Sophia Bessias serves as the evaluation lead for the Algorithm-Based Clinical Decision Support (ABCDS) Oversight program. She provides operational support and peer review for clinical decision support software proposed for use within the Duke University Health System (DUHS). Before joining Duke, she worked as a data scientist at UNC Health, where she led a project responsible for building, evaluating, and implementing clinical risk models in the electronic health records (EHR). Sophia also brings experience in research, project coordination, and care delivery from her early career spent in HIV prevention and treatment services. She holds Master’s degrees in Analytics and Public Health from NC State University and the University of Copenhagen and has more than 10 years of experience working at the intersection of data science, equity, and public health.

LTC (P) Vincent F. Capaldi, II, MC, USA, is the Vice Chair of Psychiatry (Research), Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD and Senior Medical Scientist, Center for Military Psychiatry and Neuroscience, at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Silver Spring, MD. He is an associate professor in the departments of Internal Medicine and Psychiatry at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, MD. Dr. Capaldi is also the program director of the National Capital Consortium combined Internal Medicine and Psychiatry residency training program and chair of the Biomedical Ethics Committee at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. LTC Capaldi completed dual residency training in Internal Medicine and Psychiatry and fellowship in Sleep Medicine at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. LTC (P) Capaldi holds board certifications from the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and the American Board of Internal Medicine to practice General Psychiatry, Internal Medicine, and Sleep Medicine. LTC (P) Capaldi is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and Fellow of the American College of Physicians and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. He is a past president of the Society of Uniformed Services Psychiatrists – the Military District Branch of the American Psychiatric Association.

An alumnus of Brown University, Providence, RI, Dr. Capaldi received the following degrees from Brown: ScB in Psychology (2002), Masters in Research Psychology (2003), and MD (2007). Commissioning into the Medical Corps through the Health Professionals Scholarship Program (HPSP), Dr. Capaldi completed his dual residency training in Internal Medicine and Psychiatry in 2012 and sleep medicine fellowship in 2015. In January 2013, LTC (P) Capaldi was appointed as officer in charge (OIC) of the Restoration Program at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan. As OIC, LTC (P) Capaldi was responsible for the comprehensive behavioral health restoration program, all clinical operations, and prevention activities for over 45,000 NATO troops stationed across Afghanistan. In January 2019, LTC (P) Capaldi deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, serving as the Theater Behavioral Health Consultant, the senior behavioral health provider supporting service members in Kuwait, Iraq, Syria, and Jordan. LTC (P) Capaldi is credited with establishing the behavioral health hotline in the CENTCOM region.

LTC (P) Capaldi has published over 150 peer reviewed scientific articles, abstracts, presentations, and book chapters on various topics such as sleep disorders, traumatic brain injury, and post stroke depression that have appeared in several medical journals. He serves as the Fatigue Management Capabilities Area Manager for the Military Operational Research Program, Medical Research and Development Command. He also serves as the Sleep Medicine Consultant to the US Army Surgeon General. In 2019 LTC (P) Capaldi was awarded the AMEDD "A Proficiency Designator, awarded to the top 10% of military physicians and was selected as the 2019 Surgeon General Physician Recognition winner, awarded to the top military physician by rank. His other military awards include the Order of Military Medical Merit, Meritorious Service Medal (1OLC), Joint Service Commendation Medal (1 OLC), Army Commendation Medal (1OLC), Army Achievement Medal (1OLC), Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, and International Security Force Operation NATO Medal.

LTC (P) Capaldi is supported by his wife Melinda, a US Army Reserve Officer and clinical psychologist, and two daughters, Gia (9) and Eva (6).

Dr. Cary is an Associate Professor and Elizabeth C. Clipp Term Chair of Nursing in the Duke University School of Nursing. Dually trained as a health services researcher and applied data scientist, Dr. Cary uses AI and machine learning to study health disparities related to aging and develop strategies to advance health equity and improve healthcare delivery to older adults in diverse populations. His research has been supported by the National Library of Medicine, National Institute of Nursing Research, and the Duke Clinical and Translational Science Institute. He has published more than 50 manuscripts, book chapters, and editorials and has mentored numerous students and faculty members. In 2022, he was inducted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing for his significant contributions to improve health and healthcare.

Most recently, he was selected by Duke Health to be the inaugural AI Health Equity Scholar. In this health system leadership position, he leads an interdisciplinary team in identifying clinical algorithms that perpetuate racial and ethnic health and health care disparities and implementing system-wide standards for mitigating their harmful discriminatory effects on patients. These meaningful contributions are vital to addressing health disparities and promoting equitable health outcomes for all patients at Duke and beyond.

Dr. Cary received a bachelor’s degree in health services administration from James Madison University. He also earned a bachelors, masters, and doctoral degree in nursing from the University of Virginia.

