As we close out the first quarter of the 21st century, the University of Pittsburgh remains among the most elite biomedical research institutions worldwide and, in 2025, surpassed $1 billion in health sciences research and development expenditures for the first time.
We’re also emerging as a worldwide leader in the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to radically transform health research and patient care. As these technologies advance at lightning speed, we find ourselves ever at the brink of crossing a continually advancing finish line—a pace that perfectly positions us to more rapidly translate our abundant research discoveries into products, tools and services benefiting patients.
In fiscal year 2025 alone, our landmark Computational Pathology and AI Center of Excellence entered a $10 million partnership with tech giant Leidos to develop AI-powered tools for faster detection of heart disease and cancer. For patients, that means earlier, more effective care. We were tapped by NVIDIA Corporation to form its inaugural AI tech community alongside Carnegie Mellon University to advance robotics, autonomy and AI innovation. And we launched GAINMED, an international research and health care collaborative to conduct deep biologic and lifestyle analysis of global patient cohorts. The goal is to develop “AI agents” capable of delivering precision medicine guidance to health care providers at any point-of-care location.
The further down the track we get in AI expertise, the greater the opportunity for extending the human health span—the number of years populations around the world can lead healthy, active lives. In all that we do at Pitt Health Sciences, that’s the ultimate finish line.
Anantha Shekhar
Senior Vice Chancellor for the Health Sciences
John and Gertrude Petersen Dean, School of Medicine