Niranjan Karnik

Dr. Niranjan Karnik (Photo: Jenny Fontaine/UIC)

Dr. Niranjan Karnik is a physician-scientist and sociologist whose career spans nearly three decades at the intersection of adolescent mental health, clinical innovation and translational research. As a board-certified child, adolescent and adult psychiatrist, he has worked extensively with youth and families facing complex challenges — including children in refugee camps, foster care and juvenile justice systems, as well as young people experiencing homelessness in urban centers like Chicago and San Francisco. His research spans a range of topics, including substance use prevention, mental health service delivery and shifts in emergency care utilization among youth during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Karnik is also a nationally recognized leader in the application of artificial intelligence and machine learning to healthcare. His current research focuses on harnessing predictive analytics to support clinical decision-making and improve outcomes in mental health and primary care. He serves as the founding director of the AI.Health4All Center in the College of Medicine, where he leads a multidisciplinary team developing next-generation digital tools for use in real-world healthcare settings.