The Department of Biomedical Informatics (DBMI) at Vanderbilt University Medical Center has launched its groundbreaking center for health Artificial Intelligence (AI) – ADVANCE (AI Discovery and Vigilance to Accelerate Innovation and Clinical Excellence). The ADVANCE Center represents a pivotal milestone in the evolution of innovations at the intersection of health care, biomedicine and informatics, aiming to transform patient care, research and training through the power of cutting-edge, proven and trustworthy AI.
Co-directed by Peter Embí, MD, MS, and Bradley Malin, PhD, in DBMI, ADVANCE leverages state-of-the-art AI technologies and expertise to drive innovation and excellence in research and health care. Through advanced data analytics, machine learning, predictive modeling and generative AI capabilities, ADVANCE will empower health care professionals, scientists and patients to make informed decisions, accelerate biomedical discoveries and improve clinical outcomes.
“ADVANCE embodies DBMI and VUMC’s commitment to pioneering research and data-driven precision health care. By enabling the development of novel AI capabilities and their responsible implementation in practice, we aim to accelerate discoveries, transform health care delivery, improve patient outcomes and ultimately save lives,” said Embí, professor of Biomedical Informatics and Medicine, chair of DBMI and Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation at VUMC.
“It’s an exciting time to be an AI researcher. The methodologies have advanced to the point where we can rapidly reconfigure AI to support scientific investigation in just about any biomedical domain. It is likely that we will see novel discoveries in the near future that will lead to greater understanding of human biology, novel therapeutics and efficiencies in care,” said Malin, Accenture Professor of Biomedical Informatics, Biostatistics and Computer Science and vice chair for Research Affairs in DBMI.
ADVANCE will serve as a collaborative hub for interdisciplinary research and practice, fostering partnerships between clinicians, researchers, ethicists, data scientists, industry leaders and community partners. By facilitating broad collaboration, ADVANCE aims to address complex health care challenges and drive transformative innovations.
“The long history at VUMC of bringing the social, organizational and computational sciences together to address practical problems in health and health care provides a roadmap for ADVANCE to innovate new approaches in responsible AI,” said Laurie Novak, PhD, MHSA, associate professor of Biomedical Informatics, AI researcher and ADVANCE Center leader.
“One of the main pillars of ADVANCE is to enable responsible AI by embedding ethics into the fabric of the Center,” said Susannah Rose, PhD, associate professor of Biomedical Informatics, Health Policy, core faculty in the Center for Biomedical Ethics and Society and ADVANCE Center leader.
To celebrate the launch, Embí and Malin will be hosting the ADVANCE Center Launch Event on Friday, March 8, from 2 to 4:30 p.m. in Langford Auditorium. The event will begin with presentations and panel discussions on a range of timely topics on Health AI and information about the new center. The event will conclude with a networking reception from 3:15 to 4:30 p.m.
Please RSVP for the ADVANCE Kickoff event via REDCap here: https://redcap.vanderbilt.edu/surveys/?s=KWPJRK7Y4KDHNNLE
In-person attendance is encouraged, but for those who indicate they can only join virtually, a link to join via Teams will be sent.
For questions about the ADVANCE Kickoff event, email mia.garchitorena@vumc.org.
