New Delhi: International Institute of Information Technology Hyderabad (IIITH) has launched an online course on ‘AI for Medical Professionals’, in collaboration with National Academy of Medical Sciences (NAMS), an autonomous organization under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, and IHub-Data.
The 12-week online orientation course on AI for Medical Professionals will equip medical professionals with the requisite skills needed to understand, evaluate, and apply AI technologies in clinical settings, improving patient care and operational efficiency. It covers both theory and tutorials covering the basics of AI, machine learning, deep learning, and case studies on clinical applications involving screening, diagnosis, prognosis, and patient management.
Participants will also explore ethical and governance issues in the use of AI tools and techniques. Delivered through video lectures, weekly contact sessions, and case studies, the course includes quizzes, assignments, and assessments, leading to certification upon completion.
The government is launching the PAIR programme to boost research in higher education institutions by linking top-tier research institutions with those having limited capabilities. The ANRF will also introduce the MAHA programme focusing on critical research areas and establish Centres of Excellence to elevate India’s global scientific standing.
Around 200 medical professionals, which include senior faculty/research members from premier medical institutions, with postgraduate degrees across 41 specialities spread over 24 states and 56 cities across the country, are participating in the program. Eminent faculty mentors from IIITH and NAMS are involved in delivering this course. Professor Abhay Karandikar, Secretary of DST; Dr. Shiv Kumar Sarin, President of NAMS; and Prof. P J Narayanan, Director of IIIT Hyderabad launched this first-of-its-kind course virtually.
Speaking at the virtual inauguration, Professor P J Narayanan, Director of IIIT Hyderabad, said, “IIITH is proud to partner with NAMS on this initiative. As the top ranking institute in AI research in India, we feel it’s imperative to share our expertise in making AI more accessible to the medical fraternity, not only to provide useful and rare AI insights to medical professionals, to enhance their judgments and diagnosis, but also in modern drug discovery.”
Professor Shiv Kumar Sarin, President of NAMS, said, “This AI course will enable medical professionals to understand and use transformative technologies like AI in diagnosis and treatment of patients. Medicine is both an art and science, the competencies of doctors and engineers can be pooled to develop AI supported solutions in medicine. I am sure over a period of time, such a program will become an integral part of the medical curriculum, and medical students will be able to understand and use AI technologies in healthcare.”
The government plans to engage retired scientists and professors as mentors for universities with lower rankings under the ‘Prime Minister Professorship’ initiative. This includes substantial funding and resources to build research groups. Additionally, the PAIR programme aims to foster collaboration between research-intensive institutions and those with limited research capabilities.
Commending the course, Dr Abhay Karandikar, Secretary, Department of Science & Technology, Government of India, said, “We need supportive technologies like AI, to help doctors extend healthcare to a larger population, especially in rural areas. Engineers and doctors need to work together to assure solutions that will benefit society at large. This course is a step in the right direction.”
About IIIT-Hyderabad The International Institute of Information Technology Hyderabad (IIITH) is an autonomous research university founded in 1998 that focuses on the core areas of Information Technology, such as Computer Science, Electronics and Communications, and their applications in other domains, through interdisciplinary research that has a greater social impact.
Some of its research domains include Visual Information Technologies, Human Language Technologies, Data Engineering, VLSI and Embedded Systems, Computer Architecture, Wireless Communications, Algorithms and Information Security, Robotics, Building Science, Earthquake Engineering, Computational Natural Sciences and Bioinformatics, Education Technologies, Power Systems, IT in Agriculture and e-Governance.
