Uniting Science, Engineering, and Medicine to Advance Human Health
Advances in Human Health through Spatial Omics and AI explores the latest innovations and application of AI in augmenting human capabilities. This event brings together clinicians, AI scientists, biomedical engineers, high tech industry leaders, biotech and drug discovery organizations, science foundations, and policymakers to discuss the future of scientific discovery with AI in personalized medicine, neurotech, and public health.
AHHSA 2025 is a joint initiative between the MATRIX AI Consortium and Center for Precision Medicine. Support is also provided by the Biomedical Engineering Department in UT San Antonio’s Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design, the Department of Computer Engineering in College of AI, Cyber, and Computing, and the department of Medicine from the UT Health San Antonio Long School of Medicine.
Keynote Speaker

Eric Horvitz, MD, PhD
Chief Scientific Officer
Microsoft
Schedule
Day 1: Advances in Human Health through Spatial Omics
WELCOME & OPENING REMARKS
Kumar Sharma, MD | DirectorCenter for Precision Medicine
Amina Qutub, PhD |
Assistant Director, PartnershipsMATRIX AI Consortium
Co-Director
Center for Precision MedicineRob Hromas, MD | Dean
Lozano Long School of MedicineUT Health San Antonio
Taylor Eighmy, PhD | President
UT San Antonio
Amina Qutub, PhD |
Assistant Director, PartnershipsMATRIX AI Consortium
Co-Director
Center for Precision MedicineRob Hromas, MD | Dean
Lozano Long School of MedicineUT Health San Antonio
Taylor Eighmy, PhD | President
UT San Antonio
PANEL DISCUSSANTS ON INNOVATION AND SYNERGY ACROSS UT AND THE COMMUNITY
Francisco G. Cigarroa, MD |
Senior Executive Vice President, Health Affairs and Health SystemUT San Antonio
Rob Hromas, MD | Dean
Lozano Long School of MedicineUT Health San Antonio
Eric Brey, PhD | Dean
Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated DesignUT San Antonio
Jennifer Sharpe Potter, PhD, MPH | Senior Vice President for ResearchUT San Antonio
Private Donor
Moderator: Vineet Gupta, PhD
UT Medical Branch Health
Senior Executive Vice President, Health Affairs and Health SystemUT San Antonio
Rob Hromas, MD | Dean
Lozano Long School of MedicineUT Health San Antonio
Eric Brey, PhD | Dean
Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated DesignUT San Antonio
Jennifer Sharpe Potter, PhD, MPH | Senior Vice President for ResearchUT San Antonio
Private Donor
Moderator: Vineet Gupta, PhD
UT Medical Branch Health
COMPLEX DISEASE TEAM: RARE KIDNEY DISEASE (USE CASE 1)
Matt Butler, MD
Hematology-OncologyUT Health San Antonio
Swetha Rani Kanduri, MD
Medicine-NephrologyUT Health San Antonio
Andrew Natera
Patient-ResearcherUT San Antonio
Wajeh Qunibi, MD
Medicine-Nephrology,
Master ClinicianUT Health San Antonio
Kumar Sharma, MD
Spatial Omics and AI, Nephrology
UT Health San Antonio
Hematology-OncologyUT Health San Antonio
Swetha Rani Kanduri, MD
Medicine-NephrologyUT Health San Antonio
Andrew Natera
Patient-ResearcherUT San Antonio
Wajeh Qunibi, MD
Medicine-Nephrology,
Master ClinicianUT Health San Antonio
Kumar Sharma, MD
Spatial Omics and AI, Nephrology
UT Health San Antonio
SPATIAL OMICS-GENES / AI AND PATHOLOGY ACROSS DISEASES
Shreeram Akilesh, MD, PhD
Spatial Omics and Clinical Pathology
University of Washington
Spatial Omics and Clinical Pathology
University of Washington
ORGANOIDS FOR NOVEL THERAPEUTIC APPROACHES
Zhongwei Li, PhD
Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine
