Name: The Intersect 20 - Data & Racial Equity: How Do We Eliminate Bias from AI, Machine Learning, & More? by Abt Global
Duration: 22 min 57 s
Description: How can we rely on data to help address racial equality when it’s inherently biased by centuries of inequity? In this episode of The Intersect, Abt’s Laura Peck and Jason Brinkley look under the hood at AI, machine learning, and more to better understand how data analysis can address these conflicts rather than exacerbate them.

The latest episode of On the Evidence features an interview with Mathematica’s Ngan MacDonald about the applications of artificial intelligence (AI) for improving health care through data analytics. MacDonald recently joined Mathematica as the company’s director of health data innovations, where she leads a team of data scientists that help public and private health organizations use their data to deliver meaningful and effective insights. In addition to her role at Mathematica, MacDonald is also the chief of data operations for the Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine at Northwestern University. 

On the episode, MacDonald discusses the potential benefits of AI in health care, the equity implications of training AI on incomplete health care data, and what AI could mean for Mathematica’s work in data analytics. 

A full transcript of the interview is available at https://mathematica.org/blogs/improving-health-equity-through-ai-and-data-innovation

116 | Applying AI to Improve Health Policy Research

In this is second part of Black History Month AJPH podcasts, Katherine M Anderson, MPH, AJPH Student Editor, and Alfredo Morabia interview Regina Davis Moss, PhD, MPH, about her new book "Black Women’s Reproductive Health and Sexuality: A Holistic Public Health Approach" (APHA Press, 2023). They explore her motivations for writing the book, what it contributes to our understanding of the factors alienating Black women from controlling their reproductive health and sexuality, and the intended audience for the book.

AJPH 2/2024 #2: "BLACK WOMEN'S REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH & SEXUALITY" (English)

The latest episode of On the Evidence features Mark Zandi, the chief economist at Moody’s Analytics. On the episode, Zandi speaks with Paul Decker, Mathematica’s president and chief executive officer, about comprehensive immigration reform, artificial intelligence, labor shortages, remote work, the merits of pursuing a nonacademic career in economic research, and how Zandi seeks to influence politically charged policy debates with data and credibility. Zandi is the author of two books related to the Great Recession and hosts the Inside Economics podcast.

A video version of the episode as well as a full transcript is available at https://mathematica.org/blogs/mark-zandi-chief-economist-of-moodys-analytics-on-data-driven-decisions-in-public-policy

Listen to the Inside Economics podcast that Zandi hosts along with Cris deRitis and Marisa DiNatale for Moody’s Analytics: https://www.moodys.com/web/en/us/about/insights/podcasts/moodys-talks-inside-economics.html

Read Paul Decker’s blog about how Mathematica used evidence to guide the company’s approach to reopening in-person offices after the COVID-19 pandemic: https://www.mathematica.org/blogs/letting-evidence-guide-decisions-about-reopening-offices

Read an op-ed co-authored by Paul Decker for the website RealClearPolicy, which proposes comprehensive immigration reform and other solutions to address current labor shortages: https://www.realclearpolicy.com/articles/2023/04/25/without_immigration_reform_americas_labor_shortage_is_here_to_stay_895672.html

117 | Moody’s Mark Zandi on Being a Voice for Data-Driven Decisions in Public Policy

Vickie Mays and Alfredo Morabia, of AJPH, conducted an insightful interview with Dr. Jerome Adams, the 20th US Surgeon General and Distinguished Professor of Practice at Purdue University. The discussion centered around his latest book, "Crisis and Chaos: Lessons from the Front Lines of the War Against COVID-19," published by Post Hill Press in 2023. Dr. Adams candidly shared his personal experiences and the formidable challenges inherent in the role of US Surgeon General. From recounting his proudest achievements to delving into the most trying moments of his tenure, he offered a comprehensive perspective on his journey and on what it takes to be a US Surgeon General.

AJPH 4/2024 #1: "Front Lines of the War Against COVID-19: Conversation with Dr Jerome Adams" (Engl.)

2024P1 Regional Editor of AJPH, Prof. Jihong Liu and Pengfei Guo, highlight some of the contents of the January to March 2024 Issues and Supplements of the American Journal of Public Health. 
The Editor’s Corner features Dr. Guoqing Hu, Dean of the School of Public Health and Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics at the Central South University of China.

First 2024 Chinese Podcast (January to March 2024)

In March, when the Biden administration released its budget request for fiscal year 2025, it not only offered a blueprint for the president’s policymaking agenda—it also provided the latest indication of how the White House and federal agencies are going beyond evidence generation to use evidence as a guide in making program investments that can improve Americans’ lives. For this episode of Mathematica’s On the Evidence podcast, Nichole Dunn, the vice president of federal policy at Results for America, joins the show to discuss evidence-based policy in the president’s budget as well as larger trends in federal and state funding of evidence-based initiatives and programs. 

