The University of Virginia has launched the Collaboratory on Data, AI, and Health, a new cross-Grounds initiative that brings together expertise from across the University to advance health and health care through data and artificial intelligence. The Collaboratory is jointly supported by the School of Data Science, UVA Health, the School of Medicine, the Darden School of Business, the School of Education and Human Development, and the School of Engineering and Applied Science.
Designed to unite people, ideas, and resources across disciplines, the Collaboratory aims to accelerate discovery, share practical expertise, and lower barriers to collaboration. Its mission is straightforward: help colleagues find one another, connect to shared resources, and spark interdisciplinary projects that translate data and AI into better care and healthier communities.
“I am delighted by this Collaboratory development,” said Phil Bourne, founding dean of the School of Data Science. “By bringing together partners from across UVA, this Collaboratory reflects our commitment to responsible, interdisciplinary data science that addresses real-world challenges.”
Rather than operating as a traditional center, the Collaboratory functions as a connective hub. It is intended to support researchers, clinicians, students, and staff at all stages of engagement, from early curiosity to active projects seeking collaborators.
“Healthcare is at an inflection point where data and AI can meaningfully improve safety, timeliness, and patient experience, but only if we can translate ideas into real-world clinical impact through team science,” said Andrew Taylor, Vice Chair of Research and Innovation at the Department of Emergency Medicine. “This Collaboratory brings diverse perspectives together across UVA to share resources, form teams quickly, and evaluate solutions responsibly in practice.”
What’s Ahead
Over the next year, the Collaboratory will roll out new resources and opportunities designed to support and connect researchers, clinicians, students, and community partners:
- Resource Hub (beta): Guides, data sources, computing access, starter code, IRB/evaluation playbooks, and office hours.
- Project Directory (alpha): A growing list of active efforts and early-stage ideas seeking collaborators.
- Opportunities Board: Grant calls, seed funds, training sessions, and team-formation opportunities.
- Community Programming: Monthly meetups, seminars, networking events, visiting speakers, and demo days.
- Open Working Groups: Topic-based collaborations in areas such as safety and governance, clinical evaluation/silent-mode pilots, AI/LLMs and ambient tools, imaging and physiologic signals, operations and workflow, and population health.
A School Without Walls
The Collaboratory builds on UVA’s long-standing commitment to cross-disciplinary problem-solving, often described as a “School Without Walls.” Similar in spirit to the Collaboratory for the Advancement of Data Science in Education and the Collaboratory for Applied Data Science in Business, this initiative underscores the School of Data Science’s role as a convener while highlighting the depth of partnership across the University.
By engaging schools focused on medicine, engineering, education, business, and health system operations, the Collaboratory reflects the reality that meaningful progress in data-driven health requires technical expertise, clinical insight, organizational understanding, and ethical governance.