William Hersh, MD, FACP, FACMI, FAMIA, FIAHSI is a Professor in the Department of Medical Informatics & Clinical Epidemiology (DMICE) in the School of Medicine at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) in Portland, Oregon, USA. Dr. Hersh served as the inaugural Chair of DMICE from 2003-2022 and as Head of its predecessor free-standing Division of Medical Informatics & Outcomes Research from 1997-2003. He is a leader and innovator in biomedical informatics both in education and research.

He serves as Director of OHSU's Biomedical Informatics Graduate Program, which includes two master's degrees (research and professional), a PhD degree, and Graduate Certificate, and has nearly 1000 alumni. Dr. Hersh also conceptualized and implemented the first offering of the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) 10x10 ("ten by ten") program, which has been completed by more than 3000 individuals since 2005. He also serves as Editor of the textbook, Health Informatics: Practical Guide, Eighth Edition (Lulu.com, 2020), which is available in print and eBook format and has an associated Web site.

Dr. James is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Departments of Internal Medicine, Pediatrics and Learning Health Sciences at the University of Michigan (U-M). He is a primary care physician, practicing as a general internist and a general pediatrician.

Dr. James has served in many educational roles across the continuum of medical education. He also serves on local and national medical education committees. In multiple years Dr. James has been identified as one of the top teachers in the Department of Internal Medicine. In addition, in 2022 he received the pre-clinical Kaiser Permanente Excellence in Teaching award, the most prestigious teaching award given by the U-M medical school.

Dr. James has completed the American Medical Association (AMA) Health Systems Science Scholars program, and he was also one of ten inaugural 2021 National Academy of Medicine (NAM) Scholars in Diagnostic Excellence. As a NAM scholar, he began working on the Data Augmented, Technology Assisted Medical Decision Making (DATA-MD) curriculum. The DATA-MD curriculum is designed to teach healthcare professionals to use artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in their diagnostic decision making. Dr. James is also leading the DATA-MD team as they develop a web-based AI/ML curriculum for the AMA.

He has published articles in JAMA, Annals of Internal Medicine, Academic Medicine, the Journal of General Internal Medicine, Cell Reports, and more.
He is interested in curriculum development, and teaching learners to provide evidence-based, data-driven, equitable, patient-centered care. His research interests include clinical reasoning, implementation of AI/ML curricula across the continuum of medical education, and implementation of digital tools into clinical practice.

Dr. Kurzweil is the Director of the ETI and an Associate Professor of Medicine. As ETI Director, she provides strategic direction for the ETI, instructional and educational technology support for faculty, supervision of ETI personnel, and management of the ETI office. Prior to that, she worked at the National Defense University providing direction and vision of the instructional team supporting the Center for Educational Technology.

She has served on numerous committees and task forces examining a wide range of topics including educational technologies, interprofessional education, professional development for K12 and higher education faculty, learning management systems, program assessment and evaluation, instructional design, and teaching/faculty support paradigms.

Dr. Kurzweil has presented at international, national, and regional conferences, including OLC, AERA, American Educational Research Association (AERA), multiple conferences offered by the Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education, The Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation & Education Conference (I/ITSEC), and AAMC.

Erkin Ötleş’ mission is to advance health by harnessing the power of data. His work is in the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and medicine, with specific research interests spanning clinical informatics, machine learning, and operations research. Erkin is a seventh-year Medical Scientist Training Program Fellow (MD-PhD student) at the University of Michigan. His doctoral research focused on creating AI tools for patients, physicians, and health systems. He has led work across the AI lifecycle with projects advancing from development to validation, technical integration, and workflow implementation. Erkin was co-advised by Dr. Brian Denton (Industrial and Operations Engineering) and Dr. Jenna Wiens (Computer Science and Engineering). Additionally, Erkin is interested in incorporating education about AI tools into undergraduate medical curricula. He has a professional background in health IT development, having worked at Epic, and holds a Master’s of Engineering from the University of Wisconsin. After completion of his MD-PhD training, he plans on pursuing residency training.

Dr. Steinbach is the Academic Writing Specialist in the newly established writing center at USUHS and holds a PhD in Foreign Language Education from the University of Texas at Austin. She has 20 years of experience teaching and facilitating the learning of academic writing. Previously, Dr. Steinbach has worked domestically for the University of Texas at Austin and Austin Community College, and overseas for the U.S. State Department and Peace Corps as a teacher trainer and English language specialist in Armenia, Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, South Korea, and South Africa.

Dr. Valafar obtained his B.S. degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Michigan Technological University followed by MS and Ph.D degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering from Purdue University. He has been an Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, and Full Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of South Carolina since 2004. He currently serves as the Chair of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of South Carolina. Dr. Valafar’s research is at the intersection of Computing, Biology, Biophysics, and Mathematics disciplines. In particular, his research is focused in the domain of Healthcare at the molecular and population level. Dr. Valafar’s has established a research track in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, and Computational Medicine. He has integrated Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning techniques in numerous studies including Sickle Cell Anemia, Vascular diseases, and Human Activity Recognition using smartwatches.