Andrew Ng - Medika Life

20 People Who are Transforming the Health Ecosystem Through Practical Paths to Apply AI – 2025 Roster

Gil Bashe, Medika Life Editor — Thu, 27 Feb 2025 04:24:08 +0000

As we approach the 2025 HIMSS Global Health Conference, we again highlight key influencers shaping the health system’s future potential by applying AI in practical, transformative ways. Between ViVE in Nashville and HIMSS in Las Vegas, the vanguard of health information management and hospital system global leadership will be visible on the main stage, and they will network in the corridors to share new ideas, writings, and policy predictions. They will look beyond the “cool” and place the operational potential of AI, ChatGPT, and LLMs under a microscope. Medika Life highlights 20 people whose ideas and voices spark conversation each year.

These 20 people are not just theorizing about the whizzbang of hot technology but rolling up their sleeves and demonstrating its value in real-world settings—to improve diagnostic care, access information that can inform treatment, address health inequities, and ensure the financial sustainability of health provider systems that operate on razor-thin margins. Their collective work offers a blueprint for leveraging AI responsibly and (hopefully) ethically, from streamlining hospital operations and enhancing clinical decision-making to revolutionizing drug discovery.

The current AI evolution presents both opportunities and challenges. Health systems face increasing demands, including rising patient expectations and staffing shortages. Implementing AI and large language models (LLMs) can address these concerns by enabling faster and more accurate treatment plans, automating administrative burdens, and personalizing patient care. However, realizing AI’s full potential requires thoughtful application, ethical considerations, and a commitment to addressing disparities.

These 20 champion AI’s practical application, guiding health systems toward innovation without losing sight of humankind’s well-being. They exemplify how AI can enhance rather than replace human expertise—an essential message as we continue to adapt to this rapidly evolving landscape. By following their work, health-sector leaders and innovators can gain invaluable insights into deploying AI for meaningful impact.

Trailblazers Redefining Health Innovation

While many thinkers will wow you with the future possibilities of these technologies, the 20 on this roster demonstrate transformative influence on the future of diagnostics, operational efficiency, and personalized care while emphasizing responsible, ethical implementation. From academia to industry, they provide vital insights and direction into leveraging AI for better health outcomes. Their work underscores AI’s ability to augment human expertise, providing a roadmap for health systems to innovate without losing sight of patient-centric care. Thanks to them and the others appearing on our Medika Life 2023 and 2024 list, we define AI as “augmented implementation” and not artificial intelligence.

How were they selected? They are public-facing, sharing their thoughts in articles, books, keynotes, classroom talks, research papers, and conferences. They willingly share their knowledge with others on their social media platforms. They spark ideas and challenge our current thinking, and these behaviors make them invaluable to the future application of information and its human health impact. Each person appears in hyperlinks so that readers can explore the depth of their contributions and, whenever possible, follow them on their social media platforms.

20 Voices of Influence Shaping AI in Health

Regina Barzilay, PhD

Dr. Barzilay, an MIT professor and MacArthur Fellow, is revolutionizing oncology and drug discovery through AI. Her pioneering work in machine learning has led to breakthroughs in early cancer detection, particularly in breast cancer screening. As co-founder and AI faculty lead of the MIT Jameel Clinic and the AI Cures initiative, she’s spearheading efforts to deploy AI models for cancer risk prediction in hospitals around the globe and accelerate drug development for infectious diseases. Dr. Barzilay’s work in oncology and drug discovery is paving the way for screening policies and new treatments.

Anthony Chang, MD, MBA, MPH, MS

Dr. Anthony Chang, a pediatric cardiologist and founder of AIMed, is a driving force in AI education for health professionals. His book Intelligence-Based Medicine has become a cornerstone text. Dr. Chang’s recent work focuses on developing AI-powered predictive models for pediatric cardiac care and implementing AI solutions to enhance hospital operational efficiency. His annual AIMed conference has become a global platform for sharing cutting-edge AI health innovation.

Karen DeSalvo, MD, MHP

Karen DeSalvo, MD, MPH

Google Chief Health Officer DeSalvo leads initiatives that leverage AI and big data to address critical public health challenges and promote health equity. Her work includes developing AI-driven tools for early disease detection in underserved communities and creating platforms that provide real-time health data analytics for policymakers. Dr. DeSalvo’s leadership in responsible AI use ensures that Google’s health technologies prioritize patient privacy and ethical considerations.

Pamela Davis, PhD

Pamela Davis, MD, PhD

Dr. Davis is a distinguished researcher at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine specializing in AI-driven diagnostics and clinical applications. After 13 years as the Dean of the School of Medicine, she returned to the faculty. Her work centers on predictive algorithms for early disease detection and improved treatment planning. But Dr. Davis is an anomaly to this roster. She has no social media handles and her many published works are not curated carefully. Yet, tracking her contributions shows her depth and national influence on the future of AI in practice. With numerous published studies on AI’s transformative role in health, Dr. Davis continues to shape the future of diagnostic pathways.

