Call for Applications: The AI Health Equity Scholars Program

Duke AI Health and the Duke Clinical & Translational Science Institute are pleased to announce a call for applications with the AI Health Equity Scholars Program. This program will support a minimum 1-year appointment for a faculty member, staff member, or postdoctoral scholar at Duke University.  The AI Health Equity Scholars Program is a new initiative intended to broaden our commitment to ethical and equitable data science and artificial health (AI) applications, with direction from CTSI Director L. Ebony Boulware, MD, MHS, and AI Health Director Michael J. Pencina, PhD.

Recent and widespread concern related to the individual and societal impacts of algorithmic technologies reflects a growing awareness of the potential for harms resulting from the use of such technologies. It also highlights the increasingly urgent need to incorporate principles of ethical design into algorithmic product development, and to create and refine methods for continuous evaluation that can ensure the appropriate and equitable use of such tools.

The intention of this program is to broaden our expertise in considering and applying ethical and equitable principles for key initiatives within Duke AI Health.

The primary activity of the Scholar will be ensuring that health equity principles are applied to the evaluation and implementation of clinical algorithms deployed in Duke Health. The AI Health Equity Scholar will:

  • Join the Oversight Committee of the Algorithm-Based Clinical Decision Support (ABCDS) Oversight in its mission and provide input, both in meetings and as written recommendations, especially reflecting ethical and equitable practices
  • Have opportunities for manuscript development and presentations at scientific conferences
  • Receive support for their own research
  • Potentially contribute to the Collaborative to Advance Clinical Health Equity (CACHE), depending on interest and potential alignment

Funding support will be provided for approximately 1 day per week of effort, plus travel support for up to 2 conferences per year and any fees associated with open-access manuscript publishing. Arrangements can be flexible and responsive to the preferences of the Scholar’s home department. We anticipate that this role would begin in January 2022, although it could potentially be deferred to later in the spring.

Duke AI Health is focused on developing, evaluating, and implementing data science and artificial intelligence applications for health and healthcare at Duke and beyond. With connections spanning multiple schools, departments, and institutions across campus, AI Health is able to draw upon a unique combination of technical expertise, real-world clinical experience, and a deep understanding of legal, ethical, and regulatory issues as it advances the state of the art in algorithmic healthcare and clinical data science.

We especially encourage applications from individuals with experience in addressing health disparities and background in clinical settings and implementation. Prior quantitative experience or/and training is expected but specific expertise in data science and artificial intelligence is not required. Clinicians are welcome to apply, as well as researchers and methodologists.

Applications must be submitted by Friday, December 10, 2021 by 10 PM (Eastern Time) at https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_57lFTNYpwaXIeua

Please contact aihealth@duke.edu with any questions.