The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has launched a new AI in Medicine Certificate program through an interdisciplinary partnership between the department of bioengineering at The Grainger College of Engineering, the Carle Illinois College of Medicine and the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. This self-paced online certificate program will equip healthcare professionals with a conceptual understanding of AI and its applications through real-world medical case studies using machine learning models. The cost for this program is $750 and Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits are available upon completion issued by the Carle health system and the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine.
Artificial intelligence is poised to make a significant impact throughout healthcare systems. Current applications of AI in healthcare include disease diagnostics, health monitoring, enhancing electronic healthcare records and clinical decision support. However, existing AI training courses on the market are largely targeted at students with coding skills and who plan to develop AI tools. The purpose of this course is to familiarize clinicians with the key concepts and applications of AI in medicine. This course is intended for physicians, physician assistants, medical students, nurse practitioners, veterinarians and veterinary technicians. “We have created this program to meet an urgent need for AI training in the healthcare community,” said Mark A. Anastasio, Donald Biggar Willett Professor in Engineering and head of the department of bioengineering.
The AI in Medicine program is divided into six modules and delivered by Dr. Kevin R. Teal, a staff neurosurgeon at the Carle Foundation Hospital:
- Module 1 – Establish key concepts of artificial intelligence and machine learning and recognize their differences.
- Module 2 – Deep dive into subfields of machine learning and statistical learning grounded in clinical examples.
- Module 3 – Understand how to train artificial neural networks to learn from data through deep learning.
- Module 4 – Consider the value of medical data and the role of clinicians in the development and training of machine learning tools.
- Module 5 – Examine ethical, regulatory and legal topics while using machine learning models in clinical settings.
- Module 6 – Explore real-world applications of AI in medicine for diagnosing diseases, interpreting tests and processing electronic healthcare records.
By the end of this course, students will be able to read literature related to artificial intelligence in medicine, understand how data-driven decisions are made and assessed, identify and define different types of artificial intelligence tools and techniques used in medicine and actively participate in the selection and purchase of AI-based medical software. This program empowers healthcare providers to more effectively partner with computer science professionals and interact with vendors.
“The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is a global hub where technological innovations meet medical advancements,” said Anastasio. One such example is the formation of The Carle Illinois College of Medicine in 2018, the first engineering-based medical school in the world that seeks to educate the next generation of physician innovators to bridge technology with healthcare delivery.
Illinois is a leader in the field of artificial intelligence. Within the department of bioengineering, faculty are leveraging AI to assemble digital biopsies, diagnose diseases, and synthese novel materials. Significant federal and private investments have also been made to further accelerate AI-related breakthroughs at Illinois including a 10-year $200 million investment from IBM to launch the Discovery Accelerator Institute.
As part of this certificate, students will have exclusive access to connect with artificial intelligence experts at the university through weekly virtual office hours. “Our goal is to prepare students in this program to lead the future of medicine,” said Anastasio.