David Feinberg, MD, MBA

As Chair of Oracle Health, Feinberg champions using AI and cloud-based technologies to improve health outcomes. He focuses on predictive analytics and data-driven tools that enhance clinical decision-making and streamline hospital operations. His leadership drives innovation in health technology integration. Dr. Feinberg is widely recognized for his transformative leadership as CEO of Geisinger Health, where he pioneered initiatives in population health, precision medicine, and value-based care. His expertise in integrating technology with health-care delivery continues to drive innovation, making digital tools more accessible and impactful for providers and patients.

John Halamka, MD, MS

John Halamka, President of the Mayo Clinic Platform, is a trailblazer in AI-driven health solutions, leveraging data and technology to transform patient care. Co-author of The Digital Reconstruction of Healthcare, Halamka is a leading voice on digital transformation, interoperability, and the ethical use of AI in medicine. His work at the Mayo Clinic focuses on developing scalable digital platforms and AI models to advance diagnostics, remote monitoring, and personalized medicine. With a background spanning emergency medicine, informatics, and policy, Halamka’s insights continue to guide health systems toward a more connected, efficient, and data-driven future.

Taha Kass-Hout, MD, MS

Dr. Taha Kass-Hout, General Manager of Amazon Health AI, is a pioneer in leveraging artificial intelligence to drive advancements in healthcare delivery. With a background in clinical practice, public health, and digital innovation, he leads initiatives that harness AI for improved diagnostics, care management, and population health outcomes. Previously, as the first FDA Chief Health Informatics Officer, he championed data-driven approaches to public health. His leadership at Amazon drives scalable, data-driven health models that integrate machine learning with real-world applications, positioning him as a key influencer in the future of AI in health.

Isaac Kohane, MD, PhD

Dr. Kohane, Chair of the Department of Biomedical Informatics at Harvard Medical School and co-author of The AI Revolution in Medicine: GPT-4 and Beyond, is a leading authority on the intersection of AI and clinical care. His research focuses on using machine learning for precision medicine and improving electronic health records. Dr. Kohane has been instrumental in developing AI models that enhance diagnostic accuracy and patient outcomes. His recent work explores the potential of LLMs, such as ChatGPT, in clinical decision-making and patient engagement.

Daniel Kraft, MD

Dr. Daniel Kraft is the founder of Exponential Medicine and a visionary in personalized medicine approaches. He’s an inventor, a former F-16 flight surgeon, and always ready to champion others’ bold ideas. Dr. Kraft explores how AI can transform health delivery and disease prevention. Dr. Kraft’s recent initiatives focus on AI-powered tools for early diagnosis and patient engagement. His next chapter includes the very successful NextMed Health and the evolution of Exponential Medicine. NextMed Health 2025 will be held in San Diego on March 30 and April 2, 2025.

Tom Lawry

Tom Lawry, soon to be the author of his highly anticipated new book Health Care Nation: The Future Is Calling, and It’s Better Than You Think, may redefine the intersection of technology and patient care. Already renowned as the author of Hacking Healthcare, Lawry has built a reputation as a leading AI strategist who advises organizations on integrating cutting-edge AI solutions to boost operational efficiency. His former role at Microsoft as Director for AI for Health and Life Sciences, Director of Worldwide Health, and Director of Organizational Performance for the company’s first health incubator cements his standing as a trailblazer in health innovation. He’s almost always a keynote favorite at conferences such as HLTH and HIMSS.

Fei-Fei Li, PhD

Dr. Fei-Fei Li is a strong advocate for diversity and inclusion in AI, emphasizing ethical considerations and societal impact. She co-founded AI4ALL, a nonprofit dedicated to increasing diversity in artificial intelligence, and has played a pivotal role in shaping policies for responsible AI development. Her leadership continues to influence the global AI landscape, bridging technology with human values.

Vivian Lee, MD, PhD. MBA

Vivian Lee, MD, PhD, MBA

Dr. Lee, author of The Long Fix, is a pioneering health tech executive driving data-driven health transformation. Her recent work includes developing AI-powered platforms for value-based care models and implementing predictive analytics to reduce hospital readmissions. Dr. Lee’s initiatives as former president at Verily Life Sciences focused on leveraging AI to optimize care delivery across diverse populations.

Peter Lee, PhD

As Corporate Vice President of Microsoft Health, Dr. Peter Lee spearheads initiatives that apply AI to solve complex health-sector challenges. His recent projects include developing AI models for precision medicine and creating cloud-based solutions for health data interoperability. In his role, Dr. Lee seeks to solve complex health-sector challenges by integrating cutting-edge technology with practical healthcare applications.

John Nosta

John Nosta has earned his place as a top influence in the AI landscape—particularly in discussions surrounding ChatGPT and large language models—due to his visionary insights and ability to demystify complex technological innovations. His thought leadership bridges the gap between cutting-edge AI research and practical, real-world applications, making the transformative potential of these tools accessible to a broad audience. By articulating AI’s promise and ethical challenges, Nosta fosters a balanced dialogue that drives the industry forward. His forward-thinking perspective and engaging commentary not only illuminate the evolving impact of AI on various sectors but also inspire both startups and established companies to reimagine the future of technology. Nosta has an upcoming book that is expected to drop sometime in fall 2025.