University of Southern California
Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine
University of Southern California
ORGANOIDS FOR NEUROLOGY AND BRAIN INJURY
Abdel Rahman Abdel Fattah, PhD
Multiscale Mechanobiology and Bioengineering
Center for Molecular Medicine, Vienna, Austria
Multiscale Mechanobiology and Bioengineering
Center for Molecular Medicine, Vienna, Austria
DOD RESEARCH-POLYTRAUMA
James Bynum, PhD
Department of SurgeryUT Health San Antonio
Department of SurgeryUT Health San Antonio
NOVEL APPROACHES FOR EXTENDING THE GOLDEN HOUR
Kevin K. Chung, MD
Retired Colonel, Prior Chair of Medicine, Uniform Health Services
Retired Colonel, Prior Chair of Medicine, Uniform Health Services
AI APPLICATION FOR TRAUMA DECISION MAKING
Amina Qutub, PhD |Assistant Director, PartnershipsMATRIX AI Consortium
Co-Director
Center for Precision Medicine
Co-Director
Center for Precision Medicine
SPATIAL OMICS: SINGLE CELL PROTEOMICS
Ljiljana Pasa-Tolic, PhD
Lead Scientist Visual Proteomics
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Lead Scientist Visual Proteomics
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
COMPLEX DISEASE TEAM: CHOLANGIO CARCINOMA AND LIVER FIBROSIS (USE CASE 2)
Kal Clark, MD
RadiologyUT Health San Antonio
Sarah Lapey, MD
Medicine-Gastroenterology and NutritionUT Health San Antonio
Prabhleen Chahal, MD
MedicineUT Health San Antonio
Yaxia Yuan, PhD
Biochemistry & Structural Biology, Computer Aided Drug Discovery
(AlphaFold)
UT Health San Antonio
RadiologyUT Health San Antonio
Sarah Lapey, MD
Medicine-Gastroenterology and NutritionUT Health San Antonio
Prabhleen Chahal, MD
MedicineUT Health San Antonio
Yaxia Yuan, PhD
Biochemistry & Structural Biology, Computer Aided Drug Discovery
(AlphaFold)
UT Health San Antonio
OMICS-VISUALIZATION AND STORY TELLING
Julia Guthrie, PhD
Center for Molecular Medicine, Vienna
Center for Molecular Medicine, Vienna
SHIKHA WADHWANI, MD, VICE CHAIR, CLINICAL RESEARCH, INTERNAL MEDICINE, UTMB HEALTH
CLOSING REMARKS
Kumar Sharma, MD | DirectorCenter for Precision Medicine
Amina Qutub, PhD |Assistant Director, PartnershipsMATRIX AI Consortium
Co-Director
Center for Precision Medicine
Amina Qutub, PhD |Assistant Director, PartnershipsMATRIX AI Consortium
Co-Director
Center for Precision Medicine
POSTER SESSION | RECEPTION
Location: Holly Auditorium Foyer, 5:05 – 6:00 pm
Day 2: Advances in Human Health through Artificial Intelligence
REGISTRATION
WELCOME & OPENING REMARKS
Heather Shipley, PhD | Provost and Executive Vice President of Academic AffairsUT San Antonio
Eric Brey, PhD | Dean
Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated DesignUT San Antonio
Dhireesha Kudithipudi, PhD |
Founder and DirectorMATRIX AI Consortium
Eric Brey, PhD | Dean
Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated DesignUT San Antonio
Dhireesha Kudithipudi, PhD |
Founder and DirectorMATRIX AI Consortium
SESSION 1: FRONTIERS OF AI IN MEDICINE & HEALTH
9:00 AI for Trauma Care
Brian Eastridge, MDUT Health San Antonio
Sambit Panda, PhDMATRIX AI Consortium
Christian CruzMATRIX AI Consortium
Gloria Manavi
UT San Antonio
Sambit Panda, PhDMATRIX AI Consortium
Christian CruzMATRIX AI Consortium
Gloria Manavi
UT San Antonio
9:25 Emerging AI Initiatives for Health
John Fonner, PhDGoogle
9:35 Reality Check: Seeing through the Lies and Deceit of Generative AI Models
Murtuza Jadliwala, PhDMATRIX AI Consortium
Moderator:
Dhireesha Kudithipudi, PhD
MATRIX AI Consortium
Moderator:
