From Evidence to Action: How AI Is Shaping Public Health

In the inaugural episode of AMIA Unpacked, host Karmen Williams, DrPH, MBA, MSPH, MA, CPH, sits down with Elizabeth Campbell, PhD, MS, MSPH, assistant scientist at Johns Hopkins and member of the Center for Outbreak Response Innovation, part of CDC-funded INSIGHT Net, to explore how artificial intelligence is transforming public health. Campbell explains how AI tools can help agencies move from evidence to action by aggregating fragmented data, automating time-consuming processes, and supporting faster, more informed decision-making. She highlights influenza forecasting through CDC’s FluSight ensemble as a real-world example and emphasizes that AI is a tool to augment, not replace, human expertise. The conversation also examines issues of trust, transparency, and equity, as well as emerging applications in emergency response, outbreak detection, policy analysis, and tailored public health communication. This episode is sponsored by Oracle Health & Life Sciences.   AMIA Unpacked is produced by Association Briefings.