Ziad Obermeyer, MD

Ziad Obermeyer, MD, is the Blue Cross of California Distinguished Associate Professor of Health Policy and Management at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health, researching the intersection of machine learning, medicine and health policy. His work has exposed biases in clinical algorithms and highlighted disparities in care delivery. As a co-founder of Nightingale Open Science, he promotes data transparency and collaboration to advance medical AI. His contributions are reshaping predictive analytics and decision-making in healthcare. Before his full-time career in emergency medicine, he consulted pharmaceutical and global health clients at McKinsey & Co. in New Jersey, Geneva, and Tokyo.

Neal Patel, MD, MPH

As the Chief Information Officer for Health IT at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), Dr. Patel leads the integration of advanced technologies into health delivery. With more than two decades of experience in HIT, Patel has been instrumental in computerized physician order entry systems and electronic health records to enhance clinical and quality processes. He focuses on translating VUMC goals into informatics strategies, optimizing patient care, and improving safety and services across the care continuum. Dr. Patel’s work underscores the transformative potential of AI and LLMs in the provider system.

Kyu Rhee, MD, MPP

As Senior Vice President at CVS Health, Rhee leads initiatives that leverage AI for health equity and personalized care. His recent projects include implementing AI-driven health risk assessments in underserved communities and developing machine learning models to predict medication adherence. Through his leadership, CVS has deployed AI-powered virtual care solutions expanding access to preventive services and helping to close care gaps while improving outcomes for diverse patient populations.

Nigam Shah, MBBS, PhD

Dr. Shah, a professor at Stanford University, specializes in applying AI to clinical workflows and electronic health records. His recent work includes developing AI models for real-time clinical decision support and creating algorithms to identify patients for clinical trials. He has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals on machine learning applications in healthcare and co-authored chapters in Artificial Intelligence in Medicine. Shah also leads Stanford’s Center for Biomedical Informatics Research, advancing research on AI’s role in population health and precision medicine.

Eric Topol, MD

Dr. Eric Topol is not just “a” trailblazer in digital medicine. He will likely be among those acknowledged singular voices bridging the possible with the practical. His groundbreaking work has consistently pushed the boundaries of health innovation. Dr. Topol redefined patient empowerment with his seminal book The Patient Will See You Now. He transformed the traditional healthcare model, advocating for a future where technology facilitates personalized, proactive care. As the author of Deep Medicine, he continues to champion the integration of AI in health, exploring its potential to revolutionize patient care. Dr. Topol’s visionary contributions and commitment to merging clinical expertise with cutting-edge technology have established him as a guiding voice at the intersection of care and innovation, making him a standout influencer in AI applications.

Hal Wolf, III, FHIMSS

Harold (Hal) Wolf is the president and CEO of HIMSS, a global advisor and thought leader supporting the transformation of the health ecosystem through information and technology. If health-related smart technologies such as AI, ChatGPT, GenAI, and LLMs have a central home to discuss policies and implementation, it is HIMSS. Hal shepherds the world’s health information management community. While his staff advance science and policy, championing implementation throughout the ecosystem. Wolf and HIMSS are where theory meets action. Wolf is far more than a leader of a global society of import; he is the community’s ambassador to NGOs, governments, and industry.

A powerful exchange with Tom Lawry, author of the bestseller Hacking Healthcare and an upcoming book on the nation’s health system, and Medika Life Editor-in-Chief Gil Bashe on the power of information and AI to transform health. Microsoft sponsored the conversation.

The Rise of Generative AI in Digital Health: Key Insights from Galen Growth

Beyond tracking the 20 listed in the year’s people to watch and the previous two years, following the Galen Growth executive briefing Generative AI in Digital Health – Hype or Reality? The report is a must-read for AI, ChatGPT, and LLM professionals. It reveals how nearly 4,000 digital health ventures leverage AI, with 2% focused on generative AI. Notably, 27% of these applications enhance health management, and over 330 AI-driven ventures have partnered with health systems in the past five years. This report offers critical insights into AI’s growing impact on digital health innovation.

Acknowledgments

I thank my Medika Life colleagues, including Drs. Robert Turner, Jeff Livingston, Hesham A. Hassaballa, Patricia Farrell, and Michael Hunter, whose commitment to public health information inspire. I am also grateful to the many sector professionals I engage at events such as CNS Summit, DHAI, HIMSS, HITLAB, HLTH, and ViVE—people who generously share perspectives and contribute invaluable recommendations. A shout-out to Christina Raish, our new associate editor at Medika Life, for her support in making this feature possible.

Special recognition goes to those who have appeared on past Medika Life lists and remain engaged in advancing health and well-being. Their commitment to meaningful change is commendable to individuals and the planet. These trailblazers continue to push boundaries, demonstrating an unwavering dedication to improving lives.

Since the dawn of civilization, humanity has been awed and challenged by technological progress—from the mastery of fire to artificial intelligence. Each era, from the Stone Age to the Iron Age and now the Information and Cognitive Age, has demanded careful consideration of how best to harness innovation. Today, as we navigate the era of “thinking” technologies, one truth remains unchanged: the power of human insight, courage, and empathy must guide progress.

