Reflection Essay by Lina J.
Undoubtedly, AI is the future of medicine.
It is this understanding that made me want to participate in Stanford’s AIMI Bootcamp. I want to be on top of the latest advancements in medicine, especially AI as it evolves, in order to be well-prepared for a career in medicine and to provide my future patients with the best possible care. Over the course of this program, I absorbed various aspects of AI in medicine, with particular aspects of the bootcamp resonating with me. I genuinely enjoyed this experience, and I am eternally grateful for the opportunity.
The activity I enjoyed the most from the bootcamp was the “Meet the Experts” series at the end of every day. It was eye-opening to see how AI is adapting to medicine beyond the uber-popular generative AI models like ChatGPT. I appreciated seeing different ways different careers interact with AI in medicine, from venture capitalists and their investments in AI, to radiologists applying AI to review scans. Personally, I enjoyed learning more about how AI is integrated into care and diagnosis from the first-hand account of many of the experts.
While every expert’s lecture was fascinating, the two talks that struck a chord within me are Dr. Curtis Langlotz’s and Dr. Helen Frazer’s lectures. Dr. Langlotz’s lecture on his personal career, how AI applies to medical images, the intersection of LLMs (Large Language Models) and medicine, and medical data and its significance in models was both inspiring and informative. It immediately captivated my curiosity and served as a lovely start to the series. I was mainly inspired by Dr. Langlotz's personal story and how his interest in AI back before it was mainstream led him to a career that perfectly aligned in the end. It reveals to me that pursuing one’s passion is not only fulfilling, but also has the potential to be pioneering work, inspiring me to pursue my passions and new technologies.
Similarly, Dr. Frazer’s talk on AI in breast cancer imaging was incredibly interesting. I enjoyed the opportunity to hear about how AI can provide a solution to the global issue of providing accurate breast cancer screening to as many women as possible. It mainly interested me because it provided insight into Australia’s commitment to providing equitable screening to everybody, something that we currently do not have in the U.S. Unfortunately for Australia, this large undertaking puts a huge demand on breast cancer radiologists, especially since the program requires each scan to be seen by two radiologists, which is a time-consuming process. In addition, Dr. Frazer added that Australia has begun to see a shortage of breast cancer radiologists, causing greater wait times for results and in five years there will no longer be enough radiologists to meet the demand. She provided us with insight into how AI can streamline the screening process, enabling them to continue to provide a high level of care in a timely fashion. It was fascinating to learn how AI can assist radiologists by viewing mammographies and providing a verdict in a fraction of the time it takes a radiologist. Hearing how radiologists in Australia trained BRAIx to help fill the demand opened my eyes to see how AI can revolutionize healthcare by providing timely care. Ultimately, through its multi perspective and informative nature, it is safe to say that the “Meet the Experts” series was my favorite part of the bootcamp.
A particular topic that inspired me was the lecture by lawyers Zach Harned and Frederick Tsang on the legal issues that arise with the increased usage of AI. Their talk on the subject of AI and copyright law and how it has called for a redefinition of it was especially intriguing, even though law is not my area of expertise. Before listening to them, the issue surrounding copyright laws and its implementation when AI has been used to help create the work in question had not previously been on my radar. Overall, this talk has inspired me to want to learn more about this topic, and I am curious to see the court’s verdicts on current cases. Keeping these new learnings in mind, it will not significantly impact my education or career direction; however, it will impact the way I use AI and implement AI in my work to prevent as much copyright infringement as possible.
The challenge in the field of AI in medicine from the bootcamp that has recently caught my attention is AI’s inability to accurately diagnose heart attacks in women. It interests me on many levels, as it is mainly because the source of the issues is not the model’s inability but rather the lack of data and research. I would like to learn more about why heart attacks in women are so different from men and how we can use AI to further our understanding. Another reason it interests me is, as someone who aspires to be a cardiologist one day, I know I will not be able to treat my female patients fully without that data. Hopefully, someday soon, heart attack-detecting models can be updated to be able to detect heart attacks in women and female heart attack symptoms will become mainstream knowledge.
In the future, I plan to continue exploring AI in medicine by keeping up with the latest reports on AI implementation into medicine. I look forward to asking physicians about their usage of AI in their professional day-to-day lives. Throughout this course, I have learned about numerous ways physicians have already begun using AI in the workplace, and I am curious to learn a more personal side, to get my own feel for it, and to expand my knowledge. Overall, I cannot wait to see what new accomplishments are made in AI in the near future!
Ultimately, I had a lovely experience with this bootcamp in every sense. I am grateful to everyone who was a part of this program and everybody who presented during the two weeks.
- Lina J, AIMI '25 Summer Health AI Bootcamp Participant