"AI & Health: Seminars 2025" - Current topics in AI in medicine and health informatics ...

Dear Madam/Sir,

This is to officially announce the FIRST seminar of the "AI & Health: Seminars 2025" series as hosted by HC@AIxIA, i.e., the "Artificial Intelligence for Healthcare" working group of the Italian Association for Artificial Intelligence.

*** Save the date: 22 JANUARY 2025. 3:30 CET ***

We hope you will attend and participate in the discussion on the relevant topics that will be presented and by our speakers. Feel free to share this with those potentially interested.

Please find some details below, and a poster attached. All directions for participating are available at https://aixia.it/en/gruppi/hc/.

2024 January 22 - 3:30PM CET

Mor Peleg, PhD, Professor of Information Systems, University of Haifa (HAifa, Israel), EIC of Journal of Biomedical Informatics

Title: 
Current topics in AI in medicine and health informatics: 
current challenges and a look ahead

Abstract: In this talk I will review current challenges, current work by the biomedical informatics community, and future topics related to AI. I draw the information from a paper[1] that a group of informatics editors and other respected members of the community co-authored and published in 2023 in the Journal of Healthcare Informatics Research. There, we identified focus areas that should be addressed in the next ten years, specifically learning from new challenges that emerged in the Covid-19 epidemic. I will also present my analysis of current and emerging topics of papers published in the Journal of Biomedical Informatics (JBI) in the past two years, and current calls for special issue papers. I will also touch upon the role of international collaboration in emerging research areas (in JBI).

[1] Combi C, Facelli JC, Haddawy P, Holmes JH, Koch S, Liu H, Meyer J, Peleg M, Pozzi G, Stiglic G, Veltri P. The IHI Rochester report 2022 on healthcare informatics research: Resuming after the covid-19. Journal of healthcare informatics research. 2023 Jun;7(2):169-202.

Short Bio: Mor Peleg is Full Professor of information systems and Founding Director of the University of Haifa’s Data Science Research Center, former Chair of the Data Science BSc program of the University of Haifa, and former Chair of the Department of Information Systems. She is Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Biomedical Informatics, which focuses on novel biomedical informatics methods. Mor's BSc and MSc degrees in biology and her PhD in Information Systems – are from the Technion -- Israel Institute of Technology, and her 4-year postdoc was at Stanford University's Center for Biomedical Informatics Research. Mor’s research focuses on clinical guideline-based decision support systems (CDSS) for patients and physicians. She led the large-scale European project MobiGuide and was a PI in the CAncer PAtients Better Life Experience ( CAPABLE project https://capable-project.eu/). There she uses machine learning methods to personalize triggers for health behavior change, utilizing behavioral theories. Web-site: https://mpeleg.hevra.haifa.ac.il/

Flyer: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1pYIdbkk63mS52wRbOiiEpwaDJmsraZJL&usp=drive_fs

Link to participate: https://unimib.webex.com/unimib/j.php?MTID=m8e6e76b39cc5aa47f15922dddb167a25

(PLEASE CHECK the site https://aixia.it/en/gruppi/hc/ for any changes or updates)
====
Some notes
Serving as coordinators of the working group on AI for Healthcare of the Italian Association of Artificial Intelligence (AIxIA, see: https://aixia.it/en/gruppi/hc/), part of our commitment consists of fostering contamination and collaboration between AI researchers and experts and operators in Medicine and Healthcare; in particular, we aim to contribute in building a two-way road for informing healthcare operators about AI results and opportunities, while also raising awareness among AI researchers about challenges and problems in medicine and healthcare.
Therefore, the 2025 seminar series, in the trail of the 2024 edition, will feature a number of experts presenting research results, projects, best practices, ideas, and more to a mixed audience of AI researchers and healthcare operators.

== Are you interested in Joining the group? ==
Please head to https://aixia.it/en/gruppi/hc/ fo find out how. Do not hesitate to contact us at
  hc-aixia AT googlegroups.com for any information or clarification.

Thank you for your interest in the AI & Health seminar series and the HC@AIxIA working group, and see you soon!

Sincerely,
Francesco Calimeri, Mauro Dragoni, Fabio Stella
(coordinators of the HC@AIxIA working group)
(and my source)

Book list: Global health c/o Madhu Pai, MD, PhD

Way back in 2023 on twitter c/o Madhu Pai, MD, PhD, I learned of a listing of books on global health:

The list is updated quarterly -

https://microbiologycommunity.nature.com/posts/41300-if-you-had-to-read-one-book-on-global-health 

Here are four titles - and of course now the list is even richer!

