Advancing a healthier world for all
Last fall, the University of Michigan launched an ambitious new fundraising campaign called Look to Michigan. The campaign aims to fuel scientific breakthroughs, advance cutting-edge education and propel our university into the future. Our school is uniquely positioned to find lasting solutions to the world’s most pressing public health challenges, and this new campaign will help us to pursue these goals.
Throughout this issue of Findings, you’ll see the many reasons why we can Look to Michigan Public Health for a healthier future in a changing world. Our world is rapidly evolving and increasingly globalized. At the same time, ever-changing policies and laws at the local, state and federal levels have the ability to deeply impact the field of public health. Now more than ever, we need strong public health leaders at the ready, using the latest tools and innovations to advance a healthier world for all. This is where Michigan Public Health steps in.
One of these new tools is artificial intelligence (AI). Throughout several stories in this issue, you’ll see how Michigan Public Health community members are leading the way when it comes to using AI to advance health and well-being. In research, AI can dramatically accelerate data analysis and expand the boundaries of traditional methodologies, pioneering new pathways for exploration and discovery. Our faculty are using AI to analyze cellular responses to pollutants, leverage data from wearable devices such as glucose monitors and heart rate trackers, and optimize healthcare resources so that we’re targeting interventions more precisely. However, this new technology brings opportunities, questions and challenges.
Irina Gaynanova, associate professor of Biostatistics, summarizes the situation well: “AI is a tool in our toolbox—one that holds promise, but it doesn’t replace the need for comprehensive understanding and training.” At Michigan Public Health, we aim to harness this new tool for good, utilize it in a responsible manner, and teach students how they can effectively use it in their future careers. Much uncertainty remains in our world, but our school is a constant. Public health is a resilient field. We will not waver in our work to prepare future public health leaders by delivering an exceptional, distinctive Michigan Public Health education; pursuing innovative and impactful research that improves health and equity for all; and innovating in new and unique ways. As you read through this issue, I hope you’ll feel that the future is now at Michigan Public Health.
—Dean F. DuBois Bowman
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