AI approach to strengthening therapy for overweight African American teens and families
Official title: Establishing an Artificially Intelligent Framework for Improving Therapeutic Alliance with Obese African American Youth and Caregivers through Multimodal Monitoring of Empathetic Accuracy and Interper
Funded at University of Texas Hlth Sci Ctr Houston · NIH-11394032 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A study uses artificial intelligence to help therapists build stronger, more trusting relationships with African American teenagers who are managing obesity and their caregivers.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Texas Hlth Sci Ctr Houston NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Houston, United States) |
| Project start | September 26, 2022 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $504,172 |
| NIH project number | 5R01MD018216-06 |
| Project ID | NIH-11394032 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are African American adolescents with obesity and their primary caregivers who participate in the FIT Families program.
✕Less likely to help
Less likely to benefit are those not engaged in the FIT Families program or not receiving therapy from community health workers.
What this research studies
This project aims to enhance a family-based behavioral program for African American adolescents with obesity by analyzing how therapist empathy and the therapeutic alliance influence treatment progress. It will use advanced ML methods to study in-session therapist–client interactions, focusing on how empathy affects engagement and outcomes. The effort centers on community health workers delivering the FIT Families intervention and seeks to translate insights into improved, culturally responsive care for AA youth and their families.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, it could make obesity interventions more effective for African American teens by strengthening the therapeutic relationship and tailoring support.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work suggests therapist empathy and alliance influence treatment processes; this project builds on ML-based analyses of therapy interactions with a specific population.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Texas Hlth Sci Ctr Houston
Houston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Cunningham, Phillippe Belton — University of Texas Hlth Sci Ctr Houston
- Study coordinator: Cunningham, Phillippe Belton
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.