Ep 98 AI in Healthcare: Revolutionizing Patient Care: Thomas Kluz, Matt Douglas, Alyssa Albo MD, Sunnie Southern, MS, RD, LD, & Heather Leigh Flannery

Disclaimer: the views of the participants are their own only and do not reflect the views of other participants, participants' organizations, etc.

Expert Panel Discussion Summary: AI and Healthcare

Guests' Expertise and Bios:

1. Thomas Kluz: Venture capitalist with over 20 years of experience, currently running a corporate venture fund.

2. Matthew Douglas: CEO and founder of Digitize, Microsoft AI partner, focused on ethical AI to counteract unethical uses.

3. Dr. Alyssa Abo: Physician innovator, board member, and leader in digital health and med tech.

4. Sunny Southern: Product manager leader in health and life sciences tech and AI, with experience at Sanofi, Takeda, Google, and a 3x founder.

5. Heather Leigh Flannery: CEO of AI-Minded Systems Foundation and Chair of Healthcare and Life Sciences at Applied Futures.

Key Discussion Areas and Takeaways:

1. AI's Role in Healthcare:

   • AI has the potential to revolutionize patient care by reducing mortality rates in diseases like breast cancer through early diagnosis and treatment.

   • Use cases such as computer vision in mammography have significantly improved outcomes.

2. Healthcare Complexity and Data:

   • The influx of new technologies and connected devices has increased the complexity of healthcare.

   • AI can help simplify healthcare by making sense of vast amounts of data, although this is still a work in progress.

3. Structural Issues in Healthcare:

   • Social determinants of health are critical for predicting population health outcomes.

   • Despite technological advancements, the U.S. healthcare system's structural problems need addressing to improve well-being and health equity.

4. Equitable AI Models:

   • Ensuring AI models are trained on diverse and representative data sets is crucial for equitable outcomes.

   • Responsible AI development requires robust principles and diverse voices at the table.

5. Interoperability and Data Silos:

   • Fragmented data across healthcare systems hinders the development of robust AI models.

   • Collaborative efforts and consortia are needed to share data effectively and improve AI applications.

6. Data Ownership and Patient Empowerment:

   • Patients should have control and ownership of their data, enabling better personal and clinical outcomes.

   • Educating patients about their data and providing incentives for data sharing are necessary steps forward.

7. Governance and Regulation:

   • Global governance models are needed to regulate AI and ensure security and ethical use.

   • Public-private partnerships and new forms of governance can help achieve transparency and inclusivity.

8. Economic Justification for Ethical AI:

   • Creating an economically just AI involves a new data economy where patients are compensated for their data.

   • This approach requires structural changes and alignment of incentives across stakeholders.

9. Innovation in Clinical Trials:

   • AI can improve clinical trial recruitment and execution, especially for underserved populations.

   • Decentralized clinical trials and collaborative learning models hold promise for more inclusive and effective research.

References, Websites, and Companies:

1. Consuli: A company addressing many aspects of AI in healthcare, focusing on data security and interoperability (consuli.net).

2. Verily: Known for its Health Equity Center of Excellence and innovative AI applications in healthcare (verily.com).

3. Truveta: A consortium focused on data interoperability and precision medicine (truveta.com).

4. Equinix: Provides infrastructure for healthcare data and AI applications (equinix.com).

5. Yale University: Clinical research platform contributing to AI and healthcare research (yalecancercenter.org).

6. NIH All of Us Research Program: Collecting diverse health data for research (joinallofus.org).

We look forward to continuing broadcast relevant and engaging content. Please feel free to share topics that you would like us to noodle through on our BRING A FRIEND Series….ReImagine Health Together

Suggested Topic for Next Show:

"The Future of Personalized Medicine with AI and Genomics"

• This topic will delve into how AI and genomic data are converging to create personalized treatment plans, the ethical considerations, and the potential impact on patient care. Experts can discuss the latest advancements, challenges, and success stories in the field.

This series will continue to explore groundbreaking topics, ensuring a mix of innovation, ethics, and real-world impact in healthcare.

Is there a topic you are interested or is there a speaker you would like to see?

Please reach out to michael@planetaryhealthfirstmarsnext.org

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