Feb. 8, 2023 — This April, the UF College of Medicine will host its inaugural AI4Health: Improving Health through Artificial Intelligence conference, designed to explore how AI-enabled discoveries will change clinical practice and improve patients’ health. The conference, which will provide continuing medical education, or CME, credit to qualifying attendees, will showcase the exceptional AI expertise at UF and attract clinicians from across the state and nation to discuss the application of AI research advances in the realm of patient care.

Held in Orlando at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort from April 20-22, the event will highlight some of the most accomplished researchers in AI and health. Over the course of three days, the conference will feature more than two dozen speakers, including several national AI experts from the National Institutes of Health Common Fund’s Bridge2AI CHoRUS project (Patient-Focused Collaborative Hospital Repository Uniting Standards for Equitable AI), and Shinjini Kundu, M.D., Ph.D., a radiologist and AI researcher at Johns Hopkins Medicine, who will deliver the keynote address. Presentations will cover a wide range of topics pertinent to the application of big data and new technologies, such as AI and the future of medicine, using AI improve to health outcomes and emerging ethical and legal frontiers.

“Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing the way we approach health care and we’re excited to bring experts in the field together with practicing clinicians at what we hope will become the nation’s foremost conference on health and AI,” said Azra Bihorac, M.D., M.S., the senior associate dean for research affairs and co-director of the Intelligent Critical Care Center at the UF College of Medicine. “This conference will be a unique opportunity for health care providers to learn about the latest advancements in AI and how they can be applied to improve patient outcomes.”

The AI4Health conference was born out of recognition that there is a nationwide need for increased dialogue and fluency with how research and clinical discoveries in AI impact a variety of health professions. While most physicians and providers have a general understanding of AI, there is often limited knowledge about the newest technologies and their potential to change the way providers will care for patients in the future.

Recognizing this gap, the College of Medicine Office of Research is creating the Biomedical AI Passport Program. This program will include training and skill development opportunities for individuals, from medical students to faculty. One piece of this new program is the AI4Health conference.

AI4Health was developed by a College of Medicine organizing committee charged with spearheading the creation of a new conference, planning out its scope and purpose, as well as identifying key speakers and managing logistics. The underlying goal was to bring together clinicians and researchers to create the nation’s preeminent AI in medicine annual gathering, while highlighting how UF is at the forefront of this work in terms of patient care and research.

“We saw an opportunity to bring together the top experts in artificial intelligence at UF and showcase that expertise to the public to truly explore what is cutting edge,” said Eric Rosenberg, M.D., the associate dean for continuing medical education and chief of the division of general internal medicine at the UF College of Medicine. “AI is intended to help us take better care of patients and improve the quality of care that health care professionals can provide, and this conference will allow for a robust discussion on this topic with an audience that includes clinicians.”

At Disney’s luxurious Yacht Club Resort, conference goers will enjoy the chance to have in-depth, personalized conversations in a relaxed and comfortable environment. The gathering was designed to be especially accessible for those who do not live and breathe AI daily, and its focus on health care application will generate an insightful two-way dialogue between researchers and clinicians. Outside of the formal lectures and panels, there will be ample opportunity for informal discussions and questions from attendees.

“The conference is truly the first of its kind for UF,” said Patrick Tighe, M.D., M.S., the associate dean for AI application and innovation at the College of Medicine. “AI is already here and impacting our clinical practice, so this conference is a great opportunity to learn more, and to do so in a laid-back setting. There will be a lot of opportunities to chat with the speakers and folks from across the health care field to ask questions and share perspectives about how patients and physicians encounter AI.”

The College of Medicine, in collaboration with the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering and the Intelligent Critical Care Center, will also host an AI for Clinical Care Workshop April 19 at the UF Research and Academic Center at Lake Nona campus. This pre-conference event will provide skills and professional development in AI for a diverse group of trainees, physicians and early-stage investigators in medicine.

Through a highly interdisciplinary and integrated approach, the fundamental goal of the workshop will be to support research skill development and training in medical AI for the health care workforce, from predoctoral to faculty-level practitioners. There will be two tracks available: the beginner track, known as the “AI Boot Camp,” and the advanced track, called “Train the Trainer.”

“We’re thrilled to offer this opportunity for health care professionals to enhance their skills and knowledge in AI for clinical care,” Bihorac said. “This workshop is a critical step toward improving the integration of AI in health care and ensuring our clinical research workforce is prepared for the future of medicine.”

Together, the AI4Health conference and AI for Clinical Care workshop demonstrate the growing stature of the UF College of Medicine as an industry leader in the research and application of AI in medicine.

Physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses and pharmacists attending the AI4Health conference can earn CME credit. The UF College of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians, and this live activity is designated for a maximum of 11.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™.

“I am fond of saying that professions that practice together and train together should continue this lifelong journey of education together,” Rosenberg said. “We hope health care teams from UF and across the state take advantage of this chance to gain CME credit, because the shared learning that will occur at the conference will be invaluable.”