Natasha Martin, DPhil, professor and vice chief of Global Public Health at UC San Diego School of Medicine, has been awarded a five-year, $5.6 million Avant-Garde Award from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). This prestigious and competitive NIH research award will support the development of innovative artificial intelligence tools to improve public health responses to Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and overdose among people who use drugs across the United States.
Bringing AI to public health decision-making
Despite significant advancements in HIV prevention and treatment, the U.S. continues to face considerable challenges in preventing HIV, HCV, and overdose among individuals who use drugs. A major hurdle is the lack of real-time information regarding the preferences, needs, and behaviors of these populations, especially in areas with limited surveillance and research infrastructure. Dr. Martin's project seeks to bridge this gap by developing community-informed "digital twins" – AI-powered simulations that accurately reflect the intervention preferences and decision-making patterns of people who use drugs. These digital twins will be created using data from various cohorts and a community-based participatory approach, allowing them to represent diverse populations across different regions. Subsequently, these digital twins will be integrated into advanced models that simulate the transmission of HIV and HCV, overdose incidents, and associated health outcomes. This modeling will enable researchers to test different prevention and treatment strategies virtually before real-world implementation, helping public health leaders identify the most beneficial and cost-effective approaches for their communities. Dr. Martin emphasizes that applying AI to predict the preferences of people who use drugs holds transformative potential, extending beyond this project to help design new health services, pinpoint barriers to care, and customize interventions for populations whose needs are often misunderstood.
From research to real-world impact
The project leverages long-standing collaborations between UC San Diego researchers and various public health agencies, including insights from the Resilient Shield initiative. This prior work highlighted that successful strategies in one location might not be effective elsewhere due to differing intervention preferences, underscoring the necessity for personalized and localized approaches. A core element of the new project involves active engagement with individuals who have lived experience of substance use. These community members will play a crucial role in guiding the development, testing, and application of the AI models, ensuring that safeguards are established, trust is built, and the technology genuinely addresses the needs and priorities of the communities it aims to serve. The ultimate goal is to create an interactive dashboard that public health departments can utilize. This platform will provide rapid, data-driven insights to evaluate prevention strategies, assess options for resource allocation, and enhance responsiveness to emerging health challenges, thereby helping decision-makers direct limited resources for maximum impact. The project involves several UC San Diego collaborators: Ravi Goyal, Eli Aronoff-Spencer, Steffanie Strathdee, Annick BĂłrquez, Laramie Smith, Britt Skaathun, and John Ayers from the Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, as well as Angela Bazzi from the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science.
