Harnessing Artificial Intelligence to Prevent Opioid-Related Deaths: Aisha Isa’s Public Health Mission

By Tosin Clegg

In the United States, where opioid overdose continues to claim tens of thousands of lives each year, Pharmacist and Public Health Scientist Aisha Isa is bringing a new perspective to one of the nation’s most urgent crises. In 2023, Isa joined a research initiative that applies artificial intelligence (AI) to predict and prevent opioid-related deaths in vulnerable communities. For her, the project is not only about technology but about saving lives amid a public health emergency.

The scale of the crisis continues to escalate. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 80,411 opioid-related deaths in 2021, and provisional figures for 2022 show the toll climbing to more than 109,000 overdose deaths, with synthetic opioids like fentanyl involved in nearly 90 percent of cases. These numbers underscore the urgent need for innovative tools to strengthen prevention and intervention.

Isa’s role focused on predictive modelling — using overdose data, prescription histories, and broader social indicators such as unemployment and housing instability to anticipate where interventions could be most effective. By weaving these elements together, the project offered a more complete picture of how inequities increase vulnerability to overdose.

“We wanted to use data not just to describe the problem but to anticipate where interventions could save lives,” Isa told This Day.
Her dual background in Pharmacy and Public Health Epidemiology gave her a unique lens through which to interpret the data. She emphasized that artificial intelligence should not replace human decision-making but should support public health professionals with timely, evidence-based insights.

One of the project’s most distinctive features was its inclusion of social determinants of health in the modelling process. Public health experts have long argued that poverty, housing insecurity, and unemployment are powerful drivers of overdose risk. By incorporating these factors, Isa and her colleagues ensured that the models reflected the realities faced by communities on the ground.

The findings were presented at professional forums and published in peer-reviewed outlets. Isa also participated in policy discussions, calling for transparency, fairness, and accountability in how predictive tools are deployed, particularly in underserved populations.

Experts observing the project noted its potential to help health agencies act earlier and distribute resources more effectively. The work has since become part of ongoing conversations among researchers, public health agencies, and community groups on how technology can responsibly address the opioid epidemic.

For Isa, the project underscored that innovation and ethics must go hand in hand. “Technology can be a powerful ally in public health,” she said, “but it must always be guided by the values of equity and human dignity.”

The implications extend beyond the United States. As drug misuse rises globally, countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America may adopt similar predictive approaches to strengthen their own responses. By combining Pharmacy, Epidemiology, and Data Science, Isa demonstrated how technology can be applied responsibly to reduce preventable deaths.

Her achievements in 2023 mark a significant step in her career — from a national advocate in Nigeria to a scientist whose work now carries international public health relevance. And for Isa, the mission remains clear: to use science in ways that protect communities, anticipate risks, and save lives before tragedy strikes.