7/6/2026 Megan Altmyer
University of Illinois computer engineering student Aman Saji was named a 2026 Community-Academic Scholar to advance AI-powered public health accreditation research using large language models.
Written by Megan Altmyer
University of Illinois computer engineering major Aman Saji is energized by research that addresses real-world challenges and makes an impact.
Saji has been selected as a member of the 2026 Community-Academic Scholars (CAS) cohort, a summer undergraduate research program administered by the Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute (IHSI). Through the program, he is collaborating with campus and community partners to explore how large language models (LLMs) can streamline the development of evidence-based accreditation documents for the public health sector.
In the project, Evidence to Accreditation: Using LLMs for Automated, Evidence-Grounded Drafting, Saji will work alongside fellow scholar Manh Nguyen and Discovery Partners Institute Senior Research Associate Anuj Tiwari to develop and evaluate an artificial intelligence-supported prototype with the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District.
The project investigates how artificial intelligence can assist organizations in drafting accreditation materials by consuming large collections of supporting evidence, parsing out relevant excerpts, and producing well-documented draft reports. Findings from the project will help determine how LLMs can be thoughtfully incorporated into public health administration, reducing the burden of time-intensive documentation processes while also ensuring the reports remain grounded in verifiable evidence. The work could ultimately serve as a model for AI use-cases in operational efficiency and reliability.
For Saji, the opportunity demonstrates how computer engineering skills can be applied beyond traditional computing applications.
“I hope to genuinely help the people at CUPHD with their needs. I want the team to look at what we’re building every single day as a reliable source they can count on to help with their accreditation process, which I know can be strenuous,” Saji shared. “At the end of the day, I want to deliver a product they would genuinely love using in their line of work.”
Saji is one of 19 undergraduate students selected for the 2026 Community-Academic Scholars cohort. During the 10-week experience, Community-Academic Scholars contribute to research projects developed in collaboration with a community partner. The projects are designed to benefit the community members served by the partner organization and simultaneously advance Illinois research on an array of critical issues, a nod to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign land-grant mission of enhancing the lives of the people in Illinois, across the nation, and around the world.
The program concludes with students showcasing their work during a public poster session from 10 to 11:30 a.m. on August 6 at the I-Hotel.