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John Hanna, M.D.

Social Impact Award, 2023

What stood out about your research experience at UT Southwestern, and how did it shape your career?

My time at UT Southwestern was pivotal in shaping my research trajectory. The support from the Clinical Informatics Center and the mentorship from Drs. Richard Medford and Chris Lehmann provided a robust foundation for my career in clinical informatics and Infectious Diseases. The collaborative environment and access to diverse resources fostered rigorous scientific inquiry and interdisciplinary collaboration.

How has your research contributed to addressing a societal issue, and what broader change do you hope it drives?

 My research primarily focuses on leveraging advanced analytics, real-world data, and digital innovation to tackle pressing healthcare delivery imperatives and public health challenges. My work contributed to examining the intersection of socioeconomic risk factors and antimicrobial resistance, highlighting how social determinants influence infection patterns and outcomes. Additionally, during the COVID-19 pandemic, I investigated risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection among people with HIV, shedding light on the compounded vulnerabilities faced by marginalized populations and promoting targeted public health interventions. Another focus of my research is responsible AI applications in healthcare. My published work investigating racial and ethnic bias in large language models-generated text underscores the need for establishing standard frameworks to better assess bias in generated text by LLMs in order to prevent perpetuating existing healthcare disparities. Collectively, my research efforts aim to drive data-informed insights that promote equitable healthcare access and improve health outcomes.

How did participating in the Seldin Symposium impact your research path?

Presenting my work in Seldin Symposium on auto-spatial relationship of health inequalities and multi-drug-resistant organisms (MDRO) and receiving the Social Impact Award provided validation and motivation. This recognition propelled further research, leading to publications and ongoing projects focused on developing models to predict MDRO culture positivity across various specimen types while accounting for socioeconomic factors.

What are your current research interests and goals?

My current research interests and goals include exploring the potential of large language models in transforming healthcare delivery, ensuring responsible AI deployment in clinical settings, leveraging historical microbiological data to model personalized antibiograms, and to explore the potential of telehealth solutions; remote patient monitoring; and health promotion tools to transform rural health care delivery.

What advice would you offer current Internal Medicine trainees about pursuing research?

Follow your passion and maintain persistence. The most impactful contributions often stem from curiosity-driven exploration and a commitment to addressing real-world problems. Seek mentorship, embrace interdisciplinary collaboration, and view challenges as opportunities for growth.

Additional Reflections:

Research is a continuous learning journey, and I am grateful for the foundation that UT Southwestern provided. The mentorship, resources, and collaborative environment have had a lasting impact on my approach to scientific inquiry.

Representative Publications

"The collaborative environment and access to diverse resources fostered rigorous scientific inquiry and interdisciplinary collaboration."

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