Integrated AI for health imaging : CIFAR ― IVADO Solution Network holds its first meeting

The CIFAR ― IVADO Integrated AI for Health Imaging Solution Network recently held their kick-off meeting in Montréal, seeking advice and expertise from diverse partners, thus laying the groundwork for this ambitious initiative and charting the path forward.

Based in Montréal, Integrated AI for Health Imaging is working with interdisciplinary teams to find responsible ways to broadly implement assistive technology for doctors to aid them in gathering a better understanding of medical exam results.

As a world-leading consortium in AI research, training and knowledge mobilization, IVADO has partnered with CIFAR to fund this innovative three-year Solution Network. Launched in July 2023 alongside a second Solution Network on AI for diabetes prediction and prevention, this Network aims to develop specific AI solutions to improve health and health systems of Canadians.

Said Gagan Gill, Program Manager of the AI & Society portfolio of the Pan-Canadian AI Strategy at CIFAR:  “These CIFAR Solution Networks bring strong clinical and technological expertise together with an array of interdisciplinary excellence, from ethics and policy-making, to patient engagement, privacy and governance. This holistic approach is very much needed to effectively deploy AI and machine learning in healthcare, and we’re excited to see what’s ahead for these ground-breaking teams in advancing the use of AI for better health delivery and improved health for Canadians.”

AI to revolutionize medical imaging

Every year, billions of diagnostic exams are conducted in the Canadian healthcare system and yet there is no wide-ranging platform that connects across systems to assist healthcare workers in interpreting exam results.

That’s about to change, thanks to work from the Integrated AI for Health Imaging CIFAR Solution Network. The interdisciplinary team is working to create a custom software, called “PACS AI” that will safely combine AI with existing Pictures Archiving Communication System (PACS) technology, which is used in health systems across Canada to digitally store and transport medical images and reports.

The work will enable medical providers and researchers to integrate their work using AI across different data types (such as x-rays and echocardiograms) and in different health care systems and facilities. It will also provide AI fairness metrics to help clinicians better understand how reliable the findings are in different demographics, supporting physician decision-making as they care for patients from diverse backgrounds.

The pilot project is already being deployed in health centers, with built-in guardrails to ensure fairness, patient privacy and data security. For transparency, PACS AI will come with a “model fact sheet” with information about the models in use.

Over the next three years, the Solution Network members will expand PACS AI into more hospitals, training ‘champion physicians’ to use and administer the platform in each location.

The Network’s first meeting, held in Montreal in January, focused on the responsible deployment of AI in healthcare. Bringing together members of the Network and technical, ethical and legal experts in AI, data governance and healthcare, this round table explored in depth several challenges related to the development and deployment of the PACS IA software, while providing key insights that can be integrated in the coming months by the research team.

In lively discussions, participants explored the ethical and policy implications of using AI in clinical settings, as well as the challenges encountered when developing policies related to the deployment of responsible AI in healthcare.

Their next meeting will also focus on steps to deployment and sustainability, and what can be learned from others who have taken AI models from academia to the healthcare system.

“This is an opportunity to redefine the status quo of AI models in healthcare,” said Integrated AI for Health Imaging co-director Robert Avram. “This project will demonstrate the immense possibilities that AI can present in improving healthcare delivery and patient outcomes.”

Co-director Samuel Kadoury added “AI will have an impact on almost every industry and healthcare is no different. This project is a commitment to not only improving the Canadian healthcare system but ensuring that AI is integrated responsibly.”

Says Barbara Decelle, Health Research Advisor at IVADO, “We are pleased to partner with CIFAR to deliver this Solution Network and further our commitment to advancing responsible AI in Canada. This exciting new project will address the challenges of safe interoperability of data, a chronic stumbling block to being able to maximize the opportunities of AI in healthcare. This is an important step in strengthening Canadian leadership in AI development and deployment in healthcare settings.”

Information regarding our participation in the CIFAR Solution Network has been sourced from the communication authored by Justine Brooks of CIFAR. We extend our gratitude to CIFAR for its collaboration and permission to share this content.