Individual

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     INTERPERSONAL    :     SCIENCES               

HUMANISTIC --------------------------------------  MECHANISTIC      

SOCIOLOGY  :   POLITICAL 

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Group

Unheard	METRICS
ONE by ONE by ONE	The Psychosis of Whiteness

Book images:

https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/rageshri-dhairyawan/unheard/9781398718708/

https://www.dukeupress.edu/metrics

https://www.harpercollins.com/products/one-by-one-by-one-aaron-berkowitz?variant=32280902205474

(If you search harpercollins you will find the book.)

https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/316675/the-psychosis-of-whiteness-by-andrews-kehinde/9780141992389

My source - with thanks:
https://x.com/h2cm/status/1716119076513173573?s=20

Twitter? Yes, I know; don't we all?

NPR: What is your wish to improve life on earth in 2025?

Dola Sun for NPR

With thanks to NPR, 'an independent, nonprofit media organization that was founded on a mission to create a more informed public'. NPR asked 11 global health professionals to share their wishes for 2025.

Read in full here:
https://www.npr.org/sections/goats-and-soda/2025/01/06/g-s1-40820/2025-world-wishes-haiti-bird-flu

We asked global thinkers how to improve life on earth in 2025. Here are their wishes

My wish: Honor the legacy of Jimmy Carter Dr. Ifeanyi M. Nsofor, project director, VaxSocial HPV Vaccination Initiative, Nigeria

My wish: World, awaken to the medical emergency in Haiti Dr. Ousmane Abdoulaye, Port-au-Prince in Haiti, medical coordinator, Haiti Mission, ALIMA — The Alliance for International Medical Action

My wish: Nothing too grand. Just a small wish that things for us go back as they were three years ago — when women could go to parks or markets but most of all go to school. Maryam S., Afghanistan, former Master's student of Pashto literature. She asked to be identified by her first name only out of fear that her criticism of Taliban policies would put her and her family in danger.

My wish: Make monumental strides in using advanced technology to detect emerging pathogens Dr. Abraar Karan, physician and researcher, Division of Infectious Diseases & Geographic Medicine, Stanford University

My wish: Let us recognize that violence has never been the true solution to conflict KR Raja, Madurai, India, lawyer advocating for criminal justice reform and the founder of the Indian charity Global Network for Equality, which supports children orphaned by crime

My wish: I dream of a future where there are safe and healthy conditions for workers, where they are free of discrimination and can earn a fair wage. Ashila Dandeniya, Colombo, Sri Lanka, founder and director of the Stand Up Movement, a women-led organization that advocates for workers' rights.

My wish: Make progress in developing treatments to reduce deaths and complications from dengue André Siqueira, head of the Dengue Global Programme at Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative and public health researcher at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation's National Infectious Diseases Institute in Brazil

My wish: For trekkers and travelers to help clean up the waste they leave behind — and to help protect our natural treasures Raj Kumar Shrestha, trekking guide, Kathmandu, Nepal, and founder of Let's Clean Up Nepal, an environmental conservation organization

My wish: Use digital innovation to enable health workers to deliver their care, especially in places where resources are constrained Dr. Junaid Nabi, public health researcher specializing in health-care reform and innovation, and a senior fellow at the Aspen Institute and a Millennium Fellow at the Atlantic Council

My wish: May the year bring peace to the world Dr. Atsbha Merhawit, Ayder Hospital, specialty in endocrinology and diabetes, Mekelle, Ethiopia

My wish: Follow the rules of war regarding the welfare of children Joe English, New York, N.Y., emergency communication specialist for UNICEF ==

What is your wish for 2025?

Best wishes, Neil

HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil AT hifa.org

n.b. My wish: That "Hodges' Health Career - Care Domains - Model" continues to emerge as a generic conceptual framework shared and understood by all learners for lifelong learning.

Thanks Neil. I will post this with HIFA link.

