Dr. Essam Hamza reports

NIH AWARDS US$2M SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION GRANT TO TRANSFORM HOW AI COLLECTS MEDICAL HISTORY

Rocket Doctor AI Inc.'s United States-based subsidiary, Treatment.com Inc., in collaboration with Rush River Research, has been awarded a highly competitive National Institutes of Health small business innovation research grant from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities. This phase 2 award advances the collection of culturally sensitive family medical histories using the application of artificial intelligence.

The $2-million (U.S.) two-year award supports the further development and commercialization of important research advances that were developed in phase 1. With experts drawn from across the United States and with the additional contribution of engineering and design excellence from Rush River Research, the award will provide Treatment with over $500,000 (U.S.) to further develop and integrate innovative approaches that enhance Treatment's handling of medical history data across several commercial platforms.

"We are excited to continue this important work with Treatment and our partners following the success of phase I," said Julie Lundstrom, co-founder, Rush River Research. "Our goal is to help families have informed conversations about their family health history and better understand the important role it plays in their overall well-being. This project shows how thoughtful design, cultural awareness, community insight and collaboration can combine with AI innovation to create medical technologies that are more effective and accessible for everyone."

Phase 2 awards are highly competitive, following a rigorous peer review process at the NIH that reflects both scientific merit and real-world potential. This award focuses on collecting and applying family health history to improve the diagnosis and treatment of disease, particularly among African Americans, who face higher mortality from heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes and other conditions strongly influenced by family history. By incorporating cultural perspectives, rigorous usability and literacy testing, and engaging community input, the project will support the more effective use of family health history in preventive care, early diagnosis, targeted screening and lifestyle changes. While the project is focused on African American communities, the approaches and insights gained will be applied to improve the value of the family health history for improving the health of all families.

Treatment collaborated with Rush River Research during the initial phase of the project. Building on Rush River Research's deep technical, research and design expertise, Treatment looks forward to jointly advancing the valuable findings of phase 1 to further leverage its proprietary global library of medicine and suite of artificial-intelligence-driven health care solutions that the GLM supports. Both organizations share a commitment to universally improving access to care and ensuring that health care providers are equipped with the most effective digital tools to support patients and improve clinical outcomes.

Dr. Kevin Peterson, founder and chief medical officer, said: "We're excited to deepen our collaboration with Rush River Research and apply our next-generation AI technologies to make a tangible difference across all communities. Conventional AI models can overlook the realities of historical, genetic and cultural differences. This important work helps bridge that gap, advancing our understanding of how health is shaped by the relationships, families and communities where people live. By combining the complementary expertise of Rush River Research and Treatment, we are creating AI systems that are more modern, more accurate and ultimately more human-centred."

About Rocket Doctor AI Inc.

Rocket Doctor delivers physician-built, AI-powered solutions designed to make high-quality health care accessible throughout the entire patient journey. A cornerstone of the company's proprietary technology is the global library of medicine, a clinically validated decision support system developed with input from hundreds of physicians worldwide.

Alongside the GLM is Rocket Doctor Inc. and its AI-powered digital health platform and marketplace. Having helped empower over 300 medical doctors and specialists to provide care to more than 700,000 patient visits, its proprietary technology software and systems enable doctors to independently launch and manage their own virtual or hybrid in-person practices -- improving efficiency, restoring autonomy to MDs and expanding patient access to care.

By reducing administrative burdens and ensuring greater consistency in care, its technology creates more time for meaningful physician-patient interactions. It is committed to reaching disenfranchised, rural and remote communities which often lack access to family doctors and supporting patients on Medicaid and Medicare in the United States. With advanced AI, large language models and connected medical devices, Rocket Doctor AI is redefining modern health care -- making it more scalable, equitable and patient-centred.

We seek Safe Harbor.