Debbie Cheng Appointed AIDA’s Director of Strategy and Partnerships
Boston University’s Artificial Intelligence Development Accelerator (AIDA) Initiative appointed Hariri Institute faculty affiliate and steering committee member Debbie Cheng as its Director of Strategy and Partnerships.
Cheng has a longstanding history of leadership at Boston University and beyond. She is Assistant Dean of Data Science, founding Executive Director of the Center for Health Data Science at Boston University School of Public Health, and Co-Director of the Providence/Boston Center for AIDS Research (CFAR). In addition, as a professor of biostatistics and fellow of the American Statistical Association, she leads interdisciplinary initiatives that bridge data science with public health and clinical research.
“I’m excited to help shape how BU approaches AI in ways that are both ambitious and responsible,” said Cheng. “My focus is on developing the right strategies and partnerships so AI meaningfully supports our research, teaching, and day-to-day work, while ensuring it’s used thoughtfully and in line with our shared values.”
Since joining the AIDA leadership team, Cheng has expanded AIDA’s presence on the Medical Campus as co-organizer of two featured AIDA events.
On February 2, she co-organized the first AIDA workshop on the Medical Campus. The workshop brought together faculty, staff, and students to gain relevant, hands-on experience with artificial intelligence.
Then, on February 3, Cheng co-organized an AIDA symposium focusing on real-world use cases of generative artificial intelligence in research and education. Held on the Medical Campus, the symposium featured a series of lightning talks with Boston University faculty from epidemiology, surgery, health policy, and biostatistics, along with a presentation from Philip Chan, Chief Medical Officer at Open Door Health and Professor of Medicine at Brown University. Event recordings can be found on the Center for Health Data Science’s website.
“Debbie’s research leadership and track record of impact at the Medical Campus, together with her vision of AI amplifying human potential yet always being guided by BU’s community-driven values, made her a perfect complement to AIDA’s leadership team,” said AIDA Executive Director, John Byers.
ABOUT AIDA
The Artificial Intelligence Development Accelerator for Academic and Administrative Excellence (AIDA) is designed to catalyze the development, adoption, and governance of artificial intelligence at Boston University and foster a comprehensive and coordinated approach to integrating AI across all facets of the University’s mission. AIDA is dedicated to advancing AI literacy and innovation among students, faculty, and staff, leading to academic and administrative excellence and efficiency through the strategic use of AI technologies.