S.2 Ep. 10 | From Innovation to Implementation: AI in Action

From Innovation to Implementation: AI in Action

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Guests Michael Pencina and Suresh Balu join Beyond the Endpoint hosts Manesh Patel and Emily O'Brien to explore the transformative potential of artificial intelligence in healthcare. Together, they discuss how AI is revolutionizing medicine in three key areas: basic research and discovery, clinical applications, and operational workflows. Pencina and Balu highlight the promise of AI-powered tools, from ambient listening technology that documents patient visits to advanced algorithms supporting diagnosis and drug discovery. The conversation delves into crucial topics such as evidence standards, the "black box" challenge of AI transparency, and the necessity of continuous monitoring and trust-building. This episode also examines how AI is reshaping the physician-patient relationship by empowering patients with instant access to medical information, while addressing concerns around governance, regulation, and the growing consumerization of healthcare.

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About Our Guests

Michael Pencina

Michael J. Pencina, PhD, is UnitedHealth Group's chief AI scientist, where he leads data science initiatives to enhance the organization's innovative use of responsible AI systems that deliver real-world impact at scale for consumers, health plan members, patients, and providers. He is also an adjunct professor of biostatistics and bioinformatics at Duke University School of Medicine. He formerly served as chief data scientist at Duke Health. Pencina is an internationally recognized authority in evaluating AI solutions. Guideline groups rely on his work to advance best practices for the application of algorithms in clinical medicine. Widely noted as an expert on risk prediction models, Pencina has authored or co-authored 400 peer-reviewed publications that have been cited over 100,000 times. Thomson Reuters/Clarivate Analytics has recognized him as a “highly cited researcher” in clinical medicine and social sciences over the past several years.

 

Suresh Balu

Suresh Balu, MS, MBA, serves as Associate Dean for Innovation and Partnership for Duke University School of Medicine and Program Director for the Duke Institute for Health Innovation (DIHI). As Director of DIHI, Balu leads a multi-disciplinary team to catalyze innovations across health, healthcare delivery, education, and research. In this role, he leads DIHI’s work in identifying, developing, and implementing novel, high-impact innovations to improve clinical outcomes, health equity, and value of care. Balu leads data science efforts to develop and integrate digital strategies, AI/ML, and algorithmic clinical decision support into routine workflows to improve safety, quality, efficiency, and efficacy of care. In his role as Associate Dean, he is responsible for creating, implementing, and sustaining innovation and strategic partnerships for the School of Medicine, specifically, to support the priorities for clinical and translational research. His expertise includes building programs to support entrepreneurship, translating innovations into real-world benefits, and developing go-to-market strategies for new products, processes, and services. Balu is a founding member of the Health AI Partnership (HAIP), the first multi-stakeholder collaborative exclusively focused on empowering healthcare delivery systems to adopt AI safely, effectively, and equitably. HAIP was launched in April 2022 with initial funding from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. HAIP endeavours to be the trusted source of actionable, contemporary guidance for healthcare professionals seeking to use AI and advanced technologies. Balu’s experience prior to Duke spans academia, management consulting, venture capital, and private equity.

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