Season 4 Episode 1 - AI Boosts Data Ops in Drug Abuse Research

HealthCast, along with GovCast and CyberCast, will now be published in the GovCIO Media & Research Podcasts feed. Subscribe and listen today on the podcast platform of your choice.

Dr. W. Kimryn Rathmell is one month into her post as National Cancer Institute’s new director and is already rolling up her sleeves on initiatives impacting health outcomes of cancer patients. Dr. Rathmell discusses her priorities for the year ahead, including a renewed focus on deepening connections across agencies, communities and the nation.

She highlights how the agency fits into broader White House priorities around Cancer Moontshot. She also discusses upcoming plans for artificial intelligence and how it might boost cancer prevention as well as improve cancer screenings. Plus, she shares her story about an organization she co-founded that is near and dear to her heart.

Government is typically not one to take risks, but Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) CIO Nikolaos Ipiotis said failing and learning are key parts to tech and health innovation.

The agency, the newest one within the National Institutes of Health, aims to transform and innovate in health IT, medicine and other lanes of research that aren't easily available through traditional approaches.

Ipiotis, who joined the agency in December 2023, said in his first podcast interview that taking risks, "controlled failure" and collaboration are all keys to his IT strategy. He discusses what lies ahead for data strategy as the agency begins to collaborate with industry and set in motion major initiatives for the health community.

It’s been 15 years since the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) updated its data strategy, and now it is prioritizing innovative ways around data collection, analysis and sharing. The agency hopes these efforts will better treat those seeking mental health and substance abuse support.

SAMHSA Chief of Staff Trina Dutta, Senior Advisor Dr. Robert Baillieu and Survey Statistician Dr. Kathryn Piscopo discuss how the updated strategy will help streamline performance and procure integrated data platforms. The team also talks about how the agency is now using dashboards that are making data more usable and enhancing transparency agency-wide.

NIH is working to better manage and disseminate fair data in a timely manner for researchers, who are working to advance medical treatments and improve overall health outcomes.

Susan Gregurick, associate director for data science and director of the Office of Data Science Strategy, said the agency’s latest strategic plan includes new ways to utilize artificial intelligence by recruiting a workforce more skilled in AI as well as build out trustworthy AI models to reduce bias.

Gregurick also shares some exciting news about current and future initiatives including the RADx Tribal Data Repository, AIM-AHEAD Program and the NAIRR pilot NIH is launching in partnership with the National Science Foundation.

Telehealth and mobile health technology are leading to new efficiencies and opportunities for health care. Spyros Kitsiou, associate professor and director of the mHealth Innovation Lab at the University of Illinois at Chicago, is a trailblazer in the development and testing of mobile health technology interventions.

He discusses some of the ongoing clinical trials funded by NIH that focus on testing the efficacy of mHealth apps and wearable devices. Kitsiou also discusses the potential of these innovations in empowering patients and assisting with chronic disease management.

The National Cancer Institute's Small Business Innovation Research Program is putting scientist entrepreneurs from underrepresented communities on a path to start create businesses that will help develop technologies to accelerate cancer research and enhance the quality of life for cancer patients.

Michael Weingarten, director for the Small Business Innovation Research Development Center at NCI, highlights some of the initiatives his team is working on to support these efforts. Dr. Rukiyah Van Dross, a professor at East Carolina University, discusses how this program helped turn a dream into reality. The leaders discuss some of the key tools that are enabling this community of entrepreneurship and how that is translating to cancer care.

The White House has introduced a first-ever playbook aimed at addressing social determinants of health with directives for the departments of Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Agriculture, Education, Commerce, Veterans Affairs and more.

Learn about the three key pillars in this playbook, which include efforts around data strategies and partnerships. We dive into what these mean for federal technology opportunities and solutions.

Artificial intelligence is impacting all aspects of government, including public health. The Biden-Harris administration's recent AI executive order impacts health agencies and tasks leaders with building frameworks for ensuring AI is deployed fairly, ehtically and with accuracy in health situations. Health equity remains an issue in the U.S., and leaders of health agencies are thinking of "health equity as a core design principle" of AI systems to be deployed.

GovCIO Media & Research Managing Editor Ross Gianfortune and Staff Writer/Researcher Jayla Whitfield discuss the impact of AI on health equity, the ways that leaders are treating the executive order and how health care will be affected by emerging technology.

A new initiative at the National Cancer Institute aims to create capabilities for detecting pancreatic cancer early and improving treatments for patients with mutations.

A big challenge with pancreatic cancer resides in the KRAS gene. When mutated, the gene can cause normal cells to become cancerous. A new therapy involving KRAS inhibitors and genetic testing can help patients screen for this earlier.

Dr. Christine Alewine, the NIH Lasker Scholar in the Laboratory of Molecular Biology at NCI’s Center for Cancer Research, discussed this breakthrough, how new advancements can serve as an alternative treatment for chemotherapy and where AI can make an impact. Plus, she notes how other health issues such as diabetes also plays a role in screening for pancreatic cancer.