The Drexel Society of Artificial Intelligence (or Drexel AI) is hosting Drexel University's first-ever AI in medicine conference on May 28 (in person at the Papadakis Integrated Sciences Building) and 29 (virtual). The 2022 Drexel AI Symposium will feature several notable speakers and panelists from Drexel and the University of Pennsylvania and will focus on the topic of "Translations of AI in Bioinformatics, Medicine and Imaging."
The College of Computing & Informatics (CCI) recently spoke with CCI first-year computer science student and Drexel AI's vice president, Satvik Tripathi, to learn more about the student organization and their exciting upcoming event:
CCI: What is the goal of the Drexel AI Symposium?
Satvik Tripathi: The objective of the Drexel AI Symposium is to expand the knowledge of AI applications used in the healthcare industry and promote patient care, precision medication, better diagnoses, and predictions of current and prospective issues for effective treatment. Our goal is to make the best science accessible to a broad audience of academic, clinical and corporate attendees.
CCI: What are the main topics that will be discussed at the Symposium?
ST: The Symposium aims to discuss the latest and best research on the role of AI in diagnostic excellence across medicine, current areas of impact, fairness and societal impact, and translation and clinical implementation.
The conference will focus on key advances and future vision for artificial intelligence in medicine in areas such as:
- AI-based radiology;
- Artificial intelligence, soft computing, and neural network analysis in bioinformatics;
- Bioinformatics in precision medicine, vaccine design and drug development;
- AI-assisted computational modeling;
- Computational intelligence in bio- and clinical medicine;
- Data analytics and mining for biomedical decision support;
- New computational platforms and models for biomedicine;
- AI in medical and healthcare education;
- Methodological, philosophical, ethical, and social issues of AI in healthcare, medically-oriented human biology and medicine.
CCI: Who can attend? How much does it cost to attend?
ST: Undergraduate, graduate and PhD students, as well as faculty and professional staff — all are welcome to attend! Thanks to a generous donation from Drexel University President John Fry, the registration fee is now waived for all Drexel students. As this event crosses interdisciplinary boundaries — meaning it's not just focused on computer science or AI; for example, any person from a biology field could come to learn just as much as well.
CCI: Who will be speaking at the Symposium?
ST: The Drexel AI Symposium is hosting several professors and clinicians from the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University. A few of the renowned speakers attending the conference are:
- Dr. Christos Davatzikos (director, CBICA Lab, University of Pennsylvania),
- Dr. Farouk Dako (assistant professor of radiology, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania),
- Dr. Hasan Ayaz (associate professor, Drexel University, School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems),
- Dr. Jessica Ausborn (assistant professor, Department of Neurobiology & Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine).
CCI: Why should students attend?
ST: The biggest motive for this conference is for the students to discover this upcoming age of AI in medicine, biomedical devices and bioinformatics. There will be plenty of learning opportunities for students; on day one, students will be able to meet and greet top professors and clinicians and discuss their research. There will also be networking/employment opportunities; this could be a great place for students in tech or on a pre-med track, as they will get to interact with all our of our partners and sponsor companies who are looking. Moreover, the event will provide two meals and Drexel AI Symposium merchandise to attendees.
The Symposium could also be a great opportunity for the students to learn more about how research and academia work. Attending a conference for the first time was truly a life-changing experience for me and it made me so inclined toward this interdisciplinary research field. Therefore, I would highly recommend all the students to join us at the Symposium just for sake of learning and new opportunities.
CCI: Do you need any sort of technical background or previous knowledge of AI to attend?
ST: We have a lot of committee members and participants who do not have any background in AI or bioinformatics, but that is what we are here for! The primary goal of the Symposium is for participants to have a better understanding of the potential applications of machine learning not just for traditional industrial purposes, but also how to implement it in healthcare settings.
CCI: What are you most excited about with the Symposium?
ST: I am really excited about this conference in particular because I have always dreamed of organizing a conference and this would be my first opportunity to actually host an event. In this event, I have tried to implement everything I have learned over the years and make this an amalgamation of all of it. I even have a lot of professors and clinicians attending (with whom I currently work) and it will be a really good opportunity for us to showcase what we have been doing. I am really excited to show the participants how we are bettering the patient care and diagnosis with AI.
CCI: What is Drexel AI all about? Who can join?
ST: Drexel AI seeks to help undergraduate and graduate students to get more familiar with artificial intelligence and machine learning fields. AI is evolving quickly, so people who manage to stay familiar with the cutting-edge technology of AI have simply more advantages in today's world. Under the guidance of Dr. Edward Kim (associate professor, Department of Computer Science), Drexel AI aims to promote the power of this field and help Dragons have such an advantage. The group welcomes everyone who is interested in learning more about the newest developments in artificial intelligence.
Within the Drexel AI Society, we have divided the current members into committees (design, local, program) in order to provide them with first-hand experience regarding hosting a conference and also help them improve their communication and leadership skills.
CCI: Why are you so passionate about AI?
ST: JARVIS has been my biggest inspiration for me to go on and study AI. I have been a AI-practitioner for around five years now and I am still trying to understand it better. In a conversation with Professor Hal Abelson from MIT, he suggested that I think about “computer science and ...” I then found my “and” in medical imaging; from attending conferences and open-discussion sessions to reading research papers, I developed an unbreakable connection with the intersection of computer science and neuroradiology. Chronic diseases destroy millions of families every year, and saving one of them will even be a lifetime achievement. My research in biomedical computing can not only save lives today but also lay the foundation for upcoming technologies. My focus is to implement my research with medical institutions’ regulations to provide an affordable and highly accurate diagnosis to the masses, especially to those living in remote areas with a lack of adequate medical facilities, algorithms like these can provide the same level of diagnosis as the best medical centers in the world. As Stanford University Professor Matthew Lungren told me: “As a researcher, there couldn’t be anything more fulfilling than saving someone’s life,” and that [quote] has probably stuck with me ever since.
Registration is now open for the Drexel AI Symposium and is open to all students, faculty and professional staff.