UL Lafayette Convenes a National Industry-Academic Center Planning Meeting to Accelerate Innovation in AI-Augmented Health Systems
Lafayette, LA (February 2026) – In early February, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (UL Lafayette) hosted the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Industry-University Cooperative Research Center (IUCRC) planning meeting to create Accessible Healthcare through AI-Augmented Decisions (AHeAD) Center. The conversation focused on both the potential of AI to transform the healthcare profession and how universities can fill both research and workforce gaps to make Ai-augmented decision making accessible to all populations.
Dr. Raju Gottumukkala, Director of the Center for Applied AI, emphasized that “while AI has the potential to transform healthcare by improving quality and access, ensuring safety requires strong industry–university collaboration. To advance this effort, the NSF awarded a planning grant to establish a national partnership center last summer to UL Lafayette and its partners; Tulane, Georgia Tech, and the University of Florida.”
This collaboration brings together top R1 universities to overcome research and development (R&D) and workforce barriers to accelerate responsible AI innovation that makes high-quality healthcare more affordable and accessible to all.
The NSF AHeAD event hosted 185 participants, including 65 industry representatives from over 45 companies, some traveling internationally to participate in this conversation. These leaders represented a wide variety of industries including Healthcare Providers, Government and Non-profit, Technology, Medical Device and MedTech Hardware, and Consulting Business Services. This broad coalition of partnerships reflects UL Lafayette’s commitment to leading responsible AI innovation so that patients, from hospitals to rural clinics, to home settings, receive high-quality care.
The NSF AHeAD center will host a third planning event at the University of Florida on May 13, 2026. This initiative aims to convene healthcare organizations from Louisiana, Georgia, and Florida to accelerate the development of responsible AI innovation in the medical field. Interested healthcare organizations may contact raju@louisiana.edu for more information.
About Raju Gottumukkala
Dr. Gottumukkala is the Director of the Center for Applied AI, BORSF Applied Artificial Intelligence Professorship, Director of Research, Informatics Research Institute, and an associate professor with the college of engineering at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Contact: raju@louisiana.edu
About NSF AHeAD
NSF AHeAD unites industry innovators and universities to harness AI in overcoming R&D barriers and advancing high-quality, accessible healthcare. Bringing together experts in AI/ML, systems engineering, human-computer interaction, and implementation science, the center addresses key challenges in human-AI integration, privacy, and high-confidence systems. Its work will train the next-generation workforce and accelerate AI’s transition from research to real-world, population-scale impact.
For more information, visit: https://nsfahead.org/
Industry Partners Include:
Abbott Diabetes Care, Acadian Ambulance Service, Access Health Louisiana, Alliance for AI in Health Care, Amazon / AWS, Amedisys, Arthrex, Basecamp, Beta Health Services, Birthmark, CAM Management, Canary Speech, CGI, Crossroads Area Management, Doc Griggs Enterprises, LLC, DOCPACE, Emory University, Exacttech, FirstTeleMed, Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady (FMOL) Health System, Global True North, Google, Gulf Coast Technology Corporation, Halifax Health, Haltian, HCA, Health Comply AI, Helix Laboratory Partners, Hippo Technologies Inc., HPH Communications LLC, Huntsville Hospital, Interia LLC, KabaFusion, Lafayette Economic Development Authority, Louisiana Department of Health (LDH / Rural Health / Informatics), Louisiana Public Health Institute, Mathworks, Mediview, Microsoft, MPLT Healthcare, MyLigo, Inc., Nestor Labs, New Orleans East Hospital – LCMC, Ochsner Health (including Ochsner Lafayette General), Omaha Children’s Hospital, One Telemed, Opelousas General Health System, OPM Enterprises, LLC, Oracle, Our Lady of Lourdes Health, Plato, Protégé, Red River Technology, Retina Consultants of Texas, SCP Health, Shands Hospital, Siemens, Southwest Louisiana Area Health Education Center, Southwest Research Institute, Spanda AI, Spark! Acadiana / LiveOak Wealth Advisors, State of Louisiana / Office of Technology Services, Sterling Health Services, Sunvestka, The Bean Path, Therasoft Inc., Torch Technologies, Triad Executive Advisors, Tulane Medical Group, uCTRL AI Inc., VA – Southeast Louisiana Health Care System, VA Rural Health Resource Center, Veteran’s Affairs Hospital, Viemed, Inc., XRMedix
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette hosts National and International Partners to Discuss the Future of AI and Healthcare
UL Lafayette Convenes a National Industry-Academic Center Planning Meeting to Accelerate Innovation in AI-Augmented Health Systems
LAFAYETTE, LA, February 2026 — In early February, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (UL Lafayette) hosted the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Industry-University Cooperative Research Center (IUCRC) planning meeting to create Accessible Healthcare through AI-Augmented Decisions (AHeAD) Center. The conversation focused on both the potential of AI to transform the healthcare profession and how universities can fill both research and workforce gaps to make Ai-augmented decision making accessible to all populations.
