Division of AI Research
The Division of AI Research (DAIR) is a hospital-wide initiative for AI-driven healthcare research innovation to serve as the central reference hub and catalyst for Artificial Intelligence research. The division brings together researchers, clinicians, scientists, and engineers to conduct impactful, trustworthy, and clinically grounded research in AI. The division will also grow capacity through training, office hours, mentorship and consultation to help teams at Children’s National transform great ideas into rigorous science and innovative, research-based AI solutions.
-
Vision
Establish Children’s National Hospital as the most prestigious home for AI-driven healthcare research innovation for children.
-
Mission
A coordinated AI research community that draws diverse talents and expertise to achieve bold objectives with AI and digital health innovation:
- Solves complex problems by understanding clinical needs.
- Acts as a scientific and technological nucleus for pediatric consortia and clinical trials.
- Advocates for trustworthy AI progress in pediatric care.
DAIR is Strategically Important for Children’s National
Scientific Leadership
Positions Children's National as a national and global leader in pediatric AI innovation.
Establishes a centralized home for cutting-edge AI research, data science, and clinical translation.
Clinical Integration
Aligns AI innovation with clinical needs across strategic lines.
Provides a structured pathway from algorithm creation → clinical validation → deployment.
Recruitment and Talent Development
Attracts world-class AI researchers, data scientists, clinicians and trainees.
Creates career ladders in pediatric AI—a growing and highly competitive domain.
Funding and Philanthropy
Enhances competitiveness for grants and philanthropic funding.
Grows on existing foundation partnerships (e.g., Gates Foundation), academic (e.g., Virginia Tech) and industry collaborations (e.g., NVIDIA).
Signals institutional commitment, which funders look for.
Global Health Leadership
Supports Children's National's strategic mission to improve the lives of children everywhere.
Builds scalable AI tools for diverse-resource settings, a unique differentiator.
Enhances the competitive advantage of Children's National and attract patients through innovative reputation.
Impact
Children’s National is advancing a new era of pediatric discovery by combining rare data with cutting-edge AI. These efforts will speed diagnosis, enable precision care and build the infrastructure needed to translate research breakthroughs into real-world impact for children globally.
Our Team
Marius George Linguraru, DPhil, MA, MSc
- Director, Division of AI Research
- Principal Investigator
Michael McLaughlin, PhD
- Head of AI/ML Advanced Analytics
Hareem Nisar, PhD
- Research Lab Manager
Meron Gebreegziabher
- Program Manager
Future ready: AI’s role in revolutionizing pediatric care
How is Artificial Intelligence (AI) advancing pediatric care and research? Nathan Kuppermann, MD, MPH, sits down with Marius George Linguraru, DPhil, MA, MSc, the Connor Family Professor in Research and Innovation and principal investigator in the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation.
Featured Publications
-
A Machine Learning Strategy to Predict the Number of High-Acuity Children Who Leave Without Being Seen From the Emergency Department
Brandon Kappy, Patrick Butler, Yiqi Su, Trang Ha, Sarah Isbey, James M Chamberlain, Naren Ramakrishnan, Marius George Linguraru, Kenneth McKinley doi: 10.1016/j.acepjo.2025.100306 J Am Coll Emerg Physicians Open 7(1):100306 2025 Dec 24
Research Updates
-
Top AI models unveiled in COVID-19 challenge to improve lung diagnostics
January 12, 2021 -
Children’s National joins international AI COVID-19 initiative
October 28, 2020 -
$1M grant funds research on quantitative imaging for tumors
July 21, 2020