Dhireesha Kudithipudi, PhD
MATRIX AI Consortium
PHYSICIANS PANEL: THE FUTURE OF AI IN MEDICINE
Brian Eastridge, MD |
Chief Division of Trauma and Emergency SurgeryUT Health San Antonio
Steven Kornblau, MD
HematologyMD Anderson Cancer Center
Alan Cook, MD | Director
Center for Clinical ResearchUT Tyler
Kumar Sharma, MD | Director
Center for Precision MedicineUT Health San Antonio
Moderator:
Mark Goldberg, MD
MATRIX AI Consortium
UT Health San Antonio
Chief Division of Trauma and Emergency SurgeryUT Health San Antonio
Steven Kornblau, MD
HematologyMD Anderson Cancer Center
Alan Cook, MD | Director
Center for Clinical ResearchUT Tyler
Kumar Sharma, MD | Director
Center for Precision MedicineUT Health San Antonio
Moderator:
Mark Goldberg, MD
MATRIX AI Consortium
UT Health San Antonio
SESSION 2: EMERGING NEUROTECH
10:15 Multimodal Sensing
Carmel Levitan, PhD
Cognitive ScienceOccidental College
Cognitive ScienceOccidental College
10:30 AI for Brain Health
Courtney Rouse, PhD
Intelligent Systems DivisionSouthwest Research Institute
Intelligent Systems DivisionSouthwest Research Institute
10:45 Cellular Engineering of Post-Stroke Recovery
Mark Goldberg, MD | NeurologyMATRIX AI Consortium
UT Health San Antonio
Moderators:
James D. Lechleiter, PhD
Center for Precision Medicine
Astrocyte Pharmaceuticals
Matthew Kenwood
UT San Antonio
UT Health San Antonio
Moderators:
James D. Lechleiter, PhD
Center for Precision Medicine
Astrocyte Pharmaceuticals
Matthew Kenwood
UT San Antonio
SCIENCE & TECH INVESTORS PANEL
Moderator:
Anthony Francis, PhD | Director
Office of Commercialization & Technology Transfer
UT San Antonio
Anthony Francis, PhD | Director
Office of Commercialization & Technology Transfer
UT San Antonio
NETWORKING LUNCH
Lunch Tables:
Nucleate, Tumor Board,
NIH aiMATCH, Open
Nucleate, Tumor Board,
NIH aiMATCH, Open
MATRIX AI CONSORTIUM OVERVIEW
Dhireesha Kudithipudi, PhD |
Founder and DirectorMATRIX AI Consortium
Founder and DirectorMATRIX AI Consortium
BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING WELCOME & OVERVIEW
Nehal Abu-Lail, PhD | Chair
Biomedical EngineeringUT San Antonio
Jean Jiang, PhD | Chair
Biochemistry & Structural Biology
UT Health San Antonio
Biomedical EngineeringUT San Antonio
Jean Jiang, PhD | Chair
Biochemistry & Structural Biology
UT Health San Antonio
KEYNOTE ADDRESS:
ERIC HORVITZ, MD, PHD
MICROSOFT CSO
Introduction by
Taylor Eighmy, PhD
UT San Antonio President
Taylor Eighmy, PhD
UT San Antonio President
SESSION 3: TESTBED LIGHTNING TALKS
(3 min + 2 min Q & A)
2:00 Models of the Brain’s Master Clock
Sean TritleyBiomedical Engineering
UT San Antonio
UT San Antonio
2:05 Neuromorphic AI at Scale
Tej Pandit, PhDMATRIX AI Consortium
UT San Antonio
UT San Antonio
2:10 Posture Control by Fractional Order Networks
Erick Olivares, PhDNeuroscience, Developmental, and Regenerative Biology
UT San Antonio
UT San Antonio
2:15 Modeling the Brain’s Immune Response
David Hernandez-GuzmanBiomedical Engineering
UT San Antonio
UT San Antonio
2:20 ARX Syndrome Brain Tissue Models
Sara MirsadeghiNeuroscience, Developmental, and Regenerative Biology
UT San Antonio
UT San Antonio
2:25 Modeling Daily Human Fitness
Belem SuarezBiomedical Engineering
UT San Antonio
Moderator:
Samantha Lewis
UT Health Neurology
UT San Antonio
Moderator:
Samantha Lewis
UT Health Neurology
CHALLENGES & OPPORTUNITIES: BRAIN HEALTH & AI
Agustin Ruiz, MD, PhD |
Biological Core Director
Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s & Neurodegenerative Diseases