—Gil Bashe, Editor-in-Chief, Medika.Life

Remember to Follow the Voices of Influence from our 2023 and 2024 Rosters:

Medika’s Top 20 AI Voices to Watch. Follow These Experts as They Demystify AI and Its Future

As AI and LLMs Supercharge Digital Health Possibilities – Here Are Medika’s Top 20 ’24 Influential Voices to Follow

Spot a broken link, typo, forgotten degree, or name misspelled?

Oops! Apologies! While care has been taken in compiling this list and adding social media links, things go wrong: a name is misspelled, a link is broken, or an incorrect social media handle is listed. Please do get in touch to address typos, amendments, or omissions by reaching gil.bashe@medika.life.

Thanks in advance and be healthy!

The post 20 People Who are Transforming the Health Ecosystem Through Practical Paths to Apply AI – 2025 Roster appeared first on Medika Life.

As AI and LLMs Supercharge Digital Health Possibilities – Here Are Medika’s Top 20 ’24 Influential Voices to Follow

Gil Bashe, Medika Life Editor — Wed, 31 Jul 2024 01:53:03 +0000

For many, the term “artificial intelligence” evokes concerns about job displacement or dispassionate decisions made absent human touch. However, it’s crucial to recognize that AI is not just a job eliminator but also its creator. The technology has the potential to generate new, potentially higher-paying job opportunities, making those with AI application knowledge invaluable assets in a sector driven by ideas and innovation. It also opens the possibility of ensuring racial and economic disparities are not overlooked by embedded human oversight.

Technological advances, including AI, are like fire—destructive and essential. Our mastery of fire has been vital to industrial and technological progress, from smelting iron to the steam engine to sterilizing food and medical instruments. But, unchecked, fire is a destructive, societal danger. Similarly, AI can be a force for positive change, but it requires a positive perspective and responsible use to avoid potential dangers and greater socio-economic disparities.

By tapping into AI’s potential, we can create a future where human ingenuity and machine learning work together to improve the well-being of people and the planet. For instance, AI can assist in medical diagnoses, climate change predictions, and disaster response, among other areas. But to make that possible, we will need the courage and curiosity to see AI as humanity’s partner rather than an unwelcomed competitor – to leverage its strengths to complement our own.

Language matters, so we might be better off and more equipped to apply smart technologies by thinking about AI not merely as “artificial intelligence but, at the same time, “augmented implementation.”

AI is not theoretical. It’s already transforming drug research and discovery and patient care delivery. From the research bench to the patient bedside, augmented implementation accelerates the discovery of new drugs and optimizes clinical trials, assigning the right patients to the right protocol. In hospitals, AI enhances resource allocation, accelerates clinical decision-making, personalizes patient care, automates administrative tasks such as billing and scheduling follow-up appointments, and tracks supply-chain necessities to avoid drug shortages. These implementation advancements result in better patient outcomes, reduced health costs, and a more effective care delivery system.

So, what is the problem? It seems evident that embracing these information technologies can make us smarter and faster – even fail smarter and faster. We don’t even need to know coding. Large language models (LLMs) with the proper prompts can generate code based on a natural language description of the desired functionality.

Perhaps the problem isn’t the technology; it’s humanity. While most believe that humanity will triumph over tech, people’s fears translate into “pump the breaks” reflexes. But go slow quickly also ensures guardrails are in place for its appropriate use. These transformative informational technologies are happening; now it’s a question of protecting people’s privacy and well-being, using these platforms ethically and responsibly, and keeping our eye on the prize – people’s healthy lives and the planet’s sustainable future.

20 AI/ChatGPT/LLM Champions to Follow

Once again, selecting only 20 thoughtful pathfinders for this listing was a challenge. There are thousands of people writing, speaking, and commenting about AI. It remains a hot topic and is always trendy. This list is not an exclusive roster of people speaking about or explaining AI possibilities. Those that do appear are key voices of influence at the frontlines of AI, GenAI, ChatGPT and LLMs and are boldly guiding the health sector and other related industries to adapt to these technologies ethically and practically. There is no turning back! For that reason, it is important to follow their social posts, speeches, and writings. They are consultants, physicians, policymakers, teachers and theorists. What they say and write should inform opinions and directions. Follow them and get smarter faster or fail slowly.

On this list, you will notice several differences from our last roster. First, we begin with including an LLM model we have been tracking and recommend following closely. Dave AI was the topic of a previous Medika Life article and is a role model for those interested in the potential of LLM technology to augment the patient-care team’s abilities and desire to help and heal. Dave AI offers patients WAZE-AI-like information support.

We have also included an organizational policy leader to close the list—Hal Wolf, President and CEO of HIMSS. We have interviewed Hal before, and his global community, nearing 40,000 members, comprises health leaders and government representatives who are setting the parameters for how these smart technologies can be used wisely.

Acknowledgments

Special appreciation to Medika Life colleagues such as Drs. Robert Turner, Patricia Farrell, and Michael Hunter, who inspire and the many others from numerous circles I meet at meetings CNS Summit, DHAI, HIMSS, HITLAB, HLTH, and ViVE and who share their thoughts and contribute recommendations. Many who appeared on the initial list of global voices keep in touch and share news of sector colleagues who are in the thick of the conversation. Special acknowledgment to people who appeared on previous Medika Life lists and continue along the path to improve the well-being of people and the planet. These exemplary people are dedicated to improving people’s health and we applaud their efforts to make a difference.

