{
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    "title" : "What the PIFs Have Been Up to in 2019 |Digital.gov",
    "description": "What the PIFs Have Been Up to in 2019",
    "home_page_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/","feed_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2019/08/09/what-pifs-have-been-up-in-2019/index.json","item" : [
    {"title" :"What the PIFs Have Been Up to in 2019","summary" : "Members of the PIF class of 2019 include data strategists, AI specialists, venture capitalists, and neuroscientists. See what they’ve been up to this year.","date" : "2019-08-09T10:30:00-05:00","date_modified" : "2025-01-27T19:42:55-05:00","authors" : {"davar-ardalan" : "Davar Ardalan","joshua-di-frances" : "Joshua Di Frances"},"topics" : {
        
            "artificial-intelligence" : "Artificial intelligence",
            "emerging-tech" : "Emerging tech",
            "innovation" : "Innovation"
            },"featured_image" : { "uid" :
  "pif-homecoming-8", "alt" :
  "Presidential Innovation Fellows gathered at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on July 12 as part of a PIF Homecoming event." },"branch" : "bc-archive-content-3",
      "filename" :"2019-08-09-what-pifs-have-been-up-in-2019.md",
      
      "filepath" :"news/2019/08/2019-08-09-what-pifs-have-been-up-in-2019.md",
      "filepathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/blob/bc-archive-content-3/content/news/2019/08/2019-08-09-what-pifs-have-been-up-in-2019.md",
      "editpathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/edit/bc-archive-content-3/content/news/2019/08/2019-08-09-what-pifs-have-been-up-in-2019.md","slug" : "what-pifs-have-been-up-in-2019","url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2019/08/09/what-pifs-have-been-up-in-2019/","content" :"\u003cp\u003eAcross the federal government, \u003ca href=\"https://www.presidentialinnovationfellows.gov/\"\u003ePresidential Innovation Fellows\u003c/a\u003e (PIF) are helping to streamline regulations, increase engagement with private sector investors, and deploy pioneering machine learning and natural language processing solutions.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"image\"\u003e\n  \u003cimg\n        src=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/pif-homecoming-8.png\"alt=\"Presidential Innovation Fellows gathered at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on July 12th as part of a PIF Homecoming event.\"/\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eAs part of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.performance.gov/PMA/PMA.html\"\u003ePresident\u0026rsquo;s Management Agenda\u003c/a\u003e (PMA), PIFs are working on the \u003ca href=\"https://www.performance.gov/CAP/cx/\"\u003eCross Agency Priority (CAP) Goal number 4\u003c/a\u003e on governmentwide customer experience (CX). This work—across 24 federal agencies—is to design the data infrastructure necessary to create the first public-facing dashboards on citizen experience. At the \u003ca href=\"https://www.transportation.gov/\"\u003eU.S. Department of Transportation\u003c/a\u003e (DOT), they are helping unlock the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomous systems while designing for a future transportation ecosystem.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe’ve seen several of our fellows get awards and recognition, such as the 2019 Service to the Citizen Award, the Fed 100, and the DCFemTech award—which two fellows received for their work in data and design. We’ve seen a PIF promoted to a leadership position in the \u003ca href=\"https://coe.gsa.gov/\"\u003eCenters of Excellence\u003c/a\u003e (CoE) within the \u003ca href=\"https://www.gsa.gov/tts\"\u003eTechnology Transformation Services\u003c/a\u003e (TTS), helping usher in a future of federal leadership with human-centered design. And this month, one of our fellows, was named to be the Director of Artificial Intelligence at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.research.va.gov/\"\u003eVA Office of Research and Development\u003c/a\u003e (VA Research).