The Role of AI and Data Science in Revolutionizing Digital Health Seminar-FR and SJ

Event date(s): February 12, 2025
Time(s): 01:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Category: Both Campuses
Location: Both Campuses

Please join the Research Institute in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (RIDSAI) at our upcoming seminar on: The Role of AI and Data Science in Revolutionizing Digital Health.

The event will feature short presentations by UNB researchers, other Institutions and industry partners on this theme followed by refreshments and a networking opportunity. Comprehensive details are below, including speaker bios, talk titles, and abstracts. 

Date: Feb. 12, 1 - 3 p.m.         

Location: Research Commons Event Space (318), Harriet Irving Library, UNB Fredericton.

Kindly RSVP here. 

Please share this invitation with colleagues and students who share an interest in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence research. Your participation is invaluable as we collectively navigate the frontiers of these transformative fields.

Name of Presenter: Frank Rudzicz

Title: NLPrimum non nocere: Avoiding harm in LLMS for health

Abstract: This presentation examines the transformative role of AI in healthcare, highlighting advancements in diagnostics, resource allocation, and personalized medicine. We explore the challenges of integrating AI, such as addressing bias, ensuring data privacy, and navigating systematic constraints, while showcasing solutions like differential privacy and model debiasing. Through real-world use cases we provide an overview of how AI can enhance efficiency, improve outcomes, and shape patient care. 

Bio: Frank Rudzicz is an Associate Professor at Dalhousie University, founding faculty member at the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence, status professor at the University of Toronto, Killam Memorial Chair, and Canada CIFAR Chair in Artificial Intelligence. His work is in machine learning in healthcare, especially in natural language processing, speech recognition, and safe AI. His students have founded several companies in AI and Health that have had successful exits, including Winterlight Labs and Mutuo Health Solutions. His research has appeared in popular media such as Scientific American, Wired, CBC, and the New York Times, and in scientific press such as ACL, NeurIPS, JAMA, and Nature. 

Name of Presenters: Gerry Fairweather, Norm Deschamps and Lucas Jensen

Title:  Using hospital HL7 feeds for Analytics, AI, and Machine-learning 

Abstract: Healthcare organizations are increasingly leveraging HL7 production data feeds from hospital systems to unlock the potential of real-time analytics. By accessing this live stream of healthcare data as it moves seamlessly between systems, these organizations can actively monitor patient care, track key operational metrics, and make informed decisions in real time—eliminating the delays associated with traditional batch reporting. Such a continuous flow of data offers a dynamic view of hospital operations, empowering healthcare providers to respond swiftly to evolving situations and enhance patient outcomes through timely, data-driven insights and opening the door to Artificial Intelligence and Machine-learning insights.

Bios: Gerry Fairweather (UNB B.Sc. Eng. 1994, UNB M.Eng. 2003) is the former CIO for the Province of New Brunswick and current CIO of Vero Source, a HEALWELL AI digital healthcare company. Gerry leads Vero Source's Data & AI practice, which focuses on putting actionable data in the hands of patients, clinicians, and decision makers, including through the MyHealthNB app and web portal.

Gerry will be joined by Norman Deschamps, a Vero Source Senior Data Scientist with more than 15 years of experience wrangling data in various forms, and Lucas Jensen, a Vero Source Data Engineer with eight years of professional experience following his UNB BBA in 2017.

Name of Presenter: Dr Jennifer Russell

BIO: Dr. Jennifer Russell is the Executive Director of the University of New Brunswick's Institute of Population Health and President of the New Brunswick chapter of the Canadian College of Family Physicians. She previously served as New Brunswick's Chief Medical Officer of Health from 2018 to 2024, where she was recognized for her leadership during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Dr. Russell's career spans clinical practice in family medicine, mental health, and addictions, as well as extensive public health leadership. Before her time as Chief Medical Officer, she served as Deputy Chief from 2014 to 2018. She has also held roles as a medical officer in the Canadian Armed Forces and worked with the Horizon Health Network in Fredericton, focusing on opioid replacement therapy, mental health services, and hospital-based care.
Dr. Russell holds a Bachelor of Science from UNB, a Bachelor of Arts from Dalhousie University, and a medical degree from Memorial University of Newfoundland. She completed her family medicine residency at Dalhousie in 2001. She has been honored with an honorary Doctor of Laws from Mount Allison University and an honorary Doctorate in Health from Université de Moncton. She was named Canada's 2020 Physician of the Year for New Brunswick and invested into the Order of New Brunswick in 2021.

Building: Research Commons Event Space (318), Harriet Irving Library, UNB Fredericton.

Room Number: 318