Year 4 Call for Proposals
AIM-AHEAD Research Fellowship Program
Cohort 4
This program will engage early-career researchers to actively participate in biomedical research that involves the use of AI/ML methodologies on biomedical research data to address health research in AI/ML algorithms or data.
| Funding Cycle | 2025-2026 |
| Release Date | April 7, 2025 |
| Application Due Date | Sunday, May 25, 2025, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time |
| Notification of Award | August 18, 2025 |
| Program Start Date | Earliest start date is September 2, 2025 |
| Informational Webinar Schedule | There will be an informational webinar for applicants to the AIM-AHEAD Research Fellowship Cohort 4 on Monday, April 28, 2025, 4:00 - 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time Click here to register for the Research Fellowship Information Webinar on April 28, 2025 |
| Informational Webinar Recording | No webinar recordings are currently available |
| Application Link | Click here to view the Call for Proposal and to submit an application for review on InfoReady |
| Project Period | September 2, 2025 - September 1, 2026 |
| Award | Awardees will receive an award to their institution of up to $51,840, which may be used for salary support, travel, training, publication, and conference fees over the twelve-month period |
| NIH Biosketch | NIH Biosketch (not to exceed 5 pages) is required: |
Issued by
AIM-AHEAD Program
About AIM-AHEAD
The AIM-AHEAD Coordinating Center was established to foster broad participation in the field of artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML), with an emphasis on promoting health for all Americans. We hope to achieve this objective by engaging in a fair and transparent process of building a consortium of AI/ML to advance health across all American communities and broaden participation in the AI/ML workforce. Many communities have untapped potential to contribute new expertise, data, recruitment strategies, and cutting-edge science to the AI/ML field. To promote health for all, AIM-AHEAD Coordinating Center (A-CC) seeks to increase participation and engagement in AI/ML through mutually beneficial partnerships, stakeholder engagement, and outreach.
Fellowship Information
The AIM-AHEAD Research Fellowship Program will engage a group of early-career researchers to actively participate in biomedical research that involves the use of AI/ML methodologies on biomedical research data, clinical and genomic cohorts to address health research in AI/ML algorithms or data.
The program is open to individuals conducting research at the intersection of healthcare practice and delivery and AI/ML methods, with a focus on improving health outcomes. The AIM-AHEAD Consortium seeks projects from institutions and their investigators from a variety of fields of study, institutions, and geography.
This Fellowship supports early-career researchers (graduate students, postdocs, junior faculty, and others conducting research outside of an academic institution, within 10 years of completing their highest degree) in implementations of novel and innovative data science and data-focused research problems. The program will provide both funding support and additional AIM-AHEAD resources for researchers who will leverage AIM-AHEAD to gain access to training, data, and infrastructure needed to rapidly develop research skills required in the AI/ML field. The proposed research project must focus on AIM-AHEAD North Star (III): Use AI/ML to improve behavioral health, cardiometabolic health and cancer outcomes for all.
AIM-AHEAD Research Fellowship Cohort 4 will begin on September 2, 2025.
Datasets
More information available on below datasets/cohorts:
Please check all links for conditions, accessibility, and restrictions
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Data set |
Brief Description |
Data Allowed |
Size |
Analysis platform tools |
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A customized subset from OCHIN |
EHR data from under-resourced communities |
HIPAA limited dataset, individual-patient level data with dates and geographic indicators if needed for research |
A customized subset will be created for the research question of awarded fellow from over 6 million records |
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Data Bridge from MedStar Health (Curated data from the MedStar Health EHR)
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EHR data from hospital system network |
Multiple curated dataset options (further detail on website) pre-curated or custom curated de-identified EHR, Limited Dataset, Full PHI EHR dataset, Imaging, select clinical notes, select genomics data, synthetic data |
Pre-curated datasets and custom curated datasets of varying sizes
Curated from the EHR with over 5 million patient records |
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Selected large-scale cohorts related to heart, lung, blood and sleep disorders. Includes both prospective clinical studies and associated genomic TOPMED data. |
De-identified dataset. Includes individual level genomic (TOPMED full genomes) and clinical datasets. |
List of studies: |
NHLBI BioData Catalyst PIC-SURE and Seven Bridges Platforms |
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A variety of datasets are available including clinical and genomic data |
Public data, and controlled access data (depends on dataset) |
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The All of Us Research Program is building one of the largest biomedical data resources of its kind. |
The All of Us Research Hub stores health data from a broad group of participants from across the United States |
616,000+ 360,000+ 444,000+ |
AIM-AHEAD Service Workbench - Infrastructure available for working with 1) OCHIN and 2) AWS Open Datasets.
More information is available here.
OCHIN: Applicants are encouraged to explore the OCHIN Database for feasibility assessment while developing their proposals. OCHIN offers access to Cohort Discovery, a web-based tool that allows users to obtain patient counts based on specified eligibility and exclusion criteria. To gain access to Cohort Discovery, AIM-AHEAD program applicants must have completed and be up to date with standard training in Human Subjects Research and Responsible Conduct of Research such as those offered by the CITI Program. To request access to OCHIN’s Cohort Discovery, AIM-AHEAD program applicants can complete the “i2b2 End User Agreement.”
AADB: Applicants whose research questions can be addressed with AIM-AHEAD Data Bridge (AADB) data may choose to schedule a pre-award data consultation with AADB to discuss their research questions with the AADB team and methodologist. The AADB can perform a preliminary cohort discovery to provide estimated sample sizes and confirm the availability of relevant variables for custom dataset requests.
Available EHR data include (but are not limited to): demographics, problems list, surgical history, observations, medical history, procedures, prescriptions, billing, provider, clinical notes, clinical unit/department, allergies, images, device implants, diagnoses, admissions, encounters, social history, and environmental and lifestyle factors and related social variables.
Application Process
Read the Call for Proposal
Submission Guidelines
The AIM-AHEAD Consortium utilizes the online portal InfoReady to upload and submit each completed component of proposal applications. Please use Chrome, Firefox, or Edge. — If you are using Safari, make sure to clear your cache before logging in.
Applications can be submitted using the InfoReady platform.
Step 1: Click here to register as a “mentee/learner” on AIM-AHEAD Connect (our Community Building Platform)
Step 2: Click here to submit a fellowship application for review using the InfoReady platform
Please note both steps must be completed for consideration.
***All applications must be received by Sunday, May 25, 2025 — 11:59 pm ET Eastern Time.
***Late applications will be returned unreviewed.
Inquiries
FAQs
Collections of answers to our most Frequently Asked Questions about the AIM-AHEAD Fellowship Program are available here.
Please visit this page regularly as we will continue to add additional questions and answers.
Help Desk
Questions regarding the Research Fellowship Program may be directed to: Research Fellowship Program HelpDesk.
Director: Paul Avillach, MD, PhD, Harvard Medical School
Co-Directors: Wyatt P. Bensken, PhD, Jennifer Bagdasarian, PhD