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo understand agencies, our fellows have traveled \u003ca href=\"https://18f.gsa.gov/2019/07/16/on-the-road-to-innovation/\"\u003eacross the nation\u003c/a\u003e to solve regional technology challenges, and globally to Prague to meet with stakeholders at the front lines of global media. From San Diego to South Carolina, fellows have visited national labs, hospitals, call centers, and claim processing centers for a holistic view of end-to-end business lines and operations. Along the way, they’ve even been to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nasa.gov/\"\u003eNational Aeronautics and Space Administration\u003c/a\u003e\u0026rsquo;s Wallops Flight Facility (\u003ca href=\"https://www.nasa.gov/centers/wallops/home/\"\u003eNASA Wallops\u003c/a\u003e) to watch the launch of a spacecraft.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe PIF journey is a tested one. For seven years, fellows have been catalysts in American innovation. We are now creating tools to quantify the impact of innovation. At the program level, we have piloted an interactive Storybank that allows our fellows to capture internal learnings about their work. Similar to a weekly diary, the learnings are giving us better insight into some of the advances, blockers, and collaborations happening across 24 agencies.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTake a look at what our fellows have been working on:\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGIL ALTEROVITZ\u003c/strong\u003e\nWhile at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.cancer.gov/\"\u003eNational Cancer Institute\u003c/a\u003e (NCI) of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.hhs.gov/\"\u003eU.S. Department of Health and Human Services\u003c/a\u003e (HHS) and the \u003ca href=\"https://www.va.gov\"\u003eU.S. Department of Veterans Affairs\u003c/a\u003e (VA), Gil incentivized government and industry artificial intelligence data linkages through \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/2018/11/02/health-tech-sprint-aims-at-improving-care-access-experience/\"\u003eHealth Tech Sprint\u003c/a\u003e, and provided AI thought leadership to the White House. In July 2019, \u003ca href=\"https://www.blogs.va.gov/VAntage/63005/va-aims-expand-artificial-intelligence-research/\"\u003eVA Research announced Gil as their first director of artificial intelligence\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSTEVEN BABITCH\u003c/strong\u003e\nSteven is codifying how the \u003ca href=\"https://www.fbi.gov/\"\u003eFederal Bureau of Investigation\u003c/a\u003e (FBI) engages industry, including on information sharing. He is advising on the approach related to a policy matter, and working with mission support and operational divisions on the mitigation of national security threats.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNINA BIANCHI\u003c/strong\u003e\nCurrently the Director of Workforce Solutions with the \u003ca href=\"https://coe.gsa.gov/\"\u003eIT Modernization Centers of Excellence\u003c/a\u003e (CoE), Nina is leading cross-agency innovation to improve service outcomes for citizen customers. From clinical trials and data supply chains to artificial intelligence and management operations, she is ushering in the future of federal leadership by design.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCLARICE CHAN\u003c/strong\u003e\nAt the VA, Clarice is focused on modernizing how the VA communicates and delivers services to veterans. Bringing design thinking and inclusive design to build better user experiences that meet veterans where they are, not where we are.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMARIA LYNNE DAYTON\u003c/strong\u003e\nAs part of the PMA \u003ca href=\"https://www.performance.gov/CAP/cx/\"\u003eCAP Goal number 4 on governmentwide customer experience\u003c/a\u003e, Maria helped streamline the regulations around public data and built the first 26 agency public-facing dashboards on citizen experience.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eALI DIALLO\u003c/strong\u003e\nAt the VA, Ali is supporting a claim automation initiative that will help families of veterans get burial benefits faster and more efficiently. He is also a member of the White House Workforce Grand Challenge Interagency Working Group, an initiative of the Office of Science \u0026amp; Technology Policy that aims to prepare the workforce for the industries of the future through government-wide prize competitions.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGEORGETA DRAGOIU\u003c/strong\u003e\nAt the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nih.gov/\"\u003eNational Institutes of Health\u003c/a\u003e (NIH), Georgeta is developing data-driven communications and marketing strategies for the \u003ca href=\"https://allofus.nih.gov/\"\u003eAll of Us Research Program\u003c/a\u003e, whose goal is to tailor medical treatments for individual needs.