Speaker Bio
Azizi Seixas, Ph.D. is the Interim Inaugural Chair of the Department of Informatics and Health Data Science, Founding Director of The Media and Innovation Lab (The MIL), Associate Director of the Center for Translational Sleep and Circadian Sciences (TSCS), and Director of Population Health Informatics within the Institute for Data Science and Computing at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Dr. Seixas is a nationally recognized scientist and technology leader. He was named Cell Press’ Top 100 Most Inspiring Black Scientists in America, 2022 Amazon’s Education Champion Award, 2023 Miami’s Most Influential and Powerful Black Business Leader, 2024 South Florida’s Black Educator of the Year, permanent member of the NIH MESH Study Review Panel, and is a finalist for the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the highest scientific award by the US White House.
Dr. Seixas has made significant contributions in education, research, clinical care, venture, and service. He pioneered several educational programs in AI, big data, digital technology, STEM education, underrepresented groups, and mentored over 40 junior scientists. Dr. Seixas has an extensive publication record with over 200 peer-reviewed and published papers and abstracts in the following areas: 1) exploring cardiovascular and brain health disparities among diverse communities, with a focus on urban and rural settings, racial/ethnic groups, and sex differences; 2) investigating the impact of sleep, physical activity, diet, and stress on cardiovascular and brain health; 3) developing personalized behavior modification strategies using machine learning and AI to enhance healthcare through digital twins; 4) developing novel decentralized clinical trial methodologies to increase research inclusivity, as highlighted in a recent Science manuscript; and 5) advancing early dementia screening and diagnosis through digital biomarkers and augmented reality. Dr. Seixas is Principal Investigator for 3 large grants (2 NIH and industry grants) and holds key leadership roles in 5 NIH grants. Dr. Seixas developed and pioneered several innovations: 1) The MIL Box, a remote health monitoring technology program and kit; 2) a 10-minute digital and augmented reality-based cognitive assessment (e.g. Altoida) to detect cognitive impairment and dementia; 3) the HARMONI Alliance and Real World Data platform, a global alliance dedicated to promoting healthy aging for all through innovation and technology; 4) digital health equity framework: developed a novel turn-key software to increase technology capacity for under-resourced communities in Florida via the NIH AIM AHEAD project.
Dr. Seixas has significantly impacted clinical and translational care through pioneering digital therapeutics, developing innovative remote patient monitoring systems, and advancing home-based health programs for decentralized care. In venture, Dr. Seixas has mentored several start-up technology companies, partners with Miami Mayor’s Venture Office, created and leads impactful initiatives such as Project INSPIRE with Amazon, the Health Techquity Roundtable, and the Information as a Determinant of Health initiative. In service, outreach, policy and ethics, he has also worked to bridge the digital divide and improve healthcare access for underserved communities, supported by numerous local and regional partnerships and training programs.