Reflection Essay by Danya J.

I believe AI is the future of medicine, and AIMI’s Bootcamp Program helped start my journey in the topic. 

In my two weeks in the program, I learned about the various aspects of AI and the role it plays in medicine. My participation in this camp broadened and deepened my understanding of AI. 

The activity that I particularly enjoyed was the “Meet the Experts” lectures. My favorite lecture was Associate Professor Helen Frazer’s talk on breast cancer screening in Australia. I really enjoyed this lecture as it demonstrated the collaboration of medicine and AI. As a future physician, it is important to understand the development and usages of AI in healthcare. I honestly think her talk was my favorite part of the program and was probably the most inspirational. The “Meet the Experts” lectures allowed students to virtually observe doctors' real use of AI and its journey in the hospital setting. I think Dr. Frazer's talk best described the use of AI in healthcare. She explained how the world, particularly Australia, is experiencing a shortage of breast cancer radiologists. In order to combat the shortage without decreasing the quality of patient care, AI has proven to be a helpful partner in medicine that makes patient care more efficient, more accurate and more cost-effective. 

One thing that particularly resonated with me is how Dr. Frazer’s team went to great lengths to reach remote underserved communities. To drive across Australia is no small feat, but it is exactly those communities that lack access to healthcare many times have the greatest need. Dr. Frazers project showed how AI isn’t confined to one spot, but it can travel from one end of the country to the next. As I progress in my career, I hope to volunteer during my training, to travel to places to help people who are in need of medical attention. As Dr. Frazer proved, AI could be a cost effective and a scalable tool that I can bring to those patients to help serve and improve quality of care. 

One issue or challenge in AI that has caught my attention is data bias, specifically as it relates to cardiovascular disease. As a member of several minorities, I understand what it is like to lack representation. Diverse data is extremely important for AI in healthcare, especially if the model is being programmed for diagnostic use. Even a minority as universal as women, there is still an unequal and biased representation of data compared to men. One major and life changing example of data bias is women’s cardiac disease symptoms. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in women in the United States. Despite this, it is still a struggle for a woman to be diagnosed with cardiovascular disease. Women do not present with the same symptoms as men do during a heart attack. If humans struggle with diagnosing patients, then it is possible for AI to inherit that bias. I personally would like to contribute to the diversification of medical records. One thing I would like to learn is how to create data sets for AI to be trained with. Cardiovascular disease is not the only issue. There are plenty of other conditions and diseases that present differently for people of color. Diverse data helps increase patient quality of care, and quality of care is one of the reasons why I want to pursue medicine as a career. As a physician, I would have a duty to help my patient in any way possible, and improving data bias is a simple way that could drastically affect AI programs and thus quality of care.  

AI is a topic that is now a part of everyday life. As you study anything, the effects of AI are relevant. Anthropologists and archeologists are using AI to help piece together the past. Accountants use it for researching standards. Students use it to help study and make practice quizzes. Scientists are using it for a plethora of things. Moving forward, I plan on researching more about medicine and AI with my many scientific magazines, and attending conferences and lectures. I find that scientific magazines are one of the best ways to stay on top of all of the new technologies coming from the top labs from around the world. As I progress in my career, I plan to examine how AI plays a role in healthcare. The trick now is trying to identify my role and how I can make an impact. 

The AIMI Bootcamp was an in-depth introduction to the subspecialty of AI in medicine. One of my favorite topics from the camp was the “Meet the Experts” lectures, as some of the lectures showed how radiologists train and use networks to efficiently diagnose patients. One of the challenges that caught my attention was the issues in data bias and I plan on using my newfound knowledge to enhance my abilities to one day treat patients with the utmost care that they deserve. Thank you so much for the opportunity of allowing me to participate in this program. I really enjoyed my time here and thank you to everyone who made it possible!

- Danya J, AIMI '25 Summer Health AI Bootcamp Participant