University of California at Berkeley and the University of California at San Francisco announced Oct. 21 a joint program in computational precision health, which will be funded by a $50 million gift from an anonymous donor and $100 million from the universities.
The goals of the program are to improve the quality and equity of healthcare.
"The program will train the next generation of researchers to design, build and test innovations such as machine learning, digital health and clinical decision support systems within real-world clinical and public health settings to ensure that solutions meet real-world needs," a statement read. "Recognizing that algorithms are currently being created that too often exacerbate, rather than mitigate, racial and other biases, the program will ensure that equity, fairness, accountability and transparency will be hallmarks of all its educational and research activities."
The program will be led by co-directors from both campuses: Ida Sim, PhD, professor of medicine at UCSF, and Maya Petersen, PhD, associate professor of biostatistics and epidemiology at UC Berkeley.
A PhD degree program is anticipated by 2023 that will be jointly conferred by the two universities.