Florida State University School of Information professor Zhe He has received two significant recognitions for his work in health informatics. He was elected as a Fellow of the International Academy of Health Sciences Informatics (IAHSI) and awarded a $280,000 grant from the National a2 Pilot Awards Competition, which is funded by the National Institute on Aging.
Dean Michelle Kazmer of the College of Communication and Information commented on He’s achievements: “Dr. Zhe He has been an extraordinary colleague from the moment he joined the FSU faculty,” said Kazmer. “He is an excellent teacher and mentor, a committed member of the university community and has conducted transformational research in the area of health informatics. Dr. He, along with his students and research colleagues across the globe, has done foundational research and systems design to improve health outcomes for everyone. I am grateful and proud that he is a member of the faculty in the College of Communication and Information.”
The IAHSI recognizes individuals worldwide who have made notable contributions to healthcare through research, education, and innovation. This year, 18 new Fellows were named globally, including 11 from North America.
“Being elected as a Fellow of the IAHSI is an incredible honor and a deeply humbling experience,” said He. “It represents international recognition of the work I’ve done over the past 17 years to advance biomedical and health informatics.”
He’s academic focus includes biomedical and health informatics, artificial intelligence, and big data analytics. He currently serves as director of several programs at Florida State University: Institute for Successful Longevity; UF-FSU CTSA Biostatistics, Informatics, and Research Design Program; as well as chairing the AMIA Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining Working Group.
His relationship with IAHSI began through involvement with its founding organization—the International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA)—where he has presented research findings, organized panels, and collaborated internationally.
“He is an excellent teacher and mentor, a committed member of the university community and has conducted transformational research in the area of health informatics. Dr. He, along with his students and research colleagues across the globe, has done foundational research and systems design to improve health outcomes for everyone.” – Dean Michelle Kazmer, College of Communication and Information
“I was both surprised and honored to be nominated and elected by such a distinguished group of peers whose work I have long admired,” said He.
As an IAHSI Fellow, He intends to contribute to advancing global collaboration on topics such as climate change’s impact on health care delivery, aging populations’ needs, ethical considerations around artificial intelligence in medicine—and aims to support leadership development while sharing knowledge among low-resource communities.
In addition to his fellowship recognition from IAHSI this year—which included naming 18 fellows worldwide—He secured funding for further research via a one-year $280,000 grant through the Artificial Intelligence & Technology Collaboratories (AITC) for Aging Research Program, part of ongoing efforts by the National Institute on Aging.
The project supported by this grant—titled “Developing a Multi-Agent AI System for Explaining Lab Results to Older Adults”—is part of He’s broader LabGenie initiative focused on improving how older adults interpret lab results.
“This recognition underscores the importance of addressing the unique challenges older adults and their caregivers face in interpreting lab test results,” said He.
He’s collaboration with NIA extends beyond this award; he previously received two other grants supporting projects related to clinical trial optimization strategies for aging populations as well as developing personalized AI tools tailored toward seniors’ needs.
Looking ahead at LabGenie’s potential expansion into symptom tracking capabilities or integration with patient portals—and its goal to make medical information more accessible—He stated: “My hope is that LabGenie becomes a model for how AI can enhance patient engagement for those with varying health literacy levels and improve outcomes especially for older adults with multiple chronic conditions.”
For more information about FSU’s College of Communication & Information visit cci.fsu.edu.
