Azizi Seixas, Ph.D., is Interim Inaugural Chair of the Department of Informatics and Health Data Science at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. He is also Founding Director of The Media and Innovation Lab (The MIL), Associate Director of the Center for Translational Sleep and Circadian Sciences (TSCS) and Director of Population Health Informatics in the Institute for Data Science and Computing. He was recently awarded one of Miami’s Most Influential and Powerful Black Business Leaders, an Education Champion Awardee by Amazon Web Services for his innovative work using cloud computing technology and his advocacy for improving education and has been recognized by Cell Press as one of the top 100 most inspiring Black scientists in America.
Dr. Seixas’ research broadly focuses on two areas: 1) biological, behavioral, clinical, environmental, and psychosocial determinants of cardiovascular and cardiometabolic disease/conditions, mental health, and brain health (dementia and aging), and 2) developing adaptive, precise, and personalized behavioral interventions to improve health and well-being with the use of machine learning, translational artificial intelligence, and digital technology. He is a key leader in the NIH-funded AIM AHEAD program which aims “to increase the participation and representation of the researchers and communities that are currently underrepresented in AI/ML modeling and applications through mutually beneficial partnerships”. Dr. Seixas approach to building healthcare equity includes rethinking the paradigms by which data are transformed to inspire action and encompasses rethinking how academic research institutes engage with underserved, disenfranchised, and overlooked communities, as well as fostering robust mentorship pipelines to diversify the STEM workforce and build generations of leaders from within these communities to drive research and innovate thinking. His work has been widely supported by National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Science Foundation (NSF) and several industry and foundation partners.
Dr. Seixas has over 175 high impact peer-reviewed publications, book chapters and conference presentations and his work appears in several media-outlets such as CBS, CNN, NBC, Associated Press, The Guardian, Huffington Post, and is the sleep expert for NBC Health News. He is currently the Chair for the American Academy of Sleep?Medicine? (AASM) Sleep Medicine Disruptors Conference and Change Agents program, Vice Chair of the AASM Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning sub-committee, the Director of Early Career Faculty Development for NYU Langone Health’s Department of Population Health, member of the American Heart Association's Cardiac Rehab Advisory Group, permanent member of the NIH’s MESH Study Review Panel, and former Chair of AASM’s Young Investigator Research Forum.
