AI is redefining the way we harness data, transforming it from static information into dynamic intelligence. It is a catalyst for innovation across industries, with healthcare and academic medicine at the forefront of this revolution.
Purpose
In 2023, UT-HIP launched the AI in Healthcare Collaborative to build a comprehensive UT System AI initiative that aligns with the unique objectives of each health campus while promoting collaboration across the UT Health Enterprise. In late 2024, the group jointly submitted a proposal to the University of Texas System Board of Regents and the 89th Texas Legislature. The approval and subsequent funding transformed the collaborative into UT-REAL-Health-AI.
The REAL Health AI Overview
The University of Texas System proposes the establishment of the University of Texas Research, Engineering, and Application Laboratory for Healthcare Artificial Intelligence (UT-REAL-Health-AI) in partnership with the UT Health Intelligence Platform (UT-HIP) and the existing UT AI Collaborative group within UT-HIP. This initiative aims to support and coordinate AI efforts across campuses, addressing the lack of standardized, formal, or rigorous systems to prioritize, evaluate, monitor, or implement AI tools in healthcare.
REAL Health AI Leaders
Chair: Peter McCaffrey, Vice President & Chief AI and Digital Officer, The University of Texas Medical Branch
Executive Director: Nyma Shah, Executive Director, Strategy and Business Development, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
The University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School
- Claudia Lucchinetti, Dean, Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs
- Claus Jensen, Chief Technology Officer and Chief Information Officer
- Jim Buntrock, Chief Data Officer
- Hongfang Liu, Chief Translational AI and Informatics Officer
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
- ShuRon Green, Executive Director, UT Health Intelligence Platform (HIP)
- Jiajie Zhang,Innovator and an executive leader in informatics, medical AI, and cognitive science
- Xiaoqian Jiang, Chair, Department of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, Director of Center for Secure Artificial intelligence for Healthcare (SAFE)
- Susan Fenton, Professor and the first McWilliams Vice Dean for Education
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
- Ed Sankary, Chief Health Information Officer
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
- Shawn Stapleton, Director of Model Management
- David Jaffray, Sr. VP and Chief Technology and Digital Officer (CTDO)
- Nyma Shah, Executive Director, Strategy and Business Development
- Kirsten Reid, Program Manager, Strategy and Business Development
The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston
- Peter McCaffrey, Vice President & Chief AI and Digital Officer, UT-REAL Health AI Chair
- John Flores, Associate Vice President of Information Security and CISO
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Medical School
- Eric Martinez, Assistant Director of Business Intelligence & Enterprise Engineering
The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
- DuWayne Willett, Chief Medical Informatics Officer and Professor of Internal Medicine
- Brian Evans, Associate Vice President & Chief Enterprise Architect
- Eric Peterson, Vice Provost and Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Research, Vice President for Health System Research
The University of Texas System
- Jennifer Kennedy, Associate Systemwide Compliance Officer, Privacy and Data Protection Officer
- Zain Kazmi, Associate Vice Chancellor, Chief Digital & Analytics, Officer in Health Affairs
The University of Texas at Tyler Health Science Center
- Susan McBride, Associate Dean of Research; Jacqueline M. Braithwaite Endowed Chair
- John Yoder, Vice President of Information Technology/Chief Information Officer