On the episode, Dunn speaks with Mike Burns, senior director of communications and public affairs at Mathematica, about American Rescue Plan spending, the growth of evidence clearinghouses, the increasing level of federal investment in program evaluation, the implications of the presidential election for federal investment in evidence-based policy, the implementation of the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act, the recent formation of the bipartisan Congressional What Works Caucus, the Congressional Evidence-Based Policymaking Resolution, and the potential for evidence-based policy to bypass partisan gridlock in Washington. 

A full transcript of the conversation is available at mathematica.org/blogs/evidence-based-policy-in-president-bidens-2025-budget

Read an op-ed by Michele Jolin, the chief executive officer and co-founder of Results for America, about how bipartisan elected leaders and career civil servants across the country who have been quietly transforming how governments invest taxpayer dollars to achieve better results: https://www.minnpost.com/community-voices/2024/03/from-minnesota-to-washington-d-c-a-better-way-to-deliver-results/

Read the research brief by Mathematica for Results for America, which shows how city governments with a history of prioritizing data-driven practices were more likely to use federal relief funds from the American Rescue Plan (ARP) to deepen their commitment to results-driven governance—with the goal of improving outcomes for residents through effective programs: https://mathematica.org/publications/unlocking-the-power-of-city-data

Watch a recording from the January 2024 virtual event hosted by Results for America to discuss the federal government’s progress in using evidence and data to get better results, which featured the release of a new report by Harvard University Professor Christina Ciocca Eller on federal evidence-based policymaking efforts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMYwG6P-1zI

Read the 2023 Invest in What Works State Standard of Excellence from Results for America, which showcases 194 efforts across 46 states to build and use evidence and data to improve residents’ lives: https://results4america.org/tools/2023-invest-in-what-works-state-standard-of-excellence/

Explore the ARP Data and Evidence Dashboard from Mathematica and Results for America, which highlights how state and local government leaders are investing one-time federal pandemic relief and economic recovery funds and using data and evidence to get better results: https://results4america.org/tools/arp-dashboard/

118 | Moving from Evidence Generation to Evidence Use in President Biden's 2025 Budget

In this episode of The Editor's Podcast, Dr. Novick speaks with one of the editors of The Practical Playbook III: Working Together to Improve Maternal Health, a guide for researchers, community activists, and advocates of maternal health offering practical tools and strategies to improve inequities in maternal health. This third edition aims to describe the need and opportunities for improving maternal health through multi-sector collaborations. It highlights examples of effective cross-sector partnerships that are making real improvements in health outcomes for maternal health populations and offers practical tools and strategies for practitioners working in this space.

Maternal and Child Health Podcast with Dr. Lindsey Yates

The latest episode of Mathematica’s On the Evidence podcast features Max Stier, the president and chief executive officer of the Partnership for Public Service. Stier discusses the central role that data and research play in supporting his organization’s mission to make the federal government more effective. The episode comes during Public Service Recognition Week (May 5–11), which is also when the partnership announces finalists for its Service to America Medals. These annual awards celebrate extraordinary leadership by career federal employees. 

For the episode, Stier sits down with Mathematica President and Chief Executive Officer Paul Decker to talk about using data to improve government, enhancing data literacy among federal workers, measuring and rebuilding trust in government, the power of employee recognition, and more.

A full transcript of the episode is available at mathematica.org/blogs/the-partnership-for-public-services-max-stier-on-using-data-to-improve-the-government

See the list of 2024 finalists for the Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals: https://servicetoamericamedals.org/honorees/?_year=2024

Learn more about the Partnership’s Service to America Medals program: https://ourpublicservice.org/our-solutions/recognition/service-to-america-medals/

Learn more about the Partnership’s Best Places to Work in the Federal Government rankings: https://ourpublicservice.org/performance-measures/best-places-to-work-in-the-federal-government/

Explore data from the Partnership on Americans’ level of trust in the federal government: https://ourpublicservice.org/our-solutions/rebuilding-trust-in-government/dashboard/

119 | Max Stier on Using Data to Improve the Federal Government

This month AJPH Editors Vickie Mays and Alfredo Morabia interview Julie Ward (Vanderbilt University), Guy Seymour (Psychologist in Public Safety), and Brandon del Pozo (Brown University). Interest in the potential fatal consequences of police encounters has grown in recent years. Julie Ward and her colleagues have shown that the statistics about fatal shootings only include 55% of injury-causing police shootings. Many of these incidents are non-fatal, not even taking into consideration shootings that do not result in injuries.

AJPH 4/2024: PREVENTING INJURIES AND DEATHS FROM SHOOTINGS BY POLICE (English)

How can we rely on data to help address racial equality when it’s inherently biased by centuries of inequity? In this episode of The Intersect, Abt’s Laura Peck and Jason Brinkley look under the hood at AI, machine learning, and more to better understand how data analysis can address these conflicts rather than exacerbate them.

The Intersect 20 - Data & Racial Equity: How Do We Eliminate Bias from AI, Machine Learning, & More?

Our mission is to improve the quality of life and economic well-being of people worldwide. The Intersect is a forum in which our experts brainstorm about new ways they can bring their skills together to further that mission.

The Intersect 20 - Data & Racial Equity: How Do We Eliminate Bias from AI, Machine Learning, & More?

Abt Global

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