SDSU public health expert awarded a Fulbright to investigate AI in health care
Susan Kiene will work with partners in Spain on the implementation of artificial intelligence in health care and public health settings.
San Diego State University faculty member Susan Kiene conducts grant-funded research on public health interventions for HIV, alcohol use, and reproductive health across the globe, from Africa to South America.
This fall she’s taking a detour into something different.
Kiene has been selected as a Fulbright U.S. Scholar for the 2025-26 academic year and will join colleagues at the Universidad de Alcalá in Spain to dive into artificial intelligence.
Her goal is to better understand how AI can be successfully rolled out in health care and public health settings both globally and locally.
“AI is everywhere. I wanted to take the opportunity to think about AI in public health,” Kiene said. “So, thinking about how to improve the implementation process for success and also potentially improving the design of AI use in health care, making it more patient centered.”
Kiene, a professor of epidemiology and biostatistics in SDSU’s School of Public Health, is one of about 800 faculty annually who are awarded fellowships for the Fulbright U.S. Scholar program. Her Fulbright runs from September to January 2026, although she may continue longer to further collaborate with colleagues in Spain.
With a background in implementation science, Kiene is intrigued by the potential of AI to improve public health interventions. She is particularly interested in how AI can be applied broadly while also being relevant in distinct local communities.
“Spain is doing some unique things with Spanish language use of AI, but also with regional languages in Spain and doing some adaptations there,” said Kiene. “So how do you think about the scale up of AI in health care but also contextually localize it? That is the gist of the project overall.”
She will be working with Professor José Ignacio Olmeda Martos in the Department of Computer Science at the Universidad de Alcalá , and engaging with the European Alliance for Global Health.
Kiene hopes to publish papers with colleagues and build a larger collaboration, as well as incorporate what she learns in future research and her teaching.
“Congratulations to Dr. Kiene for being named a Fulbright U.S. Scholar,” said Cristina Alfaro, Associate Vice President of International Affairs. “San Diego State University is proud of her achievement. It is another example of how SDSU encourages global engagement, benefiting both faculty and students.”
Founded in 1946, the Fulbright Faculty Scholar program has created partnerships in 160 nations toward its goal of increasing mutual understanding and to support friendly and peaceful relations between the people of the U.S. and other countries. Awards of the U.S.-Spain Fulbright Commission are financed by both countries, and, in Kiene’s case, by Universidad de Alcalá.
