UNC’s AI Research: Paving the Way for the NIH’s Data Science Vision

July 10, 2025

by Penny Gordon-Larsen

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently unveiled its 2025-2030 Strategic Plan for Data Science, outlining a bold vision for leveraging data and artificial intelligence (AI) to transform biomedical research and improve human health. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is already ahead of the game with a vibrant ecosystem of research leveraging the application of AI, demonstrating a remarkable alignment with the NIH’s forward-thinking approach. 

Carolina is an established leader in statistical methodological approaches applied to critical challenges in biomedicine, health care, and population science. And our culture of collaboration has long synergized methodological expertise for application to some of the world’s greatest challenges. For years, our success has rested on cutting-edge innovation powered by substantive knowledge from top talent across our diverse campus.  

A few great examples of our leadership in biomedical platforms include our contributions to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s (NHLBI) BioData Catalyst, our work in precision medicine for patients with severe asthma, and our advancements in portable chest-scanning technologies, all of which require the talent of merging complex data, medical know-how, and AI technologies. This work is made possible because of our collaborative campus, allowing such transformative projects as the Cancer Identification & Precision Oncology Center , an incredible project that spans 12 campus units and is set to revolutionize rapid cancer identification and precision treatments. 

As pioneers in leveraging biomedical data, platforms, and AI, Carolina is accelerating life-saving discoveries more safely, securely, and quickly than ever. Our advanced AI technologies are fueling breakthroughs in diagnosis, treatment, and prevention, bringing tomorrow’s health care within reach today. Our researchers are leveraging next generation AI to make better decisions — in health care delivery, behavioral intervention, tissue imaging, drug discovery, and more. Carolina is poised for leadership.  

Let’s delve into some specific examples of how our research enterprise is a powerful force in realizing the NIH’s data science ambitions: 

Accelerating discovery through AI-powered biomedical platforms 

The NIH plan highlights the importance of leveraging AI for scientific discovery, and the Renaissance Computing Institute (RENCI) is at the forefront of this effort, due to a track record of leadership in biomedical data platforms and data science innovations. Earlier I mentioned the NHLBI BioData Catalyst, that is just one of the platforms RENCI creates and maintains. The promise of these one-of-a-kind biomedical platforms is to use data to make better decisions and to identify patterns and predict variants in diseases and response to treatments. 

The Chancellor’s AI strategy, the OVCR’s strategic Research Roadmap, and the strategic plans for the School of Medicine and UNC Health all align with the NIH’s strategic priority for privacy protected electronic health record data to be leveraged for research and health care delivery. To this end, the OMOP Research Data Repository—Deidentified (ORDR-D) is Carolina’s next-generation health data environment. This secure health data system will give Carolina researchers access to nearly three million deidentified UNC Health patient records.    

By combining real-world medical data with advanced analytical tools, ORDR-D helps scientists test hypotheses, uncover hidden patterns, predict disease earlier, and develop smarter, faster treatments — all while protecting patient privacy. The unique partnership between the university and the health care system is truly a national model that is possible at Carolina because of our proverbial low stone walls and collaborative culture.  

Drawing on this collaboration and recognizing that some research studies require identifiable health data, such as studies that need to use vast amounts of rich clinical data contained in clinical notes, UNC’s Secure Health Informatics Research Environment (SHIRE) will enable researchers and students to access and use sensitive health data within a fully protected cloud platform. By bringing researchers to the data — and leveraging powerful, local large language models (LLMs) behind secure firewalls — SHIRE unlocks cutting-edge AI-driven insights while ensuring the highest standards of privacy. It’s a closed, cloud-based system unlike any other, advancing data science, discovery, and training at Carolina. ORDR-D and SHIRE directly address the NIH’s emphasis on creating a FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) data ecosystem.    

Transforming drug discovery with machine learning 

A key pillar of the NIH’s strategy is to accelerate therapeutic development. The Eshelman School of Pharmacy’s Alex Tropsha is leading a multi-million dollar, federally funded project that’s a game-changer in drug discovery. By harnessing machine learning, his team is speeding the identification of new uses for existing drugs, systematically evaluating every possible drug-disease combination to unlock treatments faster than ever before. This innovative approach exemplifies the NIH’s vision of leveraging AI to streamline and accelerate the drug development pipeline. 

Enhancing health outcomes through AI-driven interventions 

The NIH plan also emphasizes the application of data science to improve health outcomes and address significant barriers to care in our state and across the world. The School of Medicine’s Jeffrey Stringer is partnering with Gilling School of Global Public Health’s Michael Kosorok to leverage cutting-edge AI to create algorithms in an AI app with an off-the-shelf portable ultrasound device to improve maternal and child health in regions lacking access to maternal care across North Carolina and around the globe. This practical application of AI demonstrates a commitment to translating research into real-world solutions, a core tenet of the NIH’s data science strategy. 

Advancing medical imaging and analysis with AI 

Data-driven imaging is another priority area identified by the NIH. The Biomedical Research Imaging Center (BRIC) empowers Carolina researchers to accelerate disease understanding and treatment by providing advanced in vivo imaging and analysis. Leveraging the expertise of their methodologists and the convenience of co-located medical and health care facilities, the BRIC streamlines image analysis and application. This aligns perfectly with the NIH’s push for advanced computational methods to extract meaningful insights from complex imaging data. 

Leveraging leading AI expertise to foster interdisciplinary collaboration  

The NIH recognizes that achieving its data science goals requires collaboration. Carolina’s commitment to this is evident in the Center for Artificial Intelligence and Public Health, which draws on Gillings’ exceptional leadership in advanced AI methods in the department of biostatistics and across the school’s collaborations with leading researchers on campus. This center is home to world–class leaders in statistical methods who employ next-generation AI to foster collaborative projects that feature the application of cutting-edge AI to solve major biomedical and societal challenges. The center is off to an amazing start, with a cadre of impressive, affiliated faculty and research scientists from UNC-Chapel Hill.  

At the university level, Carolina boasts strong methodological expertise across various departments, including the School of Data Science and Society, School of Information and Library Science, Department of Computer Science, and Department of Biostatistics, alongside numerous cores and centers throughout the health sciences schools. This broad base of knowledge and collaboration positions UNC as a vital partner in realizing the NIH’s vision for a data science-driven future in health.   

Positioning Carolina for the future with our data 

Data drives discovery, and the NIH plan calls for improved systems to manage and leverage biomedical data. Carolina has enormous potential to lead in this area because of our significant data assets. The Research Data Management Core (RDMC) is a first-of-its-kind data ecosystem designed to unlock the full potential of Carolina’s data. RDMC is a national model that provides resources and structure needed to break down silos, fuel responsible AI, and lead in research innovation.  

The RDMC maximizes the impact of our data and our scientific enterprise, so we can capitalize on AI to deliver a healthier, safer, and more innovative world by making data-driven decisions with the highest impact. The core positions Carolina to unlock our incredible data assets, directly supporting the NIH’s balanced investment in AI applications and the exploration of computational frontiers. 

In just the past five years, 250 UNC faculty experts are now leading more than 500 AI and machine learning projects, totaling $163 million in research awards, showing that our campus is a powerhouse in AI research. We are already incredibly well positioned for the future as our groundbreaking research is already aligned with the NIH’s 2025-2030 Strategic Plan for Data Science. More importantly, we are actively shaping the future of health care and demonstrating how AI can truly benefit and save lives.