Dr. Raju Gottumukkala, Director of the Center for Applied AI, emphasized that “while AI has the potential to transform healthcare by improving quality and access, ensuring safety requires strong industry–university collaboration. To advance this effort, the NSF awarded a planning grant to establish a national partnership center last summer to UL Lafayette and its partners; Tulane, Georgia Tech, and the University of Florida.”
This collaboration brings together top R1 universities to overcome research and development (R&D) and workforce barriers to accelerate responsible AI innovation that makes high-quality healthcare more affordable and accessible to all.
The NSF AHeAD event hosted 185 participants, including 65 industry representatives from over 45 companies, some traveling internationally to participate in this conversation. These leaders represented a wide variety of industries including Healthcare Providers, Government and Non-profit, Technology, Medical Device and MedTech Hardware, and Consulting Business Services. This broad coalition of partnerships reflects UL Lafayette’s commitment to leading responsible AI innovation so that patients, from hospitals to rural clinics, to home settings, receive high-quality care.
The NSF AHeAD center will host a third planning event at the University of Florida on May 13, 2026. This initiative aims to convene healthcare organizations from Louisiana, Georgia, and Florida to accelerate the development of responsible AI innovation in the medical field. Interested healthcare organizations may contact raju@louisiana.edu for more information.
About Raju Gottumukkala
Dr. Gottumukkala is the Director of the Center for Applied AI, BORSF Applied Artificial Intelligence Professorship, Director of Research, Informatics Research Institute, and an associate professor with the college of engineering at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Contact: raju@louisiana.edu
About NSF AHeAD
NSF AHeAD unites industry innovators and universities to harness AI in overcoming R&D barriers and advancing high-quality, accessible healthcare. Bringing together experts in AI/ML, systems engineering, human-computer interaction, and implementation science, the center addresses key challenges in human-AI integration, privacy, and high-confidence systems. Its work will train the next-generation workforce and accelerate AI’s transition from research to real-world, population-scale impact.
For more information, visit: https://nsfahead.org/
Industry Partners Include:
Abbott Diabetes Care, Acadian Ambulance Service, Access Health Louisiana, Alliance for AI in Health Care, Amazon / AWS, Amedisys, Arthrex, Basecamp, Beta Health Services, Birthmark, CAM Management, Canary Speech, CGI, Crossroads Area Management, Doc Griggs Enterprises, LLC, DOCPACE, Emory University, Exacttech, FirstTeleMed, Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady (FMOL) Health System, Global True North, Google, Gulf Coast Technology Corporation, Halifax Health, Haltian, HCA, Health Comply AI, Helix Laboratory Partners, Hippo Technologies Inc., HPH Communications LLC, Huntsville Hospital, Interia LLC, KabaFusion, Lafayette Economic Development Authority, Louisiana Department of Health (LDH / Rural Health / Informatics), Louisiana Public Health Institute, Mathworks, Mediview, Microsoft, MPLT Healthcare, MyLigo, Inc., Nestor Labs, New Orleans East Hospital – LCMC, Ochsner Health (including Ochsner Lafayette General), Omaha Children’s Hospital, One Telemed, Opelousas General Health System, OPM Enterprises, LLC, Oracle, Our Lady of Lourdes Health, Plato, Protégé, Red River Technology, Retina Consultants of Texas, SCP Health, Shands Hospital, Siemens, Southwest Louisiana Area Health Education Center, Southwest Research Institute, Spanda AI, Spark! Acadiana / LiveOak Wealth Advisors, State of Louisiana / Office of Technology Services, Sterling Health Services, Sunvestka, The Bean Path, Therasoft Inc., Torch Technologies, Triad Executive Advisors, Tulane Medical Group, uCTRL AI Inc., VA – Southeast Louisiana Health Care System, VA Rural Health Resource Center, Veteran’s Affairs Hospital, Viemed, Inc., XRMedix