Since the dawn of time, people have been in awe and fear about advances made in times marked by technologies—from fire to AI: the Stone Age, Iron Age, and now, today’s Information and Sustainability Age. Humanity must decide how best to deploy these transformative “thinking” technologies. The emphasis on objective and expansive (courageous) “thinking”—the human touch—remains constant.

Gil Bashe, Editor–in-Chief, Medika.Life

AI and ChatGPT Global Voices of Influence

Image created by Dalle 3.

Here is our Medika Life roster of 20 people to follow in alphabetical order—all-important voices to track and learn from in the coming years. We have included links to the social media platforms and bios wherever available.

Follow these Voices of Influence—they are accessible leaders who write and speak on the future of how AI, ChatGPT, GenAI, and LLMs will be essential to health system transformation and the future of care delivery.

Dave AI – Cancer Mentor

Dave AI

Dave is the world’s first LLM conversational AI oncology mentor for cancer patients, bringing a new level of support for cancer patients and their families and trained on billions of unique data points and anonymized real-world patient journey information accumulated during eight years on the Belong Life platform. Learn how LLMs make a difference for patients and the care team, “Meet Dave” and see the practical possibilities and potential of LLMs.

Anima Anandkumar

Anima Anandkumar, PhD

Anima Anandkumar is a Bren Professor at Caltech. Her work developing novel artificial intelligence algorithms enables and accelerates scientific applications of AI, including scientific simulations, weather forecasting, autonomous drone flights, and drug design. Anandkumar is a fellow of the ACM, IEEE, Schmidt Science, Guggenheim and Alfred. P. Sloan Foundations.

Anima Anandkumar, PhD

Brian Anderson, MD

Dr. Brian Anderson is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of the Coalition for Health AI (CHAI). He leads a national coalition developing technical standards and best practices for MLOps, including governance, testing, evaluation, and monitoring in Health AI Assurance Labs. Dr. Anderson led the Informatics and Network Medicine Division at Athenahealth, where he launched a new approach to clinical decision support leveraging machine learning models.

Pascal Bornet

Pascal Bornet is an award-winning expert, author, keynote speaker, influencer, and thought leader in artificial intelligence. He has received multiple technology and artificial intelligence awards. Various research and consultancy firms rank him as one of the top 10 global experts in AI and Automation, and he was awarded Global Top Voice in Tech in 2019. He is the author of the best-seller and first reference book on Intelligent Automation.

Lex Fridman, PhD

Lex Fridman, PhD, is a Russian-American computer scientist, podcaster, and artificial intelligence research scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on computer vision and autonomous vehicle systems, among other areas of specialty. Fridman also hosts the “Lex Fridman Podcast,” a popular podcast and YouTube series.

Mo Gawdat, MBA

Mohammad “Mo” Gawdat is an Egyptian entrepreneur and writer. He is the former chief business officer for Google X and the author of the bestselling business books covering life and technology: Solve for Happy and Scary Smart – The Future of Artificial Intelligence and How You Can Save Our World. His premise is critical – “Humans design the algorithms that define the way that AI works, and the processed information reflects an imperfect world.”

Aneesh Chopra, MPP

Aneesh Chopra is the Chief Strategy Officer of Arcadia, a health data platform that acquired CareJourney, the company he co-founded in 2014. Aneesh served as the first United States White House Chief Technology Officer during the Obama Administration and authored “Innovative State: How New Technologies Can Transform Government.‘ When it comes to policy and smart tech applications, he’s at the forefront of the conversation.

Eric Horvitz, MD

Microsoft’s Chief Scientific Officer and an early AI champion for health and medicine going back many years, Dr. Eric Horvitz is among the founders and funders of Stanford’s 100-year longitudinal study of the impact of AI on Society. Dr. Horvitz is known for his contributions to AI theory and practice, with a focus on principles and applications of AI amidst the complexities of the open world.

Andrej Karpathy, PhD

Andrej Karpathy was the senior director of AI at Tesla, where he led its computer vision team in the development of the Tesla Autopilot. He championed its neural network training, the science of “making it work, ” and deployment. His PhD focused on convolutional/recurrent neural networks and their applications in computer vision, natural language processing, and their intersection – his adviser was Fei-Fei Li at the Stanford Vision Lab, who also makes this list of 20 people to follow. He also did a stint at OpenAI.

Tom Lawry

Tom Lawry is a leading AI transformation advisor to health and medical leaders globally, a top keynote speaker, and best-selling author of Hacking Healthcare – How AI and the Intelligent Health Revolution Will Reboot an Ailing System. Now the managing director of Second Century Tech, he is a former Microsoft leader who served as National Director for AI for Health and Life Sciences, Director of Worldwide Health, and Director of Organizational Performance for the company’s first health incubator. Prior to Microsoft, he was Senior Director at GE Healthcare, the founder of two venture-backed healthcare software companies, and a health-system executive.

