SingHealth has established a new joint centre with Duke–NUS Medical School that focuses on research, education, and commercialisation of AI in healthcare.

The newly launched Artificial Intelligence in Medicine Institute (AIMI) under the SingHealth Duke–NUS Academic Medical Centre aims, among other things, to empower healthcare professionals to develop and apply AI-driven solutions.

One of the institute's focus areas is promoting bench-to-bedside AI research by providing access to resources, grants and local and global expertise in healthcare AI. 

It will also support AI governance efforts to regulate the use of AI in the health ecosystem and push for ethical treatment of healthcare data. 

AIMI will also back the commercialisation and licensing of AI innovation and spin-off of AI-driven startups and foster local and global collaborations.  

Furthermore, AIMI will provide training programmes, mentorships, and conferences to promote the education of healthcare professionals and the public on health AI. As part of this, the institute is set to launch its first online training series providing foundational insights into the unique considerations and applications of AI in healthcare.

"Beyond technology, we aim to cultivate future leaders who will drive AI advancements through strategic collaborations and education," Liu Nan, Duke–NUS Medical School associate professor and co-director of AIMI.

THE LARGER TREND

Just last month February, SingHealth entered into a new memorandum of understanding with Royal Philips for a range of AI integrations. They will work together on three major projects: embedding AI in digital image workflows, next-generation data analytics, and AI-driven smart ICU. 

Alongside launching AIMI, SingHealth also announced its two-year partnership with the United States-based Coalition for Health AI (CHAI), a non-profit promoting guidelines and best practices for responsible AI use in healthcare. 

A first international collaboration for CHAI, the partnership with SingHealth will develop AI guidelines, white papers, publications and policy recommendations featuring global best practices and regulatory insights "to strengthen governance around AI use in Singapore's healthcare system."

The partners will also collaborate to create educational materials and set up workshops to enhance AI literacy and responsible AI use among clinicians, developers, and consumers. 

Additionally, they are expected to host a global summit in Singapore, gathering key stakeholders to discuss AI governance, ethics, and implementation.