CMIH Experiential Learning in Healthcare
HealthTech Catalysts: Student Innovators in AI & Data Science
An interdisciplinary experience where students harness AI and analytics to generate impact in healthcare.
A program for undergraduate and graduate students with an entrepreneurial interest, focused on innovation in healthcare through AI and data science. In today’s increasingly complicated and costly healthcare landscape, new ideas and approaches are needed to make a tangible impact. We believe students at the University of Arizona can contribute to this field and benefit from hands-on, data-driven learning as they begin their careers. The objective of this program is to provide students with the opportunity to participate in an interdisciplinary experiential learning project that uses data science, artificial intelligence, or other STEM-based analytical approaches to address a real healthcare problem, question, or need. Students will form small, interdisciplinary teams and learn by doing, supported by self-serve learning modules and in-person coaching.
Students will receive a $500 stipend and one course credit. Undergraduate students are eligible for Eller or Honors College credit.
Applications are open. The program starts in January 2026.
Topics and Scope
Each year, a specific theme will be chosen. The theme will be broad and fit a variety of projects. Students can propose their problem to solve or can select from a provided list of potential problems.
2026 Theme:
Health Beyond Boundaries:
Focusing on how technology, companionship, and our surroundings work together to shape health outside traditional clinical settings.
Eligibility
All University of Arizona students will be eligible. Projects that extend coursework or are complementary to coursework are encouraged; however, they have to be separate since credit will be assigned for them. This is an in-person program.
AI and Virtual Companions in Health: Investigating how digital/AI companions and assistants can support health and wellness, reduce loneliness, and augment care, both in telemedicine and daily life. Example projects:
- AI chatbots as mental health or medication adherence coaches
- Simulated AI pets or companions for pediatric or geriatric patients
- Virtual companions for cognitive stimulation in dementia
- AI companion systems reducing hospital readmission risk
- Evaluating empathy and engagement of AI companions vs. real animals
Animal and Pet-Related Health: Exploring the impact of animal companions (pets, therapy animals, livestock, wildlife) on human health, and leveraging AI to improve both human and animal health outcomes. Example projects:
- AI for monitoring pet health through wearables
- Detecting zoonotic disease risks using veterinary data science
- AI-guided animal-assisted therapy matching for mental health support
- Analyzing the impact of community pet programs on seniors’ well-being
- Wildlife health monitoring for pandemic prevention
Community and Health: Addressing how social context, networks, and community factors outside the individual body contribute to health, with AI tools for intervention or analysis.
- Predictive analytics for food and housing insecurity
- Identifying at-risk populations based on social connectedness data
- AI for designing targeted community health interventions
- Mapping healthcare deserts and optimizing mobile clinic routes
- AI-guided analysis of transportation and access to care
Environmental Health: This theme focuses on how the environment around us affects our health and how AI can be used to detect, predict, and mitigate these impacts. Example projects:
- Air quality monitoring and prediction
- Analyzing effects of urban heat islands on vulnerable populations
- Early warning systems for vector-borne diseases based on environmental data
- Personalized health advisories using real-time environmental sensing
- Water contamination prediction and prevention
Domain experts will serve different roles depending on their availability, ranging from answering questions by email and in person to hosting people for a tour or shadowing.
ON CAMPUS
Srikar Adhikari, MD, Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine
Dave Biffar, MS, ASTEC, Director of Operations
Expertise: Business Side Simulation in Healthcare; Business Plans, Systems Integration Hospital with Simulation Center; Medical Devices-Company
Zachary Cohen, PhD, Director of the Personalized Treatment Lab, Department of Psychology
Expertise: Precision and Personalized Treatment Approaches in Mental Health, Machine Learning, Digital Therapeutics, Digital Phenotyping/Passive Sensing, Clinical Decision-Making, Clinical Trials, Psychotherapy
Kate Ellingson, Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Expertise: Infectious Diseases Epidemiology; Infection Prevention; Healthcare-Associated Infections; Occupational Health
John Galgiani, MD, College of Medicine/Valley Fever Center of Excellence
Expertise: Valley Fever
Allan Hamilton, MD, ASTEC, Executive Director
Expertise: AI in Healthcare
Brian Hilligoss, PhD, Associate Professor, Eller College of Management
Expertise: Management and Leadership in Healthcare, Organizational Change, Coordination
Joanna Katsanis, PhD, College of Medicine, Associate Clinical Professor, Psychiatry
Nell Maltman, PhD, Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences
Expertise: Autism, Speech/Language, Cognition, Genetics
Erin McMahon, EdD, CNM, FACNM, Assistant Clinical Professor
Expertise: Midwifery, Maternal Mortality/Morbidity, Triage, Telehealth, Provider Access
Mike Myers, MBA, Eller College of Management
Expertise: Advertising, Marketing, Consulting, Entrepreneurship, Pharma, Medical Device, Biotech, Market Access
Sudha Ram, PhD, Professor of Management Information Systems
Expertise: Healthcare Analytics, Mechine Learning, AI Applications in Healthcare
Sydney Rice, MD, College of Medicine/Department of Pediatrics
Expertise: Outpatient Clinical Care, Children, Disabilities, Autism
Ritu Pandey, PhD, Associate Research Professor, Cellular and Molecular Medicine, College of Medicine, Associate Director Translational Bioinformatics, Center for Biomedical Informatics and Biostatistics
Expertise: Data driven insights, Precision medicine, translational bioinformatics, connecting biomedical data points.
Jennifer Wishnie, DVM, MSc, MPH, DACVPM, Associate Professor of Practice, College of Veterinary Medicine
Expertise: Veterinary Public Health, Zoonoses, Antimicrobial Use and Resistance, Food Safety, Policy, Climate Change
John Woolf, PT, ATC, PhD, Doctor of Physical Therapy Program
Expertise: Patient-Centered Care, Relationship-Centered Care
Seokjun Youn, PhD, Management Information Systems
Expertise: Operational Efficiency in Healthcare Delivery Systems; Patient Flow and Healthcare Resource Management; Health IT, Patient Portal, and Online Health Communities; Clinical Practice Variation; Capacity Planning and Scheduling in Healthcare. Data Analytics and Machine Learning
Beth Zerr, PharmD, Department of Pharmacy Practice at the R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy
Expertise: Telehealth; Pharmacy; Diabetes; Women's Health; Primary Care; Transitions of Care
OFF CAMPUS
Zachary Brooks, PhD, CEO, UGenome
Hirsch Handmaker, MD, Research Professor of Radiology, UACOM-P, Chairman and CEO, The CACTIS Foundation
Jared Perkins, CEO, Children's Clinics Tucson
Expertise: Healthcare Administration, Financing and Healthcare Systems
Ramona Walls, PHD, Executive Director of Data Science, Data Collaboration Center, C-Path Institute
Expertise: Data Science, Data Management, Standards, Clinical Data, Regulatory Standards, Public Private Partnerships