WCM-Q’s Inaugural Dean’s Distinguished Lecture Series Focuses on AI and Healthcare

Doha: Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q) organized the inaugural Dean's Distinguished Lecture Series event, which focused on artificial intelligence (AI) and healthcare. The lecture focused on how AI is dominating the healthcare IT landscape, how it is created and being implemented across various areas of healthcare, including imaging, and how health systems can meaningfully capture the vast quantities of clinical data that is required for research. Other key topics included the importance of ensuring guidance and regulations that govern the ethical use of AI in healthcare and the significance of investments driving the generation, implementation, and meaningful use of novel AI technologies. Dean of WCM-Q Dr. Javaid I. Sheikh, said: "It is truly a momentous time in healthcare when multiple scientific streams - computational biology, data science, artificial intelligence, and population health sciences - are converging. The landscape of healthcare is being transformed to enhance healthspans, to spawn an e ra of precision health, to get people involved in taking care of their own health, and to add life to years and years to life." Dr. Rainu Kaushal, a distinguished US-based data scientist and health services researcher, led the session. Dr. Kaushal said: "In the realm of healthcare, AI acts as a co-pilot, enriching human decision-making processes by streamlining data interpretation and handling routine tasks. AI also extends our cognitive reach beyond human limitations, processing information swiftly and comprehensively. For instance, AI-driven analysis of specific imaging modalities unveils novel insights into functional assessments, underscoring the profound potential of AI to positively transform healthcare delivery and patient outcomes." Looking to the future, Dr. Kaushal envisions a shift towards precision medicine and health that leverages AI-enabled research and innovation to optimize individual patient care and advance population health outcomes. She articulates a dynamic cycle of continuous learning a nd adaptation within the healthcare system, driven by real-time data insights and evidence-based interventions. The lecture was attended by HE the Director of the Public Health Department at the Ministry of Public Health Sheikh Dr. Mohamed bin Hamad Al-Thania and diverse audience of health professionals from across Qatar and overseas, including Qatar Foundation, Hamad Medical Corporation, Sidra Medicine, WCM, and WCM-Q. The WCM-Q Dean's Distinguished Lecture Series, which is expected to take place three times a year, will invite world-leading experts from data science, population health sciences, lifestyle medicine, and healthcare technology to showcase the cutting edge of innovation in health and highlight how new concepts can improve lives worldwide. Source: Qatar News Agency