The CONNECT Program was an integral part of our Institute for nearly 10 years. In November 2024, the program took an exciting step and transitioned into its own university center. The new Center for Computational and Social Sciences in Health (COMPASS) is led by Michelle Birkett, PhD, director, and Patrick Janulis, PhD, associate director. COMPASS is housed within the Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine (I.AIM) at Feinberg School of Medicine.
About CONNECT
Directed by Michelle Birkett, PhD, the CONNECT Complex Systems and Health Disparities Research Program focused around elucidating the complex mechanisms driving the health disparities, particularly of sexual and gender minorities. CONNECT built research capacity in this area by strategically growing an interdisciplinary cadre of scholars addressing issues health disparities from a systems perspective. Patrick Janulis, PhD, served as the program's associate director.
While operating as a research program at the Institute, CONNECT's projects included Network Canvas, the Bias in Big Data initiative, PLoT ME, and ChiSTIG.