C/o FT 'Inside the rise of the mental-health volunteer movement'

INDIVIDUAL

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   INTERPERSONAL : SCIENCES              

humanistic ------------------------------- mechanistic

 SOCIOLOGY : POLITICAL   

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GROUP

'Amid a surge in demand for psychological support that has been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, Blue is one of many people without formal psychiatric qualifications — including volunteers and health workers — who are stepping in to deliver interventions.' 'Sangath became one of the first projects to run a randomised control trial (RCT) of task-sharing in mental health in 2007. “It’s not a compromise,” said Nadkarni, “it’s an idea backed by solid research evidence.”' [FT]

'Known as task-shifting or task-sharing, the trend has grown across healthcare as services grapple with a stark mismatch between resources and demand. The World Health Organization estimates that there is a global average of 13 mental health workers per 100,000 people, but in low-income countries this can fall to fewer than two. But a number of studies suggest that simple interventions, such as benches where people can sit with a sympathetic listener, can be at least as powerful as expensive clinical approaches, easing the burden on specialist workers.' [FT]

'About us - Sangath: Our vision is a world where every person has access to quality and affordable mental health care. Our signature principles are to leverage community and health system resources to deliver psychosocial interventions for the prevention and care of mental health problems. We address a wide range of mental health concerns across the life course, from cognitive development in childhood to self-harm and depression in youth, to drinking problems, psychoses and dementia in adults.  ... Our name: ‘Sangath’ (सांगात) means togetherness and consensus. It signals our mission – to take an integrated and participatory approach to addressing mental health challenges.'

'Health policymakers are increasingly seeking to replicate projects pioneered in the developing world, a process that has been dubbed “frugal innovation”.' '“Every $1 invested in a service like this gives you about $9 in return — both for the individual and the society combined,” he added.' 'Initiatives such as the Friendship Bench and the Common Elements Treatment Approach devised by Johns Hopkins University, a mental health intervention that can be delivered by trained and supervised lay providers in low and middle-income countries, are collectively reaching millions of people and have proved their worth in multiple studies. But funders still tended to focus on setting up clinical projects rather than bringing about systemic change in resource allocation or medical payment models that would drive widespread adoption.' [FT]

My source:

Sarah Neville, India inspires project saving lives in Texas. FTWeekend, 21-22 December 2024. p.4.
https://ft.com/content/a187719c-ccbb-4af9-8d22-8e70b65098cf

n.b. While these efforts are ongoing, there is a crisis and a crisis of confidence in student mental health nursing as a specialty: 

Beyond the Student Mental Health Crisis: A Collaborative Transatlantic Symposium

Virtual 1200-1830 25th March 2025. (Too expensive for me.)

Are you planning a health* study in 2025?

New Year - new project perhaps?

*nursing, mental health, theory, practice, management, workforce, medicine, allied health professions, social work, psychology, labs, diagnosis, palliative, end of life, diseases, public health, public MENTAL health, -isms, prevention, protection, education, learning disability, parity in care, informatics, information, literacIES, AI, arts, policy, leadership, migration, history, future, women, children, men, LGBTQ+, ethics, rights, health economics, social care, systems, services, climate change, refugees, conflict, law, leadership, resources, commerce, fraud, self-care, UN, WHO, UNESCO, regional, national, global, or planetary ..., ...

Is there a 'space' for Hodges' model in your study?

IF NOT, IMHO YOUR STUDY MAY BE INCOMPLETE!

Is this statement ...?

INDIVIDUAL

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   INTERPERSONAL : SCIENCES              

humanistic ------------------------------- mechanistic

 SOCIOLOGY : POLITICAL   

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GROUP

utter nonsense and arrogance a psychological threat^ it's either a great joke, or a grand delusion look - get real, we can't cover all the bases calling attention to the high-degree of subjectivism in academia and health research no, actually it is blatant evidence of bias and a lack of objectivity! Who is Hodges? shamefully egotistical our project does not need to consider: reflection - reflective practice critical thinking holistic - integrated care: parity of esteem person-centredness the curricula (however 'expressed') methods - methodology - philosophy a sign we've found the true 'meta-' tool (Yes, this is interesting!)

to the Nth degree! a physical threat^ a fact - when critiqued using Hodges' model limited apprehension of 'HEALTH'.. sheer ignorance proof of an incomplete (grey) literature search proof that 'not invented here' prevails identification of relations and relationships is catered for, as are ... safety, situational awareness, scoping, mapping, evaluation, analysis, synthesis, diagrams - graphical approaches, project mangement potentially supporting inter- multi- transdisciplinarity a sign that ('fashion') science, evidence have moved on: get over it!

a soul in search of a community of practice? demonstrating much effort is falling on deaf ears? time to listen, with all that's going in the world Hodges, did you say? Sorry not here!

not commissioned/funded by a 'us'.  what? No Doctorate? Go away: please! who does that person think they are!    fao project/research management group/committee?