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eADAM DRAKE\u003c/strong\u003e\nAdam is the first PIF to work with any of the military services and is currently helping the \u003ca href=\"https://www.marines.mil/\"\u003eU.S. Marine Corps\u003c/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"https://www.defense.gov/\"\u003eU.S. Department of Defense\u003c/a\u003e (DoD) with a variety of technology modernization and machine learning/applied AI efforts. In addition to the Marine Corps, Adam has also supported the \u003ca href=\"https://www.navy.mil/\"\u003eU.S. Navy\u003c/a\u003e, the \u003ca href=\"https://innovation.defense.gov/\"\u003eDefense Innovation Board\u003c/a\u003e (DIB), \u003ca href=\"https://www.army.mil/futures\"\u003eArmy Futures Command\u003c/a\u003e (AFC), \u003ca href=\"https://www.dds.mil/\"\u003eDefense Digital Services\u003c/a\u003e (DDS), and the \u003ca href=\"https://www.af.mil/\"\u003eU.S. Air Force\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRYAN FIORENTINO\u003c/strong\u003e\nAt the \u003ca href=\"https://www.usda.gov/\"\u003eU.S. Department of Agriculture\u003c/a\u003e (USDA), Ryan is creating a digitally-enabled, responsive relationship with America’s farmers, ranchers, and conservationists.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDAVEY GIBIAN\u003c/strong\u003e\nAt the \u003ca href=\"https://www.diu.mil/\"\u003eDefense Innovation Unit\u003c/a\u003e (DIU) of the DoD at the Pentagon, Davey has been creating internal data structures for the organization in order to accelerate technology adoption for warfighters.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eROBERT GOLDEL\u003c/strong\u003e\nRobert is leading efforts connecting the \u003ca href=\"https://www.fda.gov/\"\u003eU.S. Food and Drug Administration\u003c/a\u003e (FDA), NIH, and the VA to demonstrate how digital health technologies, including digital biomarkers and a digital health catalyst, can support an innovation ecosystem to drive down the costs and validate the efficacy of software-based medicine.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"image\"\u003e\n  \u003cimg\n        src=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/pif-homecoming-4.png\"alt=\"Davar Ardalan, Deputy Director of the Presidential Innovation Fellowship program featured speaker on the PIF Storybank and the power of data storytelling.\"/\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eZACHARY GOLDFINE\u003c/strong\u003e\nAt the VA, Zachary is helping to create a benefits intake API so that more veterans can digitally submit their benefit applications to the VA.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJUSTIN KOUFOPOULOS\u003c/strong\u003e\nAs part of a \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/2019/07/09/get-to-know-10x/\"\u003e10x\u003c/a\u003e project at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.gsa.gov/\"\u003eU.S. General Services Administration \u003c/a\u003e(GSA), Justin is helping to create a digital playbook to help agencies begin using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) more effectively.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePATRICK LIN\u003c/strong\u003e\nPatrick is helping the DOT to unlock the potential of artificial intelligence and autonomous systems while deeply thinking through the needs of—and designing for—the future transportation ecosystem.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eADELE LUTA\u003c/strong\u003e\nAt the NIH, Adele is enabling future research breakthroughs within a researcher portal encouraging a collaborating environment. She is also facilitating efforts of the presidential \u003ca href=\"https://www.space.commerce.gov/policy/national-space-council-directives/\"\u003eSpace Policy Directives\u003c/a\u003e at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.space.commerce.gov/\"\u003eOffice of Space Commerce\u003c/a\u003e within the \u003ca href=\"https://www.commerce.gov/\"\u003eU.S. Department of Commerce\u003c/a\u003e (DOC).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSONI MECKEM\u003c/strong\u003e\nAt NIH, Soni is providing customer experience thought leadership on the \u003ca href=\"https://allofus.nih.gov/\"\u003eAll of Us Research Program\u003c/a\u003e’s journey to transform healthcare with precision medicine.