How can AI be integrated into healthcare in a way that is both effective and responsible? And what does this require from healthcare leaders?
Last week, board members from all seven Dutch university medical centres came together in Groningen for a two-day masterclass on AI in healthcare. exquAIro developed and delivered the programme, giving participants the opportunity to explore the potential of AI, discuss the opportunities and challenges it brings, and gain hands-on experience with AI technology.
The masterclass reflects exquAIro’s broader mission: to equip medical professionals and researchers with the knowledge and skills they need to understand and responsibly apply AI. Building this expertise among those who shape the future of healthcare is an important step towards the meaningful and responsible adoption of AI.
Read the full article, published by UMCNL below to learn more about the masterclass and the joint ambition of the seven university medical centres to accelerate the responsible use of AI in healthcare.
UMCs join forces to accelerate the responsible use of AI for better healthcare
For the seven university medical centres (UMCs) in the Netherlands, the rapid and responsible scaling of AI is a high priority. This means combining knowledge and capacity and avoiding fragmentation of initiatives. Driven by this ambition, board members from all seven UMCs came together last week to join forces and discuss a joint AI strategy.
“AI is a board-level responsibility. You cannot steer a black box. So governing AI starts with understanding it yourself. On Friday and Saturday, we put that into practice: ten board members from all seven UMCs spent two days working hands-on with AI.”
Stephanie Klein Nagelvoort, Vice-Chair of the UMCG Board of Directors
AI offers significant opportunities for healthcare. The technology can help detect serious and rare diseases earlier, tailor treatments more closely to individual patients and accelerate research into medical breakthroughs. To make the most of these opportunities, the UMCs are jointly investing in knowledge development, talent and collaboration.
This is not just about the technology itself, but also about the knowledge, trust, infrastructure, and quality and safety required to apply AI at scale. The UMCs see AI as a means of supporting healthcare professionals and keeping healthcare accessible, affordable and future-proof.
Developing and scaling
During the two-day programme, the board members explored the possibilities and prerequisites for AI in healthcare. Developing and scaling knowledge was central to the programme. A range of applications were discussed, including identifying diseases from medical scans, detecting rare conditions and developing personalised treatments.
The UMCs have agreed to jointly invest in talent development, knowledge sharing, the implementation of proven AI applications, and the conditions required for the safe and responsible use of AI in healthcare. By bringing together knowledge, data and expertise, they can develop and validate more powerful and reliable AI models. In doing so, the UMCs aim to contribute to better care for patients while strengthening the Netherlands’ international position in medical AI.
Joint commitment from the UMCs
The two-day masterclass builds on several years of joint commitment by the UMCs to advancing AI. In recent years, the UMCs have developed knowledge, expertise and partnerships in this field. With this leadership session, they are taking the next step towards further scaling and joint implementation.
The masterclass was organised by exquAIro Foundation, a non-profit organisation that trains clinical scientists, biomedical researchers and pharmacologists from Dutch UMCs in AI and develops programmes that contribute to medical breakthroughs.
Source: umcnl.nl