2nd Edition Zuckerman College of Public Health

Public Health & AI
Summer School

June 8–11, 2026
📍 Grand Challenges Research Building
750 N Cherry Ave, Tucson, AZ 85719 · University of Arizona
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See What You'll Experience

A look inside the inaugural Public Health & AI Summer School — Tucson, 2025

Highlights from the Past Edition
52 Participants
4 Days of Learning
12 Expert Instructors
92% Would Recommend

Data from the 1st Edition · University of Arizona · June 2025

Two Tracks, One Transformative Experience

Whether you're taking your first steps or ready to scale — there's a journey designed for you

🌱
Beginner Friendly

AI Literacy

Your gateway to the AI revolution in public health

Curious about AI but don't know where to start? You're not alone — and you're in exactly the right place.

AI Literacy is designed for public health professionals who want to understand what AI actually is, how it works, and — most importantly — how it can transform the way you approach population health challenges. No coding required. No technical background needed. Just bring your curiosity and your commitment to improving health outcomes.

In four immersive days, you'll go from "I've heard of ChatGPT" to confidently evaluating AI tools, crafting effective prompts, and identifying opportunities to integrate AI into your daily work. You'll learn the language, understand the limitations, and discover the possibilities.

Perfect for you if:

  • You're new to AI and want a solid foundation
  • You work in public health and see AI changing your field
  • You want practical skills without the technical overwhelm
  • You need to evaluate AI tools for your organization
  • You want to communicate effectively about AI with colleagues

You'll walk away able to:

Understand AI fundamentals Write effective prompts Evaluate AI tools critically Identify use cases in your work Navigate ethical considerations Speak AI with confidence
🚀
Level Up

AI Fluency

From AI user to AI builder — scale your impact

You've used AI tools. Now you're ready to build with them.

AI Fluency is for practitioners who have moved past the basics and are hungry for more. You understand what AI can do — now you want to create reproducible workflows, deploy solutions at scale, and lead AI initiatives in your organization. This is where experimentation becomes implementation.

Over four intensive days, you'll dive into code versioning, geospatial analysis, RAG systems, and responsible AI frameworks. You'll work with real datasets, build actual pipelines, and leave with projects you can deploy. This isn't theory — it's transformation.

Perfect for you if:

  • You've experimented with AI and want to go deeper
  • You need to build reproducible analysis workflows
  • You're leading or planning AI initiatives at your organization
  • You want hands-on experience with advanced tools
  • You're ready to create, not just consume

You'll walk away able to:

Version control with AI Build reproducible pipelines Implement RAG systems Create evaluation benchmarks Deploy geospatial AI Lead responsibly

💬 What Past Participants Say

"Summer school has been a wonderful balance between getting familiar with AI tools and learning how to integrate into our work."
SB

Stephanie Boyles

PhD Student, College of Nursing

"We need to be more efficient in our workflows and in the very first day in two hours we came up with our first AI agent."
LK

Lindsay Kohler

Epidemiology Division Manager, Pima County Health Department

🤝 What Both Tracks Share

🛠️

AI Maker Space

Every afternoon, both tracks come together for hands-on labs where you'll build, experiment, and create real projects.

🎤

Expert Panels

Daily discussions with leaders in health AI, from agency modernization to environmental impact.

🌐

Community

Join a network of public health professionals navigating the AI transformation together.

🏆

Recognition

Earn a micro-credential and digital badge from the University of Arizona upon meeting completion criteria.

🎓

Micro-Credentials & Digital Badges

All participants who meet the earning criteria will receive an official micro-credential and digital badge issued by the University of Arizona.

Both Tracks Applied AI in Public Health
✓ Verifiable credential ✓ Shareable on LinkedIn ✓ Issued by University of Arizona

Daily Schedule

AI Literacy Literacy sessions AI Fluency Fluency sessions All Tracks Everyone together

Day 1: Foundations

Monday, June 8, 2026

9:00 AM

Welcome & Opening Keynote: Introduction to AI in Public Health landscape

Onicio B. Leal Neto, PhD

All Tracks
10:00 AM

What's AI? Fundamentals for Public Health

Enrique Noriega, PhD

AI Literacy
10:00 AM

Interpretability of AI outputs for Public Health

Alexandra Restrepo, PhD

AI Fluency
11:00 AM

Panel: Health Design Implementation and AI

Moderator: Jose Florez-Arango, PhD · Panelists: Matthew Briggs · Sandra Bae, PhD

All Tracks
12:00 PM
🍽

Lunch Break

Networking opportunity

1:00 PM

AI Maker Space: AI Agent

Onicio B. Leal Neto, PhD

All Tracks
3:30 PM

Fireside Chat: Modernization of Public Health Agencies with AI

Lindsay Kohler, Chief Epidemiologist, Pima County Health Dept. · Kate Carter, AI Program Manager, City of Tucson

