Altarum Health Data & AI Center of Excellence

Responsible AI Solutions for Modern Public Health Challenges

Public health agencies are under unprecedented pressure. Altarum's Health Data & AI Center of Excellence helps you meet this challenge by responsibly applying analytics and AI to improve outcomes and increase efficiency.

The challenges of rising workforce shortages, fragmented data systems, increasing compliance requirements, and growing expectations for faster, more accessible service delivery are having a profound effect on public health and health agencies.

At the same time, we’re seeing a renewed focus on workforce development, data modernization, and foundational capabilities.

Altarum’s Health Data & AI Center of Excellence (CoE) helps public health agencies meet these challenges with secure, ethical, and scalable AI solutions designed for real-world impact.

Challenges Facing Public Health

  1. Fragmented data systems slow disease detection and decision-making
  2. Limited analytic capacity delays insight generation
  3. Workforce shortages increase burnout and reduce service delivery speed
  4. Manual processes create inefficiencies and inconsistent outputs
  5. Governance and compliance requirements raise challenges to safe AI adoption

Agencies need solutions that improve performance without introducing risk.

Altarum’s Approach: Disciplined, Responsible, Mission-Aligned AI

We deliver AI as a structured enterprise capability—not isolated pilots or experimental tools. Every engagement is grounded in governance, designed for auditability, and aligned with federal public health priorities.

Our framework includes:

  • Privacy-first, HIPAA-compliant architecture
  • Human-in-the-loop validation and oversight
  • Reusable data pipelines and analytics components
  • Short accelerator pilots to prove measurable value before scale

All solutions align public health modernization goals.

Core Offerings

Our CoE delivers across the full spectrum of public health intelligence needs—from early warning systems to community-facing navigation tools.

Early Warning & Decision Intelligence

Go from fragmented data to real-time insights and planning; see what is coming and act before it spreads.

  • AI-powered anomaly detection and predictive modeling
  • Integrated surveillance dashboards
  • Faster outbreak detection and situational awareness
  • Data-driven decision support for leadership

Impacts: Earlier intervention, reduced transmission risk, improved readiness

Operational Efficiency & Data Quality

Reduce manual burden and strengthen data consistency, creating reliable outputs with lower overhead.

  • AI-assisted coding and quality validation
  • Automated reporting and compliance support
  • Standardization across high-volume workflows

Impacts: Improved data integrity, reduced rework, faster turnaround times

AI-Augmented Workforce Support

Build tools that work with your team and support—not replace—public health professionals.

  • AI copilots embedded into existing workflows
  • Real-time document assistance and research support
  • Case triage and policy interpretation guidance

Impacts: Reduced workload strain, stronger knowledge transfer, increased productivity

Scalable Navigation & Assistance

Reach more communities and scale solutions without expanding staff.

  • AI-powered conversational assistants
  • Benefits and care navigation tools
  • Automated community engagement support

Impacts: Increased program access, reduced administrative burden, expanded community reach

How We Deliver

We offer flexible engagement models designed to fit your agency's readiness, budget, and timeline—from foundational assessment to system-wide deployment.

Advisory: AI readiness, governance assessment, roadmap development

  • We assess your current data infrastructure, governance posture, and workforce capacity—then develop a clear, prioritized roadmap for responsible AI adoption.

Accelerator: Pilot and proof of concept

  • A focused 4–8 week pilot targeting one high-value use case. We prove measurable impact before you commit to full-scale investment.

Full Delivery: Enterprise deployment

  • End-to-end solution delivery: secure architecture, integration, and deployment at scale.

Our hub-and-spoke operating model ensures consistency, governance, and cross-division reuse—so every engagement strengthens your organization's long-term capability, not just one project.

Why Altarum? Mission-driven expertise, proven delivery.

  • Deep public health and federal program expertise
  • Proven data modernization leadership
  • Strong governance and compliance standards
  • Mission-driven focus on accessibility and measurable outcomes

Melvin Crum, Altarum’s VP of Data and Artificial Intelligence, leads the CoE. He has more than 30 years of experience leading large-scale data, analytics, and modernization initiatives that deliver measurable results in public health.

The Bottom Line

Altarum’s Health Data & AI Center of Excellence helps public health agencies modernize responsibly—turning fragmented data into early action, reducing workforce burden, strengthening governance, and delivering measurable impact aligned with federal priorities.

AI, deployed with discipline and purpose, expands what’s possible for public health—reaching communities sooner, supporting staff better, and improving outcomes at scale.