or more of the AIM-AHEAD North Stars defined below:
    • North Star I: Develop a diverse, equitable, and inclusive AI/ML Workforce
    • North Star II: Increase knowledge, awareness, and community engagement/empowerment in AI/ML
    • North Star III: Use AI/ML to address disparities and minority health in behavioral health, cardiometabolic health, and cancer
    • North Star IV: Build community capacity and infrastructure in AI/ML to address community-centric health disparities and minority health
  • Well-defined outcome measure for rigorous evaluation.

Project Timeline (0.5-page limit): Submit a clear timeline and plan to achieve project milestones.

Project Budget and Budget Justification (2-page limit): Funds may be used only for expenses directly related to the proposed project's development. The award is subject to the negotiated indirect cost rate, and a rate of 10% applies in the absence of a negotiated rate. Please make a copy of the budget template.

NIH-style Biosketch of the Principal Investigator and any key personnel (5-page limit per person)

Letters of Support (minimum one required): Letter(s) of support from the school or institution leadership (such as deans, provosts, or vice presidents for research) should spell out institutional commitment to the project and outline resources that will be made available to the project’s leader, including protected time for the faculty and staff to participate in this program. These letters should also detail how the proposed program fits into the institution’s overall plan for better serving the community and advancing the cause of health equity.

Facilities, Equipment, and Other Resources: The Facilities, Equipment, and Other Resources document elucidates how the research's scientific setting enhances the likelihood of success. This encompasses institutional support, physical resources, and intellectual synergy. Furthermore, it delves into how the proposed studies stand to gain from distinctive aspects of the scientific environment, such as unique subject populations, and underscores the strategic use of collaborative arrangements for optimal outcomes.

Current & Pending Document: The ‘Other Support’ or ‘Current and pending support’ document of the Principal Investigator and any key personnel needs to be submitted to ensure there is no scientific, budgetary, or commitment overlap.

Subrecipient Commitment Form: A completed Subrecipient Commitment Form from the sponsor, signed by the applicant organization’s authorized official, along with any applicable documents referenced therein.

View PAIR Program Application Templates

Budget

PAIR will issue 15 Phase 1 awards, totaling $100,000 each, and up to 10 Phase 2 awards, totaling $150,000 each.

Salaries: Primarily, salaries should be allocated to key personnel, namely the Principal Investigator (PI) and Co-PI. Additionally, there is room for modest support for undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral students who actively contribute to the project. For inquiries regarding required consultants, please contact the PAIR helpdesk before submitting applications.

Direct & Indirect Costs: The Phase 1 award of $100,000 encompasses both direct and indirect costs. The indirect costs are contingent upon the negotiated NIH IDC rate of your institution. If your institution lacks an NIH IDC, promptly reach out to the program help desk for assistance.

M&O: Budget considerations exclude expenses related to datasets and hardware purchases that are regarded as equipment. PAIR will cover costs associated with data, grant-writing training, and other essential resources crucial for project success.

Travel: Travel expenses are permissible when allocated for participation in the AIM-AHEAD conference.

Sample Budget Template:

Budget: Phase One

Budget Justification

Personnel

Maintenance & Operation

There will be a pre-administrative review of applications to ensure the completeness of the application. An administrative review will follow application submission to ensure that applications are complete and adhere to formatting and budgetary requirements before the applications are forwarded for Scientific evaluation. If the application is deemed incomplete or not adherent, it will be returned to the applicant. Scientific reviewers will apply the standard NIH scoring range, and the criteria of evaluation are listed below.

Pre-administrative review

(Starts as soon as an application is drafted with referee emails entered.)

• Verify that all necessary sections and fields have been appropriately filled out, and there is no missing information. Applicants will be reminded to complete missing sections and fix the formatting issues.

Administrative review

(Starts as soon as an application is submitted.)

• Verify that all required fields are completed appropriately (no missing values or placeholder information)
• Check eligibility of 1) applicant and 2) institution
• Open reference letter .pdf to check that there are reference letters with the applicant’s name. This step corresponds to any wrong document uploaded
• Check the Biosketch to ensure completeness and adherence to NIH format, and verify it belongs to the applicant
• Verify applicant can submit required regulatory documents

Administrative Review Outcome: accepted to be reviewed vs. returned to the applicant

Scientific evaluation:

Reviewer Eligibility

To be eligible as a reviewer, the individual must:

• Be affiliated with the AIM-AHEAD consortium
• Confirm in writing that they do not have any conflicts of interest
• Not be part of any proposal or sub-recipient of any PAIR Program proposal
• Be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States who is over 18 years old
• Possess a deep understanding of AI/ML as it pertains to health equity and ethics

Review Guidance/ Standard Operating Procedure

Instructions for the Reviewer

The application review's main purpose is to identify applicants most likely to benefit from the AIM-AHEAD PAIR Program. The Application Review Committee is charged with the following responsibilities:

• • Evaluate applications to ensure that they are consistent with the eligibility criteria
  • Review referral letters to ensure they are consistent with program requirements
  • Note in the comment column any attributes, concerns and/or recommendations that impacted the criterion scores

Scientific Review and Scoring Criteria

Reviewer scores on a scale of 1-9, with 1 being the best and 9 being very poor.