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMAURA NEWELL\u003c/strong\u003e\nAt the \u003ca href=\"https://www.va.gov/ve/\"\u003eVeterans Experience Office\u003c/a\u003e (VEO), Maura is a CX CAP Goal team member, focusing on putting the human back into the center of government services by leading and designing strategies around veteran suicide prevention.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMICHAEL PRITCHARD\u003c/strong\u003e\nMichael is working on creating an agency-wide data lake and developing natural language processing (NLP) to ascertain global audience trends at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.usagm.gov/\"\u003eU.S. Agency for Global Media\u003c/a\u003e (USAGM).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRANA SAAD\u003c/strong\u003e\nAt the FDA, Rana is helping to stand up a Digital Health Center of Excellence for FDA’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.fda.gov/about-fda/cdrh-offices/office-strategic-partnerships-and-technology-innovation#ddh\"\u003eDivision of Digital Health\u003c/a\u003e and leading a digital health catalyst.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSARAYU SRINIVASAN\u003c/strong\u003e\nDetailed to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nist.gov/\"\u003eNational Institute of Standards and Technology\u003c/a\u003e (NIST), Sarayu leads \u003ca href=\"https://www.performance.gov/CAP/lab-to-market/\"\u003eCAP Goal 14\u003c/a\u003e Strategy Two—engaging investors and the private sector in the acceleration of federally funded innovations from lab to market. CAP Goal 14 aims to improve the overall transfer of federally funded technologies to the marketplace. Sarayu also serves as a venture capitalist (VC)-slash-entrepreneur-slash-industry expert advising federal agencies around investment and entrepreneurial organization, practice, activity, and processes.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJEFF STARR\u003c/strong\u003e\nJeff is helping to create a digital playbook entitled, Getting to Prototype and Pilot: A Playbook for Beginning the AI/ML Journey for USG Agencies, as a \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/2019/07/09/get-to-know-10x/\"\u003e10x\u003c/a\u003e project at GSA. It is designed to help U.S. government agencies in their early stages of examining AI and ML to implement best practices for experimenting with and piloting AI/ML methods to integrate into their work streams.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNEVIN TAYLOR\u003c/strong\u003e\nNevin facilitated the establishment of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.state.gov/\"\u003eU.S. Department of State\u003c/a\u003e’s Chief Data Officer (CDO) function and their ability to leverage data as strategic assets through the creation of a program to register, organize, structure data. Additionally, as a member of the AI/ML working group, established a primer and standards, as well as the development of a playbook to leverage this capability to provide functionality that optimizes mission effectiveness.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNELSON A. COLÓN VARGAS\u003c/strong\u003e\nAt the VA, Nelson is working on a system that uses machine learning and natural language processing to automate the initial classification of benefit claim forms, saving millions of dollars and cutting wait time by five to seven days.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJOY WHITT\u003c/strong\u003e: At the VA, Joy is working with the \u003ca href=\"https://www.usds.gov\"\u003eU.S. Digital Service\u003c/a\u003e (USDS) team to track and improve va.gov analytics for veteran’s services.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSTEPHEN WINCHELL\u003c/strong\u003e\nAt the \u003ca href=\"https://www.iarpa.gov/\"\u003eIntelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity\u003c/a\u003e (IARPA), Stephen works on creating and managing new high-risk, high-payoff research programs in support of \u003ca href=\"https://www.odni.gov/index.php/what-we-do/members-of-the-ic\"\u003eU.S. Intelligence Community\u003c/a\u003e (IC) goals.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"image\"\u003e\n  \u003cimg\n        src=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/pif-homecoming-3.png\"alt=\"Deputy Director for Management at the Office of Management and Budget, and Acting Director at the Office of Personnel Management, Margaret Weichert, addressing Fellows at the PIF Homecoming event at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.\"/\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\n"}
  ]
}