Fei-Fei Li, PhD

Dr. Fei-Fei Li is the inaugural Sequoia Professor in the Computer Science Department at Stanford University and Co-Director of Stanford’s Human-Centered AI Institute. She was the Director of Stanford’s AI Lab from 2013 to 2018 and mentored others appearing on this Medika Life Top 20 list of AI voices to follow.

Berci Mesko, MD, PhD

Bertalan Meskó, PhD, is known as “The Medical Futurist” and the Director of The Medical Futurist Institute. He analyzes how science fiction technologies can become a reality in medicine and healthcare. Dr. Mesko’s writings are must-reads—he provides incredible practical knowledge on how AI will transform the health sector. He holds a PhD in genomics and is an Amazon Top 100 author. His book, “The Future of Medicine,” outlines his journey as a medical futurist.

Allie K. Miller

Allie K. Miller was the Global Head of Machine Learning Business Development for Startups and Venture Capital at Amazon (AWS), advising the world’s top machine learning researchers, founders, and investors. She was the youngest-ever woman to build an artificial intelligence product at IBM, spearheading product development across computer vision, conversation, data, and regulation for thousands of companies. Allie continues to explore how this technology will impact workflow.

Andrew Ng, PhD

Dr. Andrew Ng is a globally recognized leader in AI. He is the Founder of DeepLearning.AI, the Founder and CEO of Landing AI, the General Partner at AI Fund, the Chairman and Co-Founder of Coursera, and an Adjunct Professor at Stanford University’s Computer Science Department.

John Nosta

John Nosta is a cutting-edge thinker and speaker in the world of technology, science, medicine, and innovation. He is globally recognized among the foremost voices constantly pushing the envelope on how AI and ChatGPT will transform health settings and workflow. Nosta is a nonstop power thinker (and contrarian) and has more than 500 articles published on innovation topics. His writings on Psychology Today chronicle “The Cognitive Age.” John is someone who challenges the status quo. As a creative thinker; he’s also been the spark behind several multi-billion health products improving and saving lives.

Tam C. Nguyen

Tam Nguyen holds multiple appointments, including Associate Professor at Melbourne Medical School and Deputy Director of Research at St. Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne. He has more than 20 years of experience in clinical trials, health and medical research, and research management, including tertiary teaching hospitals, medical research institutes, and universities across Australia. He is applying smart technologies to learn and engage faster. He is the co-editor of the recent book Artificial Intelligence in Medicine (Springer).

Ziad Obermeyer, MD

Ziad Obermeyer, MD, is the Blue Cross of California Distinguished Associate Professor of Health Policy and Management at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health, researching the intersection of machine learning, medicine and health policy. Before his full-time career in emergency medicine, he consulted pharmaceutical and global health clients at McKinsey & Co. in New Jersey, Geneva, and Tokyo.

Brian Roemmele

Brian Roemmele is an author, scientist, researcher, analyst, connector, thinker, and doer. Brian became an early adopter of AI and neural networks and pioneered Prompt Engineering technologies and techniques to understand and extract information from AI platforms. He’s also a bit of a pop icon, and his works range from smart tech to how to apply Pokémon for customer acquisition.

Stela Solar

Stela Solar is the Inaugural Director of Australia’s National AI Centre, hosted by CSIRO. The Centre’s mission is to accelerate positive AI adoption and innovation that benefits businesses and the community. Currently, Stela also serves as Co-chair of the Commonwealth AI Consortium.

Hal Wolf, III

Harold (Hal) Wolf III

Harold (Hal) Wolf is the president and CEO of HIMSS, a global advisor and thought leader supporting the transformation of the health ecosystem through information and technology. If health-related smart technologies such as AI, ChatGPT, GenAI, and LLMs have a central home to discuss policies and implementation, it is HIMSS. Hal shepherds the world’s health information expert community, and his staff advances the science and policy championing implementation throughout the health ecosystem. Wolf and HIMSS are where theory meets action.

AI and LLMs are infusing digital health with new relevance and practical value for drug development researchers and hospital systems. Galen Growth hosted this conversation with industry leaders John Nosta, Gaye Bok, Sara (Hupp) Schmachtenberg, Ph.D., and Lawrence Wurtz.

Spot a broken link, typo, forgotten degree, or name misspelled?

Thanks in advance and be healthy!

The post As AI and LLMs Supercharge Digital Health Possibilities – Here Are Medika’s Top 20 ’24 Influential Voices to Follow appeared first on Medika Life.

Medika’s Top 20 AI Voices to Watch. Follow These Experts as They Demystify AI and Its Future

Gil Bashe, Medika Life Editor — Thu, 17 Aug 2023 14:00:00 +0000

Is “AI” threatening and misunderstood? Absolutely! The term alone – “artificial intelligence” – is a worrisome misrepresentation of an idea that people will become secondary to machines that are able to process vast amounts of data accurately and in a blink. What happens if we realize that artificial intelligence will not transform people’s health or the system – rather it’s the human desire to question, collaborate and generate shared – composite – wisdom that is core to innovation and improved care. We can call upon (human) experience and intelligence to “augment” what we know and apply!

