Healthcare + A.I. Northwest on Nov. 9: Agenda Highlights

Artificial intelligence—the catchall term for a broad swath of technologies imbuing computer systems with the capacity to perceive and act—is poised to upend industries across the economy. But nowhere is its promise more alluring than in healthcare, as the sweeping human endeavor of keeping ourselves well runs up against demographic and financial realities.

Will A.I. in healthcare be a passing fad, an overhyped term that will soon fall from favor? Or is its arrival the long-sought technology advancement healthcare providers need to improve well-being—of their patients, and themselves—while reducing costs?

Xconomy will tackle those big questions and many more with an elite group of doctors, researchers, technologists, and entrepreneurs at our next big event in Seattle on Nov. 9. We’ve just released the agenda for Healthcare + A.I. Northwest, which you can view here.

Highlights:

—Oren Etzioni, CEO of the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence, on how A.I. can help researchers keep up with the ever-expanding trove of medical and scientific research papers. We’ll also hear from Microsoft Research corporate vice president Peter Lee, who leads the company’s over-the-horizon work in healthcare and other fields.

—Alice Zhang, founder and CEO of Verge Genomics and Evgeni V. Sokurenko, a University of Washington School of Medicine microbiology professor and founder of ID Genomics, will discuss applications of machine learning to genomics data in search of new treatments for neurogenerative diseases and smarter, personalized prescriptions of antibiotics, respectively.

—Experienced technology entrepreneur Mike McSherry, CEO of Xealth, will chat with Mary Haggard, a former Amazon and Microsoft executive who now leads consumer innovation at Providence Health & Services, about the journey into the healthcare industry from the technologist’s view.

—Several practicing physicians and medical educators will share perspective on what it takes to deploy technology innovations in the daily practice of medicine. Matthew Thompson, professor and interim chair of family medicine at the UW School of Medicine, will talk about the Primary Care Innovations Lab he helped launch. Shelly Fritz, a professor of nursing at Washington State University, will share her work employing sensor data and machine learning to identify signs of deterioration in people with chronic diseases in senior care communities. Ivor Horn, chief medical officer at Accolade and primary care pediatrician, will discuss her focus on the balance of human touch and innovative technology. UW neurosurgery resident and Eigen Healthcare CEO Lynn McGrath, Jr. will talk about screening for concussions with a smartphone.

Author: Benjamin Romano

Benjamin is the former Editor of Xconomy Seattle. He has covered the intersections of business, technology and the environment in the Pacific Northwest and beyond for more than a decade. At The Seattle Times he was the lead beat reporter covering Microsoft during Bill Gates’ transition from business to philanthropy. He also covered Seattle venture capital and biotech. Most recently, Benjamin followed the technology, finance and policies driving renewable energy development in the Western US for Recharge, a global trade publication. He has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication. View all posts by Benjamin Romano