Brian E. Hodges (1942-2022) RIP

"Hi! I'm new to Hodges' model - and this blog - what's it about?"

^No threat is implied, on the contrary frustration ... If Hodges' model may be use, please do get in touch. Thanks to all for your visits and best wishes with your respective projects, studies and careers.

Hodges' model: A person - Everyone else [x2!]

INDIVIDUAL

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   INTERPERSONAL : SCIENCES              

humanistic ------------------------------- mechanistic

 SOCIOLOGY : POLITICAL   

|

GROUP

	'Michael Collins, the astronaut who took this photo in 1969, is the only human, dead or alive, that isn't in the frame of this picture.'   (Image credit: NASA/Getty Images)
“If the universe is meaningless, so is the statement that it is so… The meaning and purpose of dancing is the dance.” 'Alan Watts on our search for meaning and the antidote to our existential loneliness'

Image: https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/news/spaceman-who-photographed-every-living-being-but-himself-rip-michael-collins

Text: https://x.com/themarginalian/status/1876298178326069285

https://www.themarginalian.org/2016/11/01/alan-watts-wisdom-of-insecurity-3/

So good I'm repeating myself ... https://hodges-model.blogspot.com/2019/07/2-everyone-else-1-thank-you-michael.html

'dance' :: 'meaning'

Variable Hours Tutor: Take II

In September 2019 I was successful in securing a part-time post as a university tutor. This was great news.

While I've always worked in practice, I've enjoyed having students as a (sign-off) mentor and helping colleagues to fill holidays and other gaps; and completing a certificate in education (PGCE). In the past with the help of colleagues, I've organised teaching sessions for students on placement and small conferences. Now, I miss 'mentor updates' and meetings with the university outreach teams - practice education facilitators.

Of course at the end of 2019 a pandemic was brewing. The upshot - sadly for me - the tutoring was a non-event. No teaching (learning) opportunities followed, and the contract was not renewed in August 2020. 

Through nurse revalidation in March 2023, I was helped in Warrington with another academic contact. I attended an open event, but again no openings. In (N) spring last year, I picked up the 2019 thread once again. 

Success again! Another chance. Six months having passed, I do wonder though  - if any hours will follow? 

Fingers still crossed, having chased and looking elsewhere too.

https://hodges-model.blogspot.com/2023/08/brian-e-hodges-r-i-p.html

Be proactive: Evidence supporting proactive care for older people with frailty

'These BGS publications outline evidence and delivery recommendations for proactive care and support for older adults with moderate to severe frailty. 

We set out how to deliver proactive care against core components and key enablers, with recommendations for success of a proactive care service. Building on NHS England's proactive care guidance, Proactive care: providing care and support for people living at home with moderate or severe frailty, we also outline key recommendations for the successful implementation of proactive care services across the UK. 

We hope that users will be able to use all three documents when designing proactive care services, with the NHS England guidance document acting as key framework and starting point, BGS’s Be proactive: Evidence supporting proactive care for older people with frailty as a business case, and Be proactive: Delivering proactive care for older people with frailty  as a roadmap for implementing the NHS England framework and delivering services. ...'

https://www.bgs.org.uk/ProactiveCare

[All best Charlie (on your Christening Day), Casper and Jamie]. #hope #love #future #action #HealthCareer #LifeChances

Are concepts of adolescence from the Global North appropriate for Africa? A debate

'The proponents for the motion argued that adolescence is indeed a distinct developmental phase when puberty is achieved and the neurocognitive development that occurs shapes behaviours that impact health outcomes. This occurs universally, is marked by cultural rites, and recognised in legal frameworks and therefore geographical distinctions in understanding are unnecessary.'

'The opponents argued that adolescence is more than a biological or legally recognised transition to adulthood: instead, concepts, including that of adolescence, are shaped by beliefs, values and expectations founded within a cultural milieu. The concept is dissonant to Africa as it prioritises individualism over communalism, and attributes gender and social roles as accepted in the Global North.'