“Culture crushes innovation.” Here, we must not point the finger of blame for the dysfunctional health ecosystem at physicians, nurses and allied health professionals on the hospital floor. Healers want to heal as much as those who need their help seek answers and solutions. The shared problem is not how to utilize this “hot” evolving technology but are we prepared to make the investment in time and training! Time to input (usable) data into EMRs and learning technologies that can sort and “scrape” through and highlight information to accelerate clinical decision-making.

Using AI to Reject Patient Claims and Care

One part of the challenge is understanding how to cognitively maximize and explore vast amounts of information is another. The other is to come to agreement in how AI can and cannot be used ethically and responsibility. As we saw recently, a nascent AI system must not be used by major health insurance companies to deny patients coverage for medicines and procedures.

While the “system” is resistant to significant change and science has become politicized and misunderstood, we must rally to the dual-goal of saving lives and reducing costs. Can information technologies and “intelligent health systems” do what people in power have not achieved? Are we able to educate consumers about being partners in data security? Can information bring people – professionals and consumers – together and transform this country’s post-WWII build health system? Yes!

Cardiologist Eric Topol, MD, reflects on the tension between patient care and AI in a Time Magazine interview about his bestselling book Deep Medicine:

“AI will always need human backup. A machine could handle certain things autonomously–diagnosing a skin rash, for example. Doctors shouldn’t be dealing with things that machines will do better than them. But serious conditions, like getting a cancer diagnosis, are what doctors should be working on. I think once patients understand that there are things they don’t need doctors to do, they would love it–once they get used to it.”

Many health professionals (and patients) are understandably wary! In one Medscape interview a physician shared this experience:

“We’ve played around with it. It was very early on in AI and we noticed it gave us incorrect information with regards to clinical guidance,” said Monalisa Tailor, MD, an internal medicine physician at Norton Health Care in Louisville, Kentucky. “We decided not to pursue it further,” she said.

Don’t close the door on an evolving technology! Care professionals work within a system that hinges on economics – how the institution is paid and how it must cover costs. What is to be done if the system cannot support the health professional’s efforts or make the best use of their training, abilities, energy and dedication? What will happen as more and more health professionals ghost the provider system that they feel no longer addresses their emotional and economic needs? These are questions that must be addressed sooner than we think! AI is inescapable. It’s an evolutionary process that will improve – improve health professionals and care output – over time.

Perhaps the biggest question is whether we can wait to resolve all these questions while health costs soar and people risk dying from treatable illnesses. We should already know that answer! If you’re living in the question, that’s great. One way to resolve your angst and uncertainty is to follow people – some pioneers and others pundits – who are also asking those questions, doing the necessary research and exploring sensible possibilities.

20 AI/ChatGPT Champions to Follow

It was a challenge to select only 20 influentials for this listing. There countless people writing, speaking and commenting about AI and ChatGPT. It’s a hot topic and “trendy.” This list is not about “trends” and it isn’t an exclusive roster of people. However, these people are key voices of influence at the frontlines of AI and ChatGPT and are boldly considering how the health sector will need to support and adapt to these technologies ethically. It is important to follow their social posts, speeches and writings. They are theorists, physicians and teachers. What they say and where they say it can inform your opinion and direction. Follow them and get smarter faster!

Acknowledgements

As always, thanks to my friend and Medika Life Founding Editor-in-Chief Dr. Robert Turner, and Cullen Burnell for their encouragement and suggestions, and to Carolyn Neugarten, Medika Life Editorial Assistant for her efforts in making this feature possible, and Tyler Mayers, whose expertise sharing content across social platforms makes important information widely accessible. Special appreciation to colleagues from numerous professional circles who shared their thoughts and contributed recommendations. Special acknowledgement to people who appeared on previous Medika Life Lists and continue on the path to improve the wellbeing of people and planet. These exemplary people are dedicated to improving people’s health and know their efforts will make a difference.

AI and ChatGPT are frightening to some and mysteries to others. Humanity must decide how to best deploy these evolving and “thinking” technologies. What to do next is a mindful choice in the hands of people, and must be for the sake of people.

Gil Bashe, Editor–in-Chief, Medika.Life

AI and ChatGPT Global Voices of Influence

Here is our Medika Life roster of 20 people to follow in alphabetical order; all-important voices – to track and learn from in the coming years We have included wherever available links to the social media platforms and bios.

Follow these Voices and Leaders of Influence – They are writing the future of how AI and ChatGPT will be essential to health care delivery.

Ran Balicer, MD

Ran D. Balicer, MD

Dr. Ran D. Balicer, a public health physician, executive and researcher, serves as Chief Innovation Officer & Deputy-DG at Clalit – Israel’s largest health insurance organization, and is Founding Director of the Clalit Research Institute.

Regina Barzilay, MD

Dr. Regina Barzilay is a School of Engineering Distinguished Professor for AI and Health in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and a member of the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Kirk Borne, PhD

Dr. Kirk Borne is a Data Scientist, providing thought leadership, global speaking, content creation, mentoring, training, and consulting activities in data science, machine learning, and AI across multiple disciplines.

Atul Butte, MD

Atul Butte, MD, PhD

Atul Butte, MD, PhD is the Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg Distinguished Professor and inaugural Director of the Bakar Computational Health Sciences Institute (bchsi.ucsf.edu) at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).

