# AI4Health: Engaging Adolescents in Artificial Intelligence to Promote Pathways to Biomedical Careers

> **NIH NIH R25** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · 2024 · $272,000

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Developing a diverse biomedical workforce is a critical national need. The next generation of biomedical
researchers and health science professionals will need to develop a deep understanding of how to creatively
apply artificial intelligence (AI) to solve challenging biomedical problems. Because adolescence offers a key
window to promote interest in biomedical careers and increase self-efficacy to pursue biomedical careers,
given the rapidly growing interest in AI, introducing diverse adolescents to biomedical careers with a focus on
AI holds significant promise for developing the nation’s biomedical workforce. The goal of this project is to
create AI4Health, the first game-based learning environment to introduce students to AI in the context of
biomedical careers. AI4Health is designed to promote the interest of diverse adolescents in biomedical careers
through leveraging significant advances in game-based learning technologies to create engaging interactions
that enable them to virtually explore biomedical careers and learn how AI can be used to solve health science
problems. The project has three aims:
1. Design and develop AI4Health to engage diverse adolescents’ interest in biomedical careers utilizing AI-
 driven learning technologies that integrate the following components: (a) the AI4Health Career Adventure
 Game will introduce adolescents to the world of biomedical research and health science careers with a
 focus on AI through a series of interactive game episodes in which students will take on the role of
 biomedical researchers and health science professionals; (b) the AI4Health Student Discovery website,
 which will feature interactive video interviews with biomedical research and health science professionals
 about their careers and how they use AI; and (c) the AI4Health Teacher Resource Center website, which
 will provide online professional development materials and in-class support for teachers’ classroom
 implementation of AI4Health.
2. Investigate the impact of AI4Health on adolescents’ knowledge of, interest in, and self-efficacy for pursuing
 biomedical research and health science careers featuring AI by conducting a matched comparison study in
 middle school classes.
3. Examine the effect of AI4Health on diverse adolescents by gender and race/ethnicity. Working closely with
 adolescents from groups underrepresented in the biomedical sciences throughout all design and
 development phases of the project, the project team will specifically design AI4Health to develop girls’ and
 those from underrepresented groups’ knowledge of, interest in, and self-efficacy to pursue biomedical
careers.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10888887
- **Project number:** 1R25GM154357-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO
- **Principal Investigator:** ELIZABETH M OZER
- **Activity code:** R25 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $272,000
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-09-01 → 2029-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10888887

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10888887, AI4Health: Engaging Adolescents in Artificial Intelligence to Promote Pathways to Biomedical Careers (1R25GM154357-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10888887. Licensed CC0.

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