Artificial Intelligence at patient's service

Dr. Andrew F. Laine

Percy K. and Vida L. W. Hudson Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Professor of Radiology (Physics)
Dept of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University

Dr. Austin Chiang, PS'11 MD MPH

Chief Medical Officer of the gastrointestinal business, Medtronic
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University

In conversation with:

Dr. Frances Onyimba, PS'12

Gastroenterologist

Artificial intelligence, or the use of machine-learning algorithms and deep learning software to mimic human cognition or rationality, has become the backbone for many of our daily activities. Now, the application of artificial intelligence (AI) for the analysis of healthcare data is on the rise, especially within the areas of precision medicine, diagnostics, and patient monitoring. These technologies have the potential to revolutionize patient care and disrupt the processes of healthcare organizations. But what can we expect as these technologies are implemented into the fields of Healthcare and Medicine, which have been rooted in human touch? 

In this discussion, Dr. Austin Chiang, Chief Medical Officer of Medtronic Gastroenterology, the first company to release AI software for colonoscopy, and Columbia University’s Professor Andrew Laine, who studies the mathematical analysis of computer-aided diagnosis, explore the state of the field, ethical considerations/pitfalls, and the impact on patient care.

Time will be allocated for Q&A.

Cosponsored by:

• Harvard Club of Washington DC
• MIT Club of Washington DC
• Asian Columbia Alumni Association

Andrew F. Laine is the director of the Heffner Biomedical Imaging Lab at Columbia, where he focuses on the mathematical analysis and quantification of medical images, signal and image processing, computer-aided diagnosis and biomedical / imaging informatics. His work is based on imaging structures at the molecular, cellular, tissue, and organ levels of analysis. The goal is to develop biomedical technology for unmet clinical needs and to transition that technology into commercial products that will improve healthcare and save lives.

Laine was the first to use multiscale “wavelet” representation to enhance subtle details in mammograms. Today, the algorithm he developed in 1992 is used in almost all commercial digital mammography systems. Currently, Laine is applying multiresolution wavelet techniques to classify pulmonary emphysema. He is also collaborating on a project in medical informatics to enable clinicians to better diagnose a patient using both text and annotated findings from medical images. Laine’s work draws on such techniques as time-frequency decompositions/representations, speckle tracking, texture analysis, machine and deep learning, variational segmentation, parametric deformable models, and image reconstructions.

Laine received a BS in biological science from Cornell University in 1977, an MS in chemistry from the University of Connecticut in 1980, and a DSc in computer science from Washington University, St. Louis, in 1989. He is a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and of the International Federation for Medical and Biological Engineering. He is also a member of Columbia’s Data Science Institute. 

Austin Chiang is a triple board-certified, dual ivy-league (Harvard, Columbia) educated and trained gastroenterologist and advanced endoscopist. In October 2021, he became the first Chief Medical Officer of the gastrointestinal business for Medtronic, the world’s leading medical device company responsible for products including Barrx radiofrequency ablation devices, Pillcam capsule endoscopy products, EndoFLIP, Bravo, Sharkcore, and GI Genius the first-to-market AI-assisted polyp detection device to help endoscopists better prevent colon cancer. Dr. Chiang's interests include novel endoscopic weight loss treatments as well as the complex interventional endoscopic procedures including the diagnosis and treatment of various gastrointestinal conditions and their complications. These include a variety of cancers affecting the gastrointestinal tract such as the pancreas, bile duct, esophagus, stomach, colon, and liver cancers.

Dr. Chiang is currently an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Jefferson Health (Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals) in Philadelphia, PA, and serves as the Director of the Endoscopic Weight Loss Program and Chief Medical Social Media Officer for the health system. He is fully licensed and credentialed in the states of Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. Having trained at the only dedicated bariatric endoscopy program, he is one of few triple board-certified advanced endoscopy-trained physicians in the world. His triple-board certifications include Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology by the American Board of Internal Medicine, and in Obesity Medicine by the American Board of Obesity Medicine.

Frances Onyimba MD is a gastroenterologist focusing on building multidisciplinary, specialized foregut programs. Prior to that, she was at the University of Maryland Medical Center treating patients with esophageal diseases and GI motility disorders. She completed medical school at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons prior to completing her internal medicine residency and a fellowship in GI motility and Neurogastroenterology at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. She subsequently completed her general GI fellowship at University of California San Diego, where she served as a chief fellow. In 2019, she was selected into the Young Physician Leadership Scholars Program by the American College of Gastroenterology for leadership development and physician advocacy. Her interests include health communications and innovative programs and practices within healthcare.