News
This past summer, I was able to experience what it’s like to be included in a work environment that is striving to make an immense impact on its community. As a member of SIG Next Gen, I have been given the opportunity to be a member of an inviting team who treated me like a colleague and allowed me to observe meetings and understand the elements of the project.
While working on TechMPower and WINGS+++, I was able to see behind the scenes of building blocks that could make the project a success. I spent much of the time testing and trying to find holes in surveys being used for trials…
Columbia University Seminar on AI for Social Good and Society (AI4SGS) convened October 13, 2026 at Faculty House to host featured guest speaker Dr. Rahul M. Dodhia, Deputy Director of the AI for Good Lab at Microsoft, who presented on the promise and responsibility of leveraging machine learning to solve complex global problems.
Co-chaired by Dr. Nabila El-Bassel (University Professor and Director of the Social Intervention Group) and Dr. Tian Zheng (Professor of Statistics), the AI4SGS University Seminar represents the first AI-themed Seminar in the history of Columbia’s University Seminars…
Through an innovative inter-disciplinary partnership, the Social Intervention Group (SIG) and the Department of Statistics creates a collaborative, immersive research experience. The Department of Statistics MA Mentored Research program gives its graduate students the opportunity to join active research projects at SIG led by faculty and research scientists at the School of Social Work.
This work builds on work between University Professor Nabila El-Bassel, who is the SIG Director, and Professor Tian Zheng, who was the former chair of Statistics. Their innovative work on AI for Social Good and Society,…
Dr. Timothy Hunt, PhD, Associate Director of Columbia University’s Social Intervention Group and Principal Investigator of the TechMPower Study focused on an integrated approach to Substance Use and HIV treatment and prevention, presented at the 2026 New York State Sheriffs’ Association Jail Administrators’ Conference September 15th in Saratoga Springs.
His presentation, “The Jail-to-Community Transition as a Public Safety and Public Health Opportunity: Practical Strategies for New York County Jails,” highlighted approaches to strengthening health services, continuity of…
Across the five cities, peer navigation interventions were able to engage people who might not otherwise be captured by existing public health interventions.
In addition to exploring their use of AI to understand the role of stigma in HEALing Communities Study coalition meetings, they also emphasize the importance of human-in-the-loop AI systems.
Professor Davis has been part of the SIG community for more than 11 years, and brings to this role a deep commitment to SIG’s mission, vision, and future growth.
Since joining SIG in 2018, Dr. Davis has contributed extensively to research on citizen science, stigma, and mental health through her research in Kazakhstan and globally exploring complex, pressing topics such as increasing HIV testing uptake among vulnerable groups.
At the second session of the Generative AI in Personal Health workshop series, panelists and attendees wrestled with issues of privacy, trust, and the fragmentation of the medical system.
Building on decades of University Seminars drawing in experts across fields to address broad topics, this new seminar will promote ethical, equitable, and justice-driven AI to address societal problems.
Hear from a selection of this year's graduates about their work at SIG and their future plans.
As the first session in a four-part workshop series, the event explored how AI companions could transform personal health and healthcare delivery, while also raising urgent questions about their broader role in advancing social good and society.
The new organization will help international students navigate living in a new country and provide peer support.
The study found associations between gender nonconformity and victimization attributed to sexual orientation as well as barriers to access public facilities.