AI in Healthcare-Bridging the Gap Between Medicine and Engineering: Experts call for interdisciplinary collaboration

New Delhi: Medical professionals, engineers, scientists and other stakeholders discussed on ways to develop AI-driven solutions that will enhance patient care, optimize clinical processes, and ultimately improve healthcare outcomes at a day-long conference organised at the iHub Anubhuti IIITD Foundation of Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology Delhi (IIIT Delhi) on September 5, 2024.

In his inaugural address, at the conference on "AI in Healthcare” Bridging the Gap Between Medicine and Engineering, Professor Abhay Karandikar, Secretary Department of Science and Technology (DST) highlighted the potential of the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS) to transform healthcare by integrating expertise from AI, clinical sciences, and basic sciences to harness India’s extensive data sets for improving the access to healthcare.

This conference was jointly organized by DST and five Technology Innovation Hubs (TiHs) established under NM-ICPS and was co-supported by AIIMS, Delhi. The main aim of the conference was to identify key healthcare challenges, foster interdisciplinary collaboration and explore practical implementation.

Highlighting the importance of interdisciplinary research under NM-ICPS, Prof. Karandikar urged participants to provide concrete recommendations that can lead to effective interventions for the benefit of the society. “We will be able to launch an interdisciplinary R&D program which will work at the intersection of engineering, basic sciences, computer scientists, and also the practicing doctors and clinicians,” he added.

Dr Ranjan Bose, Director, IIIT Delhi; Dr Ekta Kapoor, Head, FFT Division, DST; Dr Pushpendra Singh & Dr Vikram Goyal, Project Directors, iHub Anubhuti-IIITD Foundation and other domain experts attended the event.

Distinguished professionals like Dr. Sandeep Aggarwal, Chairman, Institute of Minimal Access, Bariatric, GI and Robotic Surgery, Manipal Hospitals, Dwarka, New Delhi; Dr. Sanjeev Sinha, AIIMS Delhi; Dr. Saket Choudhary, Koita Centre for Digital Health, IIT Bombay; Dr. Moushumi Suryavanshi, Head, Molecular Biology, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre, Faridabad, Haryana; Dr. Anurag Agarwal, Head, Koita Center for Digital Health, Ashoka University, Sonepat, Haryana and Dr. Bharat Aggarwal, Principal Director-Radiology, Max Hospitals, Delhi, and provided invaluable insights about the intersection of AI and healthcare and offered suggestions on how these two fields can collaborate to solve pressing medical challenges.

The event also had interactive panel discussions like “Perspective of AI in Healthcare from Medical Community” & “Perspective of AI in Healthcare from Engineering Community”, and a visit to the Medical Cobotics Center (MCC), offering attendees a comprehensive understanding of AI’s potential in healthcare.