All Tracks
4:30 PM

Day 1 Wrap-up

Day 2: Data & Digital Health

Tuesday, June 9, 2026

9:00 AM

AI in Patient Care & Digital Health Cohorts

Marvin Slepian

All Tracks
10:30 AM

Data Management Skills for AI in Health

Jose Florez-Arango, PhD

AI Literacy
10:30 AM

Geospatial Analysis AI-Powered

Tyson Swetnam, PhD

AI Fluency
12:00 PM
🍽

Lunch Break

Networking opportunity

1:00 PM

AI Maker Space: Data Projects

Jose Florez-Arango, PhD

All Tracks
3:30 PM

Fireside Chat: Current Gaps in AI & Health Training

Onicio B. Leal Neto, PhD · Randi B. Weinstein, PhD

All Tracks
4:30 PM

Day 2 Wrap-up

Day 3: Applications & Ethics

Wednesday, June 10, 2026

9:00 AM

Prompt Engineering Deep Dive

Tyson Swetnam, PhD

AI Literacy
9:00 AM

Responsible AI: Transparency, Accountability, Bias

Wolfgang Jentner

AI Fluency
10:30 AM

Wearables & Digital Biomarkers in Public Health

Shravan Aras, PhD

AI Literacy
10:30 AM

New Paradigms in Data Visualization

Wolfgang Jentner, PhD

AI Fluency
12:00 PM
🍽

Lunch Break

Networking opportunity

1:00 PM

AI Maker Space: Building Applications

Onicio B. Leal Neto, PhD

All Tracks
3:30 PM
TBC

Keynote: Building an Academic Ecosystem for Modernizing Public Health with AI

Speaker TBC

All Tracks
5:00 PM

Day 3 Wrap-up

Day 4: Advanced Topics & Future

Thursday, June 11, 2026

9:00 AM

Evaluating AI Tools for Public Health

Enrique Noriega, PhD

All Tracks
10:30 AM

Generative AI Assistance for Implementing Interactive Visualizations

Takanori Fujiwara, PhD

AI Fluency
10:30 AM

Multi-modal Data with AI

Shravan Aras, PhD

AI Literacy
11:30 AM

AI and Healthcare Delivery

Marvin Slepian, PhD

All Tracks
12:30 PM
🍽

Lunch Break

Networking opportunity

1:30 PM

AI Maker Space: Projects Showcase

Jose Florez-Arango, PhD

All Tracks
3:30 PM

Panel: Environmental Impact of AI

Moderator: Tyson Swetnam, PhD

All Tracks
4:30 PM
🎓

Closing Remarks & Certificates

Celebration and next steps

All Tracks

⚠️ The program and agenda are subject to change without prior notice.

Choose Your Learning Path

Two tracks designed for different experience levels, both delivering practical AI skills for public health professionals

📍 In-Person

AI Fluency

$400 Regular Price
AI & PH Club Member * $200 –50%
UA Student $240 –40%
Public Health Worker $260 –35%
UA Junior Faculty $260 –35%
Regular Attendee (incl. UA Senior Faculty) $400

* Join the AI and Public Health Student Club

For practitioners ready to build. Technical training with cloud platforms, code, and AI deployment.

What You'll Learn

Code Versioning Geospatial AI Responsible AI Multi-modal Data RAG Systems AI Benchmarks
Register for AI Fluency →
🌐 Online Track — Coming Soon

AI & Public Health Online

$199 Regular Price

A curated selection of relevant topics on AI applied to Public Health practice — available on-demand, at your own pace, from anywhere in the world. Registration opens soon.

What You'll Learn

AI Fundamentals Prompt Engineering Evaluating Tools Digital Health

✉️ Get priority access when registration opens:

You're on the list! We'll email you as soon as online registration opens.

Secure Your Spot

Choose your track and join public health professionals from around the world

Speakers Line-up

Leading researchers, clinicians, and technologists shaping AI in public health

Onicio B. Leal Neto

PhD · Assistant Research Professor

Zuckerman College of Public Health

University of Arizona

Enrique Noriega

PhD · Research Scientist

Northeastern University

Jose Florez-Arango

PhD · Health Informatics

Center for Bioinformatics and Biostatistics

University of Arizona

Tyson Swetnam

PhD · Associate Professor

BIO5 Institute

University of Arizona

Shravan Aras

PhD · Associate Director

Sensor Analysis & Smart Health Platforms

University of Arizona

Wolfgang Jentner

PhD · Research Scientist

Arizona Institute for AI and Society

University of Arizona

Marvin Slepian

PhD · Cardiology & Biomedical Eng.

College of Medicine Tucson

University of Arizona

Takanori Fujiwara

PhD · Assistant Professor

College of Science

University of Arizona

Alexandra Restrepo

PhD · Assistant Professor

Zuckerman College of Public Health

University of Arizona

Kasi Kiehlbaugh

PhD · Health Sciences Design Program Director

Zuckerman College of Public Health

University of Arizona

Sandra Bae

PhD · Assistant Professor

Human-Computer Interaction

University of Arizona

Lindsay Kohler

Chief Epidemiologist

Pima County Health Department

Kate Carter

AI Program Manager

City of Tucson

Matthew Briggs

Health Design Practitioner

School of Health Professions

Mohan Taniru

PhD · Adjunct Professor

Zuckerman College of Public Health

University of Arizona

Randi B. Weinstein

PhD · Senior Lecturer

College of Medicine – Tucson

University of Arizona

Scientific Committee

Guiding the curriculum and ensuring academic excellence

Onicio B. Leal Neto

Zuckerman College of Public Health

Kasi Kiehlbaugh

Zuckerman College of Public Health

Shravan Aras

Zuckerman College of Public Health

Jose F. Florez-Arango

Center for Biomedical Informatics & Biostatistics (CB2)

Enrique Noriega

Department of Computer Science

Wolfgang Jentner

Arizona Institute for AI and Society

Tyson Swetnam

BIO5 Institute

Scholarship Opportunities

We believe AI education should be accessible to public health students

🎓 Student Scholarships

Scholarships are available for students enrolled at the Mel & Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. Eligible students can apply through the Dean's Annual Fund to cover registration costs.

Eligibility Requirements

  • Currently enrolled student at the Zuckerman College of Public Health
  • In good academic standing
  • Commitment to attend all four days of the Summer School
Apply via Dean's Fund →

Become a Sponsor

Partner with us to shape the future of AI in public health and connect with emerging leaders in the field.

Sponsorship Opportunities →