It is expected that competitive PAIR Program applications will address the following criteria:

• • The investigative team has sufficient foundational knowledge of AI, health equity and domain expertise to execute proposed project
  • The investigative team will work as a multi-disciplinary, collaborative team
  • The application demonstrates an understanding of the two-phase approach for establishing an AI Health Equity research lab with a mission of using AI/ML to improve health disparities and increase diversity in the workforce engaged in AI/ML research
  • The research ideas are clearly aligned with one or more of the AIM-AHEAD North Stars:
    • North Star I: Develop a diverse, equitable, and inclusive AI/ML Workforce
    • North Star II: Increase knowledge, awareness, and community engagement/empowerment in AI/ML
    • North Star III: Use AI/ML to address disparities and minority health in behavioral health, cardiometabolic health, and cancer
    • North Star IV: Build community capacity and infrastructure in AI/ML to address community-centric health disparities and minority health
  • The outcomes and deliverables are clearly defined, measurable, reasonable and are aligned with the goals of the CFP
  • The application demonstrates that the investigative team has institutional support at multiple levels to build sustainable AI research capacities for health equity
  • The proposal clearly articulates the potential long-term effects and broader implications of the project
  • The proposal demonstrates a commitment to equity and inclusivity/diversity in the project implementation and outcomes

Scoring Criteria: The reviewer must sign a Conflict-of-Interest form to acknowledge that they do not have any conflicts of interest. 

Each reviewer will score the proposals assigned to them; there will be 2 to 3 reviewers per proposal. Each criterion will score from 1 to 9 (1 is the best).

Each reviewer's overall score will equal the mean value of the application's eight criterion scores.

Each reviewer will provide the applicant with 3-4 sentences of feedback per application: “Provide at least 3 sentences on the strengths and weaknesses of the full application”.

Outcome: The application's impact score will equal the average of the reviewers' scores. Applications will be ranked from highest enthusiasm (lowest score) to lowest enthusiasm (highest score).

If an institutional mentor is proposed: The CV of the institutional mentor is also reviewed to check if she/he has any mentoring experience.

This will NOT impact the review of the applicant. Any potential AIM-AHEAD institutional mentor issue will be commented on in the administrator section.

Programmatic evaluation for MPI

Dr. Jamboor K. Vishwanatha, Dr. Guodong (Gordon) Gao, Dr. Toufeeq Syed, and Dr. Harlan Jones will be invited as co-directors of the PAIR Program.

Consideration will be given to the overall cohort diversity in line with AIM-AHEAD program goals.

During the programmatic evaluation meeting, we will review a Google sheet with one row per applicant and one column per variable captured for cohort diversity. At the beginning of the meeting, applicants will be ranked by ascending average scores of scientific reviews.

Prior to the meeting, all MPIs will agree to sign a conflict-of-interest statement.

The MPIs will vote on the selected participants at the end of the meeting.

Awardee Expectations 

PAIR Program Plan

PAIR program will be conducted in two phases.

Phase 1: In the 12 months duration of the Phase 1 of the PAIR program, approximately 15 awardees will engage in the following activities:

• • Form a multidisciplinary team focused on AI/ML Health Equity research
  • Learn how to take advantage of AIM-AHEAD resources, like:
    • Data Science Training Core courses
    • Infrastructure Core support
    • Training on de-identified datasets
    • Support from Data and Research Core
  • Establish the institutional procedures to support AI/ML Health Equity Research Labs for AI/ML research and grant proposal writing
  • Train on grant writing and grantsmanship skills
  • Follow the curriculum specified in Table A
  • Team up with experts & coaches to design a detailed research plan proposal

The PAIR program administrators will work with the PAIR awardees to customize a research program. Experts in AI, health equity, ethics, team science, as well as grant writing coaches will provide both dedicated coaching and ad hoc support. 

All selected teams for Phase 1 will receive the curriculum schedule after the announcement of the decision.

