NextGen AI Health Literacy

Supporting inclusive, responsible and evidence-based AI in healthcare

NextGen AI Health Literacy (NextGen AIHL) is a five-year NHMRC Synergy Grant program focused on supporting inclusive, responsible and evidence-based AI in healthcare. The program brings together researchers, clinicians, technology experts, policymakers and community partners to develop AI-enabled healthcare that is understandable, accessible and beneficial for everyone.

About NextGen AIHL

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly changing healthcare, with the potential to transform how people access, understand and use health information and services. Ensuring these advances benefit everyone means considering health literacy from the outset, from how AI is designed and developed to how it is introduced and used in healthcare.

Why this work matters

Across more than 12 connected research projects, the program is working with communities, health professionals, health services and other partners to understand emerging needs and develop practical solutions. The program considers AI-health literacy at every stage, from how AI technologies are designed and developed to how they are implemented and used in practice. This connected approach helps ensure AI-enabled healthcare is designed with people’s needs in mind and supports equitable access to the benefits of emerging technologies.

Together, this work will build the evidence, tools and expertise needed to help ensure AI-enabled healthcare is understandable, accessible and useful for diverse communities, and to support a more equitable future for health AI.

How we work

AI-health literacy is a complex challenge that cannot be solved from a single perspective. NextGen AIHL brings together expertise in:

Health literacy and health communication
Artificial intelligence and digital health
Healthcare and clinical practice
Public health and health equity
Ethics, policy and governance
Community engagement and co-design

By connecting these areas of expertise across a suite of linked projects, our program can address AI-health literacy from multiple perspectives, from technology design and healthcare delivery to policy development and community needs. This helps ensure AI innovations are not only effective, but also safe, understandable, inclusive and useful in real-world healthcare settings.

Many synergies, one shared purpose

Our Team

Professor Kirsten McCaffery

Health Literacy
The University of Sydney
Associate Professor Danielle Muscat

Health Literacy
The University of Sydney
Professor Adam Dunn

Health AI, Biomedical Informatics
The University of Sydney
Associate Professor Chris Degeling

Bioethics
University of Wollongong
Dr Julie Ayre

Health Literacy, Digital Health
The University of Sydney
Dr Brooke Nickel

Health Communication
The University of Sydney
Professor Daniel Capurro

Health Informatics
The University of Melbourne
Professor Becky Freeman

Social Media and Public Health Communication
The University of Sydney
Associate Professor Melissa McCradden

Bioethics and AI
Adelaide University
Associate Professor Marguerite Tracy

General Practice, Shared Decision Making
Western Sydney University
Dipti Zachariah

Patient and Carer Experience, Clinical Governance, Multicultural Health
Western Sydney Local Health District
Dr Patti Shih

Sociology, Public Health
University of Wollongong
Dr Janelle Weise

Disability Research
The University of Sydney
David Edwards

First Nations Health
The University of Sydney
Dr Adeola Bamgboje-Ayodele

Human-Centred Design
The University of Sydney
Dr Jonathan K. Kummerfeld

Computer Science
The University of Sydney
Dr Melody Taba

Youth Digital Health Literacy
The University of Sydney
Dr Yves Saint James Aquino

AI and Data Ethics
University of Wollongong
Associate Professor Carissa Bonner

Behavioural Science
The University of Sydney
Professor Katie Robb

Behavioural Science
University of Glasgow
Professor Orkan Okan

Health Literacy
Technical University of Munich; WHO Collaborating Centre for Health Literacy
Professor Don Nutbeam

Health Literacy
The University of Sydney
Professor Farah Magrabi

AI and Patient Safety
Macquarie University