Newswise — The University of Miami Miller School of Medicine today launched The Media and Innovation Lab (The MIL), an ambitious endeavor to innovate, accelerate and disseminate accessible and effective health and wellness technologies. Led by Azizi Seixas, Ph.D., associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Miller School, The MIL extends the University of Miami’s longstanding global initiatives to increase access to health care, recruit leading innovators, and reimagine learning.
The MIL will focus on five key components of academic medicine, including medical education, clinical care, research, community service and outreach, and venture opportunities. With these pillars in mind, The MIL will drive transformative health care innovation and outcomes for South Florida the region and global community. As Miami continues to build its reputation as “Silicon Beach,” The MIL will serve as a locus for learning, collaboration, and investment in the emerging technologies, systems, and solutions to shape the future of health care.
“Today is an exciting and important day for the Miller School, the University of Miami, and the whole of South Florida,” said Henri R. Ford, M.D., M.H.A., Dean and Chief Academic Officer of the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine. “The MIL, under the visionary leadership of Dr. Seixas, will delve into some of the most important and pressing issues concerning population health facing our nation and the world. We believe The MIL will quickly establish a reputation as a center of excellence and innovation, driving the University and our community forward.”
“Our vision for The MIL is to become an innovation and collaboration hub with a keen focus on access and equity,” said Dr. Seixas. “Too often, health care innovations and technologies benefit the few, not the many. We know that precision and personalized medicine can improve the health of entire populations of people for whom small changes can have an outsized positive clinical impact. The MIL will be an engine to rapidly explore, validate, and launch transformative solutions to benefit all.”
The MIL extends the Miller School’s mission to provide world-class clinical care, innovate medical education, conduct groundbreaking research, and provide impactful community outreach. As an integral part of the Miller School, The MIL will serve as a training ground for the next generation of compassionate health care providers and visionary researchers, and serve the University’s mission to promote health equity throughout South Florida and beyond.
“The MIL underscores the deep and profound connections between mental health and physical well-being,” said Barbara J. Coffey, M.D., M.S., professor and chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Miller School of Medicine. “We know that many physical illnesses manifest in mental health, emotional, and behavioral conditions. By unraveling these connections, Dr. Seixas and his team will build whole-person solutions to improve health and well-being.”
For the past 10 years, Dr. Seixas has conducted extensive research on the multilevel determinants of brain and mental health, aging, and cardiovascular disease disparities, the long-term health consequences of cardiovascular disease and brain health disparities, and developing adaptive, group-tailored, and personalized behavior modification interventions.
Dr. Seixas has also explored the use of machine learning analytical tools and artificial intelligence to improve health and well-being, work he plans on furthering at The MIL. With more than 150 high impact peer-reviewed publications, book chapters and conference presentations to his credit, Dr. Seixas has been recognized as one of the top 100 Inspiring Black Scientists in America by Cell Press.
For more about The University of Miami Media and Innovation Lab, please visit The Media and Innovation Lab Miller School of Medicine (miami.edu).
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