Dr. Sherri Rose, a distinguished figure in health policy and data science, has been honored with the prestigious NIH Director’s Pioneer Award. This accolade, a part of the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) High-Risk, High-Reward Research Program, recognizes investigators undertaking exceptionally innovative and impactful research. Rose will utilize this significant award to deepen her exploration into a critical area: the potential for healthcare algorithms to generate and perpetuate harm among marginalized communities.
Rose, affiliated with Stanford University’s Health Policy Data Science Lab as co-director, emphasizes the widespread integration of algorithms throughout modern society. She points out that within the healthcare sector, the application of these algorithms in decision-making processes can inadvertently contribute to adverse health outcomes and create barriers to essential care for vulnerable populations.
“The algorithms we are deploying are impacting the health trajectories of millions, yet we lack robust evaluation frameworks to preemptively identify and mitigate systematic harms,” Rose stated. “This NIH Director’s Pioneer Award provides an invaluable opportunity to cultivate a diverse, interdisciplinary, and inclusive team. Together, we can develop a comprehensive framework to assess and address the societal impact of algorithms in healthcare.”
The $5.5 million NIH Pioneer Award will empower Rose to construct intricate causal network models. She will leverage her extensive expertise spanning machine learning, ethical considerations in artificial intelligence (AI), health economics, health policy, and statistical analysis. Her ambitious goal is to revolutionize the approach to algorithm development and implementation within healthcare.
Ultimately, Rose aims to establish a groundbreaking social impact framework. This framework will serve as a crucial blueprint, ensuring that healthcare algorithms are rigorously evaluated for their broader societal impact before they are put into practice. This proactive approach is essential to responsible innovation in the rapidly evolving landscape of AI-driven healthcare.
The NIH High-Risk, High-Reward Research Program, under the NIH Common Fund, supports initiatives that are strategically vital to the NIH’s mission. These programs are designed to pursue significant scientific advancements, bridge gaps in research, and foster collaborative efforts across various NIH agencies. Further details about the program and its impact can be found in the NIH’s official press release.
Further Reading: To learn more about all Stanford researchers recognized in the 2022 NIH High-Risk, High-Reward grants, you can read the full report available from Stanford News.