UT Health San Antonio
Biological Core Director
Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s & Neurodegenerative Diseases
UT Health San Antonio
CHALLENGES & OPPORTUNITIES: AI PROFILING OF PEDIATRIC & ADULT LEUKEMIAS
Steven Kornblau, MDMD Anderson Cancer Center
NIH AIM AHEAD aiMATCH CHALLENGE FOR LEUKEMIAS
Mignon Dumanjog, MSMATRIX AI Consortium
Moderator:
Toufeeq Syed, PhD | Assistant Dean of Education Informatics
UTHealth Houston
Moderator:
Toufeeq Syed, PhD | Assistant Dean of Education Informatics
UTHealth Houston
EXECUTIVE OFFICERS FIRESIDE CHAT –
Founders’ Stories: Bringing Innovative AI to Market
Adam Hamilton, PE | CEO
Southwest Research Institute
Eric Horvitz, MD, PhD | CSO
Microsoft
Moderator:
Mustafa Qutub, JD | CEO
PaloBio
Southwest Research Institute
Eric Horvitz, MD, PhD | CSO
Microsoft
Moderator:
Mustafa Qutub, JD | CEO
PaloBio
COFFEE BREAK
GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE ON AI IN HEALTH & WELL-BEING
Dalal Najib, PhDU.S. National Academies
Daniel Placht, MS
U.S. National Academies
Daniel Placht, MS
U.S. National Academies
SESSION 4: NATURAL & AI ADAPTATIONS FOR EXTREME ECOSYSTEMS
4:10 Sensing Environments that Alter Human Health
Joshua Fisher, PhDChapman University, Hydrosat Inc.
4:25 Reducing Human Health Risks in Space
Christina “CJ” Johnson, PhDNASA Ames
Walter Alvarado, PhD
NASA Ames
Walter Alvarado, PhD
NASA Ames
4:50 Engineering Photobiomodulation
Michael Denton, PhD
Air Force Research Lab
Air Force Research Lab
5:05 Augmenting Brain Function Under Extreme Conditions
Amina Qutub, PhD |
Assistant Director, PartnershipsMATRIX AI Consortium
Co-Director
Center for Precision MedicineModerators:
Christian Cruz
MATRIX AI Consortium
Lorinda Aspiras
Air Force Research Lab
Assistant Director, PartnershipsMATRIX AI Consortium
Co-Director
Center for Precision MedicineModerators:
Christian Cruz
MATRIX AI Consortium
Lorinda Aspiras
Air Force Research Lab
CLOSING REMARKS
Amina Qutub, PhD |
Assistant Director, Partnerships
MATRIX AI Consortium
Co-Director |
Center for Precision Medicine
Assistant Director, Partnerships
MATRIX AI Consortium
Co-Director |
Center for Precision Medicine
NETWORKING RECEPTION
Session from 5:30 – 6:30 pm
Day 1 Venue:
Academic Learning & Teaching Center (ALTC), Room 304
UT Health San Antonio Long (Main) Campus
Academic Learning & Teaching Center (ALTC), Room 304
UT Health San Antonio Long (Main) Campus
Day 1: Focuses on the applications of Spatial Omics and AI in human health, featuring in-depth case studies that highlight their role in understanding pathology and diagnosing diseases.
Day 2 Venue:
Weston Conference Center, San Pedro I Building
UT San Antonio
Weston Conference Center, San Pedro I Building
UT San Antonio
Day 2: Focuses on advances in AI methods and tools, highlighting how these emerging technologies are being developed to drive innovation in medicine and human health.
Organizing Committee
Amina Qutub, PhD
Assistant Director, Partnerships
MATRIX AI Consortium
Dhireesha Kudithipudi, PhD
Founder and Director
MATRIX AI Consortium
Jim Lechleiter, PhD
Co-Director
Center for Precision Medicine
Kumar Sharma, MD
Founder and Director
Center for Precision Medicine
Amy Vondenberger, MS
Sr Project Coordinator
Center for Precision Medicine
Jules Henry, MS, MID
Special Projects Manager
MATRIX AI Consortium
Mignon Dumanjog, MS
AI in Health Program Coordinator
MATRIX AI Consortium
Stacy Cantu, MPH
Associate Director
MATRIX AI Consortium
Sponsors & Partners



