James L. David

James L. David, MS, is Senior Project Director at Columbia University’s Social Intervention Group and Senior Project Director of the AI for Social Good (AISG) Initiative at the Columbia School of Social Work, where he leads large-scale, community-engaged research and implementation efforts focused on substance use, health equity, and the ethical use of artificial intelligence in public health. He previously served in a senior leadership role for the NIH-funded HEALing Communities Study (HCS), a multi-state, $86 million initiative testing county-level strategies to reduce opioid overdose deaths through coordinated implementation of evidence-based practices .

Mr. David’s work bridges implementation science, coalition-based community engagement, and AI-enabled analytic methods, including the development of the PRISM-Capabilities framework for responsible AI use in community-engaged research . He has co-authored numerous peer-reviewed publications in journals including JAMA Network Open, The New England Journal of Medicine, American Journal of Public Health, Journal of Addiction Medicine, and International Journal of Drug Policy, addressing opioid use disorder, stigma, overdose prevention, and health systems implementation .

Across his academic and professional career, Mr. David has led statewide and county-level partnerships with health departments, community-based organizations, criminal legal systems, and health care providers to translate evidence into practice, build implementation capacity, and center community voices in research design and delivery. He holds an MS from Columbia University and a BA from James Madison University .