Civic Science AI Fellow selected by Center for SMART Health and CTSI

Mackensie (Max) Yore, an emergency physician researching health equity and the importance of human connection in medicine, has been selected as the initial Civic Science Artificial Intelligence (AI) Fellow for the Center for SMART Health and UCLA CTSI. Yore was selected after a call for applications was launched in 2024. She will focus on artificial intelligence at the intersection of civic science, specifically within healthcare. This unique postdoctoral position offers the opportunity to conduct interdisciplinary research, exploring the intersection of AI, healthcare, and civic engagement.

Yore is particularly interested in using AI tools in medicine to improve population health and health equity by augmenting understanding and empathy between patients and care teams. For the past several years, she has studied the VA-initiated My Life, My Story Program and is particularly interested in how pre-written patient narratives improve care for patients and professional satisfaction for healthcare workers. She has also worked with communities in the Fresno area of the California Central Valley to better understand health impacts of climate change on a human level and is collaborating with an interdisciplinary set of partners to develop community resilience strategies. Dr. Yore has a background in global health and human-centered design, with some of her earliest work pertaining to understanding beliefs around and improving access to care for congenital anomalies. She continues to be involved in global health by teaching emergency medicine to health care providers in Mwanza, Tanzania.  Dr. Yore completed her undergraduate degree at Wellesley College, medical degree at Stanford University, residency in emergency medicine at UCSF Fresno, and a fellowship with the VA/UCLA National Clinician Scholars Program. She currently studies the integration of AI tools in medicine at the VA and UCLA as a VA Health Services Research Fellow.

Learn more about the key responsibilities of Civic Science AI Fellows.