'Thus, many interventions targeted at adolescents in Africa have remained ineffective. The notion that the concept of adolescence, which originated in the Global North but is universally applied, is a consequence of colonialism giving less value to the lived realities and understandings of peoples from the Global South.

For achieving both epistemic justice and effective health policy and programmes in global health, acknowledgement and centralisation of context are critical. However, in a more interlinked and open world, there is a massive potential for cross-learning and collaboration across geographies to develop a concerted approach to improve the health of adolescents and for a more equitable global health practice.

However, adolescence is also a social entity shaped by beliefs and values within different cultural contexts. A move away from universal, often western-defined concepts of adolescence, to centring the distinct sociocultural factors that shape adolescence in different societies will enable more effective policies and programming.' (Summary box) 

INDIVIDUAL

|

   INTERPERSONAL : SCIENCES              

humanistic ------------------------------- mechanistic

 SOCIOLOGY : POLITICAL   

|

GROUP

debate (argumentation) mental space, mindset my beliefs values expectations ENCULTURATION Not just NORTH - SOUTH  but WEST - EAST philosophy of mind belief systems "I DID IT MY WAY" individualism

[Hodges' model] 'Health career' - 'life chances'  2018 - scientific symposium Mwanza, Tanzania 'Adolescence is widely defined as a distinct phase in the life-course during which an individual completes their biological development and transitions from childhood to adulthood.' Appropriate for Africa - health interventions and global health policy that are shaped by such concepts can be universally applicable and relevant? geographical distinctions physical place, space, locale biology - neurocognitive - puberty

communalism universal - cultural rites adolescence - global north culture but applied universally 'adolescence is also a social entity shaped by beliefs and values within different cultural contexts' ETHNOLOGY - SOCIO-CULTURAL Gender - social roles The rise of POPULAR CULTURE: Arts - music, film, drama, literature ... media, technology "WE DO IT OUR WAY"?! "Comme d'habitude"

legal - policy Is there a universal conceptual model to critique*: UNIVERSALITY 'GLOBAL HEALTH' UNIVERSAL HEALTH COVERAGE HEALTH FOR ALL HEALTH INFORMATION FOR ALL 'COLLECTIVE EMPATHY' EQUITY - EQUALITY ...? In policy can you ignore LONG-LAT? epistemic justice  effective health policy programmes in global health - aimed at adolescents acknowledgement centralisation of context  glocal/global - WHO - national/local

Many thanks to the authors:

Nothando Ngwenya, Chido Dziva Chikwari, Janet Seeley, Rashida Abbas Ferrand - Are concepts of adolescence from the Global North appropriate for Africa? A debate: BMJ Global Health 2023;8:e012614. https://gh.bmj.com/content/8/12/e012614

My source:
https://x.com/chidodc/status/1735564926423277571?s=20

Reminded of 'My Way' :: 'American Graffiti'

*I have long wondered what models of care, models of nursing, nursing and care theories may be found in Africa, across Europe, Asia, South America, Native North America, Australasia and Oceania?  

Is Hodges' model truly global and universal - is it (can a model of care be) culturally neutral? Perhaps, this is another conference debate, or might constitute a special journal issue?

How 'divine' is the language of care?

'My impression was that algebra was less a subject than a practice into which one was inducted by the algebra priests after a series of mortifications. The letters and equations that the teacher drew on the board did not seem related to the numbers I had handled in other classrooms. For one thing, a problem in arithmetic was vertical, one number beneath another, and a problem in algebra, an equation, was horizontal. I felt as if in a permanent present, unable to see how the past and the future were joined. In Ulysses James Joyce writes that the present is the drain that the future goes down on its way to becoming the past.' p.12.

'The mathematician Alonzo Church, who taught Alan Turing, told another of his students, David Berlinski, "Any idiot can learn anything in mathematics. It requires only patience." I would sit with a pencil and paper trying to solve an algebra problem and sometimes go only so far before my mind would halt, because I had could used up what little I knew that might apply. It hadn't occurred to me to think of algebra as the bright boys and girls I had been among had thought of it, as a series of related procedures. They were constructing a map. I was collecting postcards from places where anxiety or incuriousness had kept me from leaving my hotel.' p.31.

(my emphasis)

Alec Wilkinson. (2022) A Divine Language. Learning Algebra, Geometry, and Calculus at the Edge of Old Age. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250168580/adivinelanguage/

Previously: math :: logic