{"id":1095,"date":"2025-09-04T10:29:38","date_gmt":"2025-09-04T14:29:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/ise\/?p=1095"},"modified":"2025-09-04T10:35:22","modified_gmt":"2025-09-04T14:35:22","slug":"khojandi-contributes-veterans-affairs-ai-fellowship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/ise\/khojandi-contributes-veterans-affairs-ai-fellowship\/","title":{"rendered":"Khojandi Contributes to Veterans Affairs During AI Fellowship"},"content":{"rendered":"

Encouraged by colleagues to take an educational leave to broaden her prospective, Anahita Khojandi<\/a> has returned to the University of Tennessee this fall with a greater appreciation for the service-oriented mission of government workers.<\/p>\n

Khojandi, a professor in the Department of Industrial Systems Engineering, was selected by the American Association for the Advancement of Science<\/a> (AAAS) to participate in the Science & Technology Policy Fellowship (STPF) as part of the Rapid Response Cohort in Artificial Intelligence (AI).<\/p>\n

During the 2024-25 academic year, Khojandi, ISE\u2019s Heath Endowed Faculty Fellow in Business & Engineering, was placed within the Office of Research and Development (ORD) at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in Washington, D.C., which oversees over $900 million annually in research funding aimed at improving veterans\u2019 health through cutting-edge and personalized care solutions. In her role, she supported various initiatives, particularly in the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in health and health care.<\/p>\n

Khojandi received invaluable insight into the real-world complexities of how policy is shaped, implemented, and funded.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really connected with the mission personally,\u201d Khojandi said. \u201cEveryone is there to make things better. Everybody had some reason to be there, and they really cared. That was inspiring and was contagious. It was really refreshing to see that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Khojandi\u2019s primary objective was to understand how ORD and her primary unit, Health Systems Research (HSR), prioritize funding AI research that is aligned with the VA\u2019s mission of improving the health of veterans, and help articulate and shape a strategic vision for future AI investment. Khojandi co-authored a perspective piece with the Acting Director of HSR at ORD for FORUM<\/a>, the HSR\u2019s quarterly publication, in its special issue on AI, highlighting the VA\u2019s unique position to lead in AI-driven healthcare.<\/p>\n

In addition to her work on AI, Khojandi contributed to scientific project management activities with a focus on health informatics. She participated in a genomics research interest group (RIG), contributing to the development of a Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) designed to engage the research community in advancing the implementation of genomics science to benefit veterans.<\/p>\n

\u201cI met a lot of fantastic researchers through my interactions, and we have started creating ideas,\u201d Khojandi said. \u201cThey come from the domain of having cared for veterans and knowing what works in the system and what doesn\u2019t work. I come from the world of AI and what I think these systems can do and how I believe they can be focused on the veteran-centered care. Together, I believe we can make an impact with joint projects.\u201d<\/p>\n

Implementing AI Systems<\/h2>\n

The VA is the largest fully integrated healthcare system in the nation, with an enterprise-wide comprehensive electronic health record (EHR) system that has captured longitudinal data spanning over three decades from more than 23 million unique veterans.<\/p>\n

With its unparalleled data and data infrastructure, the VA is uniquely positioned to develop and leverage AI to improve health and health care. The vastness of the data enables the VA to develop advanced AI tools aimed at improving diagnosis, treatment planning, and operational efficiency to enhance the quality of care for veterans.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat’s the part that I really like. There are opportunities to implement some of these things that we do and understanding the ways that these AI systems need to be implemented to be useful down the road,\u201d Khojandi said. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be an articulation of the vision and strategy, as well as communication to the field, that can drive us forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although she was selected for the fellowship to provide her expertise, Khojandi gained just as much knowledge from the experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe most important thing there was to listen and to really try to be a student again and learn from them,\u201d she said. \u201cThere\u2019s a reason why they\u2019re doing things the way they\u2019re doing it, so just being there, being curious, and being a good listener is important to really understand how we can contribute.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ongoing Strategic Collaborations<\/h2>\n

Khojandi\u2019s fellowship gave her the motivation and network connections to potentially pursue future leadership roles in science policy. She plans to encourage her students at UT to consider career opportunities in government.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know students are interested in the policy side of things and how they can bring about change,\u201d she said. \u201cThere is a bottom-up approach, but then there are other ways of really influencing from the top and then justifying and backing the evidence and science of how things need to be organized. I think it\u2019s good to know that and let students be empowered to go get jobs in these agencies and try to bring a new, fresh perspective.\u201d<\/p>\n

Khojandi recently served as a panelist for the \u201cFaculty to Policy: STPF as Service<\/a>\u201d event, which was a live chat featuring STPF fellows who transitioned from academia to policy roles.<\/p>\n

Although she is no longer in DC, Khojandi will continue to collaborate with ORD leadership to develop a broader strategic vision for funding AI research. She is also actively pursuing multiple collaborative opportunities with researchers and officials she met during her fellowship that will contribute to the scientific and healthcare community.<\/p>\n

Despite some initial apprehension about leaving her lab at UT for an entire academic year, Khojandi is grateful her colleagues encouraged her to take advantage of the fellowship opportunity.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m lucky I was able to do it, and I would not change it,\u201d she said. \u201cIt changed something in me in terms of being more service oriented and really thinking about my impact, my purpose, and my mission. I hope everyone gets an experience like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Contact<\/h2>\n

Rhiannon Potkey (rpotkey@utk.edu<\/a>)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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