Lex Fridman, PhD

Lex Fridman, PhD, is a Russian-American computer scientist, podcaster, and artificial intelligence researcher. He is a research scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and hosts the popular Lex Fridman Podcast, a podcast and YouTube series.

Mo Gawdat

Mo Gawdat, MBA

Mohammad “Mo” Gawdat is an Egyptian entrepreneur and writer. He is the former chief business officer for Google X and author of the bestselling business books Solve for Happy and Scary Smart – The Future of Artificial Intelligence and How You Can Save Our World.

John Halamka, MD, MS

John D. Halamka, M.D., M.S., president of the Mayo Clinic Platform, was trained in emergency medicine and medical informatics, Dr. Halamka has been developing and implementing healthcare information strategy and policy for more than 25 years.

Eric Horvitz, MD

Daniel Kraft, MD

Daniel Kraft, MD, is a Stanford and Harvard-trained physician-scientist, inventor, entrepreneur, and innovator and is serving as the Chair of the XPRIZE Pandemic & Health Alliance. With more than 25 years of experience in clinical practice, biomedical research and health innovation.

Tom Lawry

A leading AI transformation advisor to health and medical leaders around the world. Lawry is the best-selling author of Hacking Healthcare – How AI and the Intelligent Health Revolution Will Reboot an Ailing System, former Microsoft National Director of AI and now the managing director of Second Century Tech LLC, and partner in Aspire Health Innovations.

Fei-Fei Li, PhD

Dr. Fei-Fei Li is the inaugural Sequoia Professor in the Computer Science Department at Stanford University, and Co-Director of Stanford’s Human-Centered AI Institute. She served as the Director of Stanford’s AI Lab from 2013 to 2018.

Berci Mesko, PhD

Berci Mesko, MD, PhD

Bertalan Meskó, PhD is known as “The Medical Futurist” and the Director of The Medical Futurist Institute analyzing how science fiction technologies can become a reality in medicine and healthcare. He holds a PhD in genomics and is an Amazon Top 100 author.

Mira Murati

Mira Murati is the Chief Technology Officer at OpenAI, and one of the most influential innovators in technology and AI. She oversees efforts to commercialize OpenAI products and improve them through human feedback. She serves on the leadership teams that developed the OpenAI ChatGPT and Dall-E systems.

Andrew Ng, PhD

Dr. Andrew Ng is a globally recognized leader in AI. He is Founder of DeepLearning.AI, Founder & CEO of Landing AI, General Partner at AI Fund, Chairman and Co-Founder of Coursera and an Adjunct Professor at Stanford University’s Computer Science Department.

John Nosta

John Nosta is a cutting-edge thinker in the world of technology, science, medicine and innovation. He is a globally recognized among the foremost voices constantly pushing the envelope on how AI and ChatGPT will transform health settings and work flow. Nosta is non-stop power thinker (and contrarian) and has more than 500 articles published on innovation topics.

Tam C. Nyugen

Tam C. Nguyen

Associate Professor Tam Nguyen has more than 20 years of working in clinical trials, health and medical research and research management sector including tertiary teaching hospitals, medical research institutes and universities across Australia. He is the co-editor of the recent book: AI in Medicine (Springer).

Ziad Obermeyer, MD

Ziad Obermeyer, MD, is the Blue Cross of California Distinguished Associate Professor of Health Policy and Management. He is a physician and researcher who works at the intersection of machine learning and health.

Brian Roemmele

Brian Roemmele is a scientist, researcher, analyst, connector, thinker and doer. Brian became an early adopter of AI and neural networks and pioneered Prompt Engineering technologies and techniques to understand and extract information from AI platforms.

Mihaela van der Schaar, MD

Mihaela van der Schaar, MD, is the John Humphrey Plummer Professor of Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence and Medicine at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow at The Alan Turing Institute in London. In addition to leading the van der Schaar Lab, Mihaela is founder and director of the Cambridge Centre for AI in Medicine (CCAIM).

Eric Topol, MD

Eric Topol, MD, is the founder and director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute; Executive Vice President, Scripps Research; Professor, Molecular Medicine, Scripps Research; and the Gary and Mary West Endowed Chair of Innovative Medicine, Scripps Research. In many ways, Dr. Topol was he kindled that started the AI transformation with his more than 1,300 publications and bestselling books.

Dr, Topol appears last – alphabetically – on this Top 20 Voices in AI and ChatGPT to follow. His ideas and prodding the system, perhaps place him first!

Spot a broken link, typo, forgotten degree or name misspelled?

L-R – Tom Lawry, Daniel Kraft and Atul Butte at Stanford unite to share ideas and champion AI and ChatGPT – innovation is always a “team sport.”

Oops! Apologies! While care has been taken in compiling this list and adding social media links, things go wrong or a name is misspelled or a link broken. Please do get in touch to address typos, amendments, or omissions by reaching gil.bashe@medika.life.

Thanks in advance and be healthy!

The post Medika’s Top 20 AI Voices to Watch. Follow These Experts as They Demystify AI and Its Future appeared first on Medika Life.