At the end of Phase 1, the Phase 2 research proposals will be evaluated based on submission of the Phase I Progress Report (and other documents necessary for continuation), as well as:

• • Level of institutional support
  • Research team collaboration
  • Engagement of trainees at the institution
  • Novelty, Rigor, and Feasibility of the research/study plan
  • Alignment with AIM-AHEAD North Stars
  • Sustainability and scalability of the proposal
  • Identification of potential data sources to be used in Phase 2
  • Feasibility of using data (completion of AIM-AHEAD data consultations)

Phase 2: After the completion of Phase 1 award, up to 10 awardees will be selected to proceed to Phase 2 of the PAIR program to continue with activities and curriculum (Table A), such as:

• • Carry out exploratory projects with the support of AIM-AHEAD on
    • AI for health equity research design and innovation
    • Data scientist and Cloud ML engineer for data analysis and computing
  • Continue with the grant writing trainings and secure extramural funding
  • Engage trainees at the institution in performance of the project
  • Document each team’s journey and use cases to share with the AIM-AHEAD community and beyond
  • Distill translational knowledge on enhancing AI Readiness for Health Equity research in focal institutions
  • Establish institutional support for AI/ML Health Equity research lab

TABLE A: PAIR Program Curriculum

Expected Program Outcomes

Outcomes from Phase 1 include:

• • Commitment from institution
  • Team building
  • Pairing with experts & coaches
  • Grant writing essential training
  • Knowledge on frontiers of AI for health equity
  • Detailed research plan for Phase 2 (AI/ML Health Equity Lab)
  • Evaluation Report for Phase 1

Outcomes from Phase 2 include:

• • Established AI/ML Health Equity Lab
  • Literature review on knowledge boundaries and gaps
  • Feasibility study and/or initial explorations
  • Successful submission of grant proposal (at R21 or R01/U01 level)
  • Survey and interviews from participants and experts/coaches

PAIR contributes to the NIH AIM-AHEAD mission by providing the framework for institutions to work with AIM-AHEAD to develop long-term sustainability of AI research and education. PAIR also aims to generate translational knowledge (such as best practice handbooks, guidelines and educational cases) on improving AI readiness for low-resource organizations to facilitate capacity building in a more effective way.

Awardee Resources

Please consult the FAQ page for information regarding past webinars and presentations presented to PAIR Cohort 1. The FAQ page will be regularly updated to incorporate any newly scheduled webinars and recordings from conducted webinars.

Once the PAIR awardees are confirmed, they will initially be directed to the PAIR Administrative team as their point of contact for any questions. During their Program Orientation, they will attend a series of six orientation sessions to acquaint them with the AIM-AHEAD resources. These resources encompass the Infrastructure Core, Research Core, Training Core, Leadership Core, as well as all hubs and workgroups, including the Research Compliance Office (RCO), Ethics and Equity Workgroup, Budget and Finance Management, and the Project Management Office (PMO).

PAIR Awardees will also have access to AIM-AHEAD Connect where they will find supplemental AI training material in the “AI Essentials for Healthcare - PAIR" course.

Glossary

 AIM-AHEAD Connect- A mentoring, networking, and professional development platform to connect the AIM-AHEAD Consortium and community.

Artificial Intelligence- The power of a machine to copy intelligent human behavior.

Program for AI Readiness (PAIR) Program- An AIM-AHEAD program that aims to leverage AIM-AHEAD resources to catalyze AI research for health equity in institutions with inadequate resources.

Applicants can find a more comprehensive glossary of relevant terms here

Applicants should expect notification of their acceptance status on February 26, 2025.

• There will be an application workshop on Wednesday, January 8, 2025, 4:00-5:00 p.m. Central Time, 5:00-6:00 p.m. Eastern Time:
  Sign-up for the Application Workshop

• A Townhall Q&A Webinar was held on Wednesday, December 18, 2024, 
  • Watch the December 18, 2024 Townhall Q&A recording
  • Open the December 18, 2024 Townhall Q&A webinar slides

• The first informational webinar was held on November 18, 2024. 
  • Watch the November 18, 2024 webinar recording here
  • Open the November 18, 2024 webinar slides here

AIM-AHEAD PAIR Program Co-Directors

Jamboor K. Vishwanatha, PhD, Guodong (Gordon) Gao, PhD, Toufeeq Syed, PhD, and Harlan Jones, PhD

Frequently Asked Questions

Please refer to the FAQs below before submitting help desk ticket:

AIM-AHEAD PAIR Program FAQs

If your question is not answered in the above FAQ document, please create a help desk ticket using the link below:

AIM-AHEAD PAIR HelpDesk

Contact Information

Please feel free to contact us with questions or to discuss project ideas. Questions may be directed to the PAIR Admin team at pair-admin@aim-ahead.net.