From Data to Decisions: AI and the Future of Federal Research Intelligence

Dr. Bower is the Chief AI Officer at NIH. He is leading the development of the first NIH Artificial Intelligence Strategy, and he is leading the NIH Bio Genesis Mission team, building and expanding partnerships with the Department of Energy, private industry, and other agency partners for the acceleration of biomedical innovation within the Genesis Mission. Previously, Dr. Bower was the Chief AI and Data Science Officer at the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering and started his career at NIH as a DATA Scholar with NIBIB. Dr. Bower has a diverse set of experiences in research, marketing, and leadership roles in medical device companies from preclinical research and development to FDA clearance, product launch, and post-market activities. His prior work includes NIH and Department of War-funded research and development in ophthalmic imaging devices, non-invasive concussion diagnostics, point of care diagnostics, and most recently AI-enabled MRI-based prediction of symptoms associated with autism spectrum disorder in infants. Dr. Bower earned a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Duke University and a BSE from Case Western Reserve University.

Dr. Yoram Vodovotz joined ARPA-H as a Program Manager in December 2024. He is a professor of surgery, immunology, computational and systems biology, bioengineering, clinical and translational science, and communication science and disorders at the University of Pittsburgh. His interdisciplinary research lab has focused on the systems biology of inflammation and immunity, with a particular emphasis on critical illness.  

Vodovotz also served as the director of the Center for Inflammation and Regeneration Modeling at the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine and has co-founded a company based on virtual clinical trials and digital twins. He has published over ~400 manuscripts, including four books, and is also the founding editor-in-chief of Frontiers in Systems Biology. He received his doctorate from Cornell University and carried out postdoctoral training at the National Cancer Institute. 

Derek Denning, Ph.D., is Senior Director of Research Analytics at Digital Science, where he bridges the gap between complex research data and executive decision-making. Over more than a decade working alongside federal agencies, he has helped translate large, complex research portfolios, using both agency data and the Dimensions platform, into clear, actionable intelligence senior leaders need to understand the impact of their funded research. Derek came to Digital Science with a background in organic photochemistry and science and technology policy work at a non-profit supporting federal agencies.