The Ken Kennedy Institute at Rice University hosted the inaugural AI in Health Conference on November 7–9, 2022. The conference, held on Rice University’s campus in Houston, TX, brought together thought leaders from across academic, clinical, and corporate settings to explore the intersection between healthcare and artificial intelligence.
The creation of the conference was led by a driving force: the awe-inspiring potential for innovation to transform the health industry. Artificial intelligence’s ability to operate and automate tasks at heightened speed, efficiency, and accuracy has already made an impact on day-to-day hospital care and administrative functions. The conference was aimed at exploring the current state of artificial intelligence in health while showcasing a research-based outlook on the future, addressing what challenges stand in the way, and discussing how to progress research forward for the benefit of science, health, and our collective wellbeing.
The 2022 AI in Health Conference heard from bright minds across Texas and even the country, including keynote speakers Laura Barnes (Professor at the University of Virginia), Richard Gibbs (Founding Director of the Human Genome Sequencing Center at Baylor College of Medicine, and Jon Tamir (Assistant Professor at the University of Texas at Austin). Our speakers covered a wide range of topics that encouraged diversity of research and inspired cutting-edge discussions on — as an attendee put it — the “ways in which the healthcare system is implementing machine learning and artificial intelligence, and the promises and potential risks involved with relying on those models.” The conference featured four tracks allowing for niche conversations on artificial intelligence implementation and advancements in genomics, imaging, transparency and interpretation of health, and adaptive health, totaling 14 invited speaker sessions, three panels, and seven technical talks selected from abstract submissions. Topics within the four tracks included DNA sequencing, racial health equity, data augmentation, radiology, and wearable technology.
The conference brought together a crowd of over 300 leaders from healthcare, information technology, finance, energy, and government organizations. In addition to the speaker sessions, attendees also participated in our afternoon networking and poster receptions, complete with wine tasting with sommeliers from the Texas Wine School, specialty cheese and appetizer selections, and whimsical entertainment and magic from the Crescent Circus. The receptions highlighted the conference’s industry sponsors and poster presentations from postdoctoral researchers and students. Attendees were able to engage in lively conversations with the sponsors, presenters, and individuals from varied specialties to challenge and inspire each other throughout the conference, with one attendee stating it was “the place to meet for learning about how healthcare is being transformed and will be transformed by artificial intelligence.”
On the Monday prior to the Conference, Rice University’s Todd Treangen and Vicky Yao collaborated with the Ken Kennedy Institute to organize a workshop on reading, assembling, analyzing, and designing genomic data: the RAD Genomics Workshop. The workshop focused on bringing together over 100 scientists spanning multiple disciplines with interest in learning more about genomics. Discussions covered health longevity and cancer diagnostics, predictive technology, and the importance of conserving the quality and purity of DNA samples for genomics research.
The Ken Kennedy Institute at Rice University is committed to supporting groundbreaking research, educating innovators, and connecting expertise in artificial intelligence, data, and computing across industries. It was a pleasure to host this conference at the service of our regional and global artificial intelligence community — especially in Houston, TX, home to the world’s largest medical center.
The Ken Kennedy Institute looks forward to growing the AI in Health Conference in the years to come to be an annual celebration of advancements in artificial intelligence and machine learning in healthcare, as well as a space for researchers and clinicians to come together in pushing those advancements to new heights. Stay connected with the Ken Kennedy Institute on Medium, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube and join the Ken Kennedy Institute Artificial Intelligence and Data Science Community mailing list to be the first to know about the 2023 AI Health Conference and other artificial intelligence related events. You can also join the general Ken Kennedy Institute Community mailing list to stay in the know on all news and events happening from the Ken Kennedy Institute.
The full program can be viewed on the 2022 AI in Health Conference website.
Recorded presentations can be found on the Ken Kennedy Institute YouTube channel.
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