Kailey Seiler (‘MPH 24) is the User-centered Design Lead at the Laboratory of Intelligent Global Health Technologies (LiGHT), a research group established in 2023 that develops technologies to support high-stakes decision-making in humanitarian response and low-resource settings. Before graduating this past May, Kailey was InnovateHealth Yale’s student fellow, supporting Yale’s innovation initiatives and partnerships. In this conversation, she opened up about her academic and career journey, providing practical advice for students looking to land their first job in global health innovation.

Kailey began with an overview of the LiGHT lab’s work, including the MOOVE (Massive Online Open Validation And Evaluation) of medical LLMs (Large Language Models) using real human evaluators. She discussed the critical opportunity of AI in supporting decision-making in global health and emphasized that bias in AI models is a persistent issue due to their lack of contextualized adoption and representation of diverse settings. LiGHT lab strives to create more equitable AI tools by evaluating not just clinicians but also diverse data sets to address hidden biases. She further emphasized that training AI to produce balanced outcomes is essential, especially when grappling with high-stakes healthcare decisions in low-resource settings.

Throughout the event, students trickled in with questions regarding navigating the job market in global health innovation. In response, Kailey offered valuable advice for students and recent graduates interested in this emerging field. Here are some of the key takeaways:

1. Reflect before applying: She encouraged students and job seekers to spend critical time considering their values and strengths in order to envision their ideal career path.
2. Stay organized and strategic: Kailey noted the importance of sending thank-you notes, tracking applications in an organized way, and applying as soon as possible after a job posting goes live. She highlighted authenticity as a main takeaway, advising students to remain sincere in their career intentions.
3. Utilize mentors and networks: She credited her mentors and networks for increasing her visibility to job opportunities, underscoring the value of relationships and connections in finding the right fit.
   

Kailey’s discussion offered practical strategies and deep insights into the intersection of AI, accessibility, and global health innovation. Her experiences underscore the importance of tracking biases in digital health technology, prioritizing accessibility, and navigating the job search thoughtfully and strategically.

Learn more about the LiGHT lab and Kailey by visiting: https://www.yale-light.org/