Save the Date: ADVANCE 2025 Fall Symposium

The AI Discovery & Vigilance to Accelerate Innovation & Clinical Excellence (ADVANCE) Center within the Department of Biomedical Informatics (DBMI) at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) invites you to attend its upcoming Fall 2025 Symposium: Translating AI Into Practice, which will be held on October 8-9, 2025, at Langford Auditorium on the VUMC campus. All are welcome to attend!

Please RSVP here: https://redcap.vumc.org/surveys/?s=KDEJH49CXPLAHA9N

ADVANCE within the Department of Biomedical Informatics at VUMC empowers interdisciplinary collaboration to address complex challenges and drive transformative innovations in artificial intelligence data analytics, machine learning, predictive modeling, and generative AI. The ADVANCE Fall 2025 Symposium will bring together leading experts, scholars, and practitioners in AI to discuss the latest developments, challenges, and future directions in Translating AI Into Practice.

We’re pleased to welcome two keynote speakers: Philip Payne, PhD, Chief Health AI Officer, WashU Medicine & BJC Health System (October 8); and Kedar Mate, MD, Founder & Chief Medical Officer, Qualified Health.

See a finalized agenda below. We strongly encourage in-person attendance; livestream links are provided to remote attendees below.

Location: Langford Auditorium (2209 Garland Ave, Nashville, TN 37232)
Parking: 25th Avenue Garage (2401 Highland Ave, Nashville, TN 37212); free parking

Wednesday, October 8, 2025
8:30 am – 4:30 pm CT
Breakfast and lunch served. Reception to follow; hors d'oeuvres and wine provided.

Thursday, October 9, 2025
8:30 am – 3:30 pm CT
Breakfast and lunch served.

View the latest ADVANCE info via LinkedIn posts from our ADVANCE leaders Peter Embi, Brad Malin, and Susannah Rose.

Below is the schedule for the ADVANCE Fall 2025 Symposium:

Day 1: Wednesday, October 8, 2025

8:30-9:00 am: Breakfast

9:00-9:05 am: Opening Remarks
9:05-9:30 am: Welcome Presentations
9:30-10:45 am: Session 1 panel “AI Broad Basics”
Virtual Link for Opening Remarks through Session 1 can be viewed here

10:45-11:00 am: Break

11:00 am-12:15 pm: Session 2 panel “AI at the Bench”
Virtual Link for Session 2 can be viewed here

12:15-1:15 pm: Lunch Break

1:15-2:30 pm: Session 3 panel “AI at the Bedside”
Virtual Link for Session 3 can be viewed here

2:30-2:45 pm: Break

2:45-4:00 pm: Session 4 panel “AI for the Future”
Virtual Link for Session 4 can be viewed here

4:00-4:05 pm: Final Remarks
4:05-5:00 pm: Closing Keynote Talk ft. Philip Payne, PhD “From Overload to Insight: AI’s Role in Elevating Human Attention in Biomedicine”
Virtual Link for Final Remarks + Keynote Talk 1 can be viewed here

5:00-6:00 pm: Reception (Langford Auditorium Lobby)

Day 2: Thursday October 9, 2025

8:30-9:00 am: Breakfast

9:00-9:05 am: Opening remarks
9:05-9:30 am: Welcome Presentations
9:30-10:45 am: Session 6 panel “Governance & Monitoring”
Virtual Link for Opening Remarks through Session 6 panel can be viewed here

10:45-11:00 am: Break

11:00 am-12:15 pm: Session 7 panel “Lessons Learned”
Virtual Link for Session 7 can be viewed here

12:15-1:15 pm: Lunch Break

1:15-2:30 pm: Final Remarks
2:30-3:00 pm: Closing Keynote Talk ft. Kedar Mate, MD “Climbing a Mountain: Lessons on Scaling Innovations to Deliver on AI’s Promise”
Virtual Link for Final Remarks + Closing Keynote Talk 2 can be viewed here

**NOTE: This website may experience delayed updates. If you need immediate assistance or information or if you have questions, please contact mia.garchitorena@vumc.org.

Fall 2024 ADVANCE Symposium:
"The Future of Healthcare: Bridging AI Research & Human-Centered Solutions"

Have questions? Email mia.garchitorena@vumc.org!

Date/Time: Tuesday, November 5 (1:00 - 5:00 pm CT) - Wednesday, November 6, 2024 (8:00 am - 5:00 pm CT)
Location: Light Hall 208

Day 1: AI x Research 

Tuesday, Nov. 5 1:00 - 4:30 pm CT
Moderated by: Bradley Malin, PhD, Zhijun Yin, PhD & Daniel Fabbri, PhD
Location: Light Hall 208

1:00-1:05 pm: Opening remarks by Susannah Rose
1:05-1:30 pm: Welcome Presentation ft. Brad Malin
1:30-2:45 pm: "AI for Research and Discovery" ft. Zhijun Yin (moderator), Adam Wright, Josh Peterson, Thomas Lasko, Michael Matheny, Bingshan Li
2:45-3:00 pm: Break
3:00-4:15 pm: "AI in Healthcare Applications" ft. Daniel Fabbri (moderator), Jared Grice, Cathy Shyr, and Daniel Moyer
4:30-5:30 pm: Reception 

Virtual link for "AI for Research and Discovery" can be viewed here.
Virtual link for "AI in Healthcare Applications" can be viewed here. 
Stream via Microsoft Teams here.

Day 2: AI in Clinical Settings & Ethical Implications of AI 

Wednesday, Nov. 6, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm CT
Moderated by: Peter Embi, MD, MS & Colin Walsh, MD, MA; Jeff Upperman, MD, FAAP, FACS & Matt Weinger, MD, MS
Location: Light Hall 208 & Lobby
NOTE: Separate virtual links are available for each session below. 
Remote attendees can also access the entirety of the Symposium & Discovery Lecture talk via Microsoft Teams link (streaming 8:00 am - 5:00 pm CT) here. 

Session 1: "Knowing"
8:00-8:30 am CT: Breakfast
8:30-8:35 am CT: Opening remarks by Susannah Rose
8:35-9:00 am CT: Welcome Presentation ft. Peter Embi
9:00-10:15 am CT: "Knowing" Session 
ft. Colin Walsh (moderator), Alvin Jeffery, Jacob Franklin, Jessica Korona (TN Dept of Health) and Donald S. Thielemann (Co-Chair, AI Patient & Family Advisory Group)

Virtual link for Session 1 can be accessed here.

10:15 am—10:30 am CT: BREAK

Session 2: "Doing"
10:30 am-12:00 pm CT: "How Can AI Improve Care, Life & Work at VUMC?" / Live AI Consultation
ft. Peter Embi & Colin Walsh (moderators), Daniel Fabbri, Laurie Novak, Susannah Rose

Participants: Tena Job, Caroline Bauke, Allison McCoy, Amber Massey

Virtual link for Session 2 can be accessed here.

12:00 pm—1:00 pm CT: LUNCH BREAK

Session 3:
1:00-1:50 pm CT: "How Should AI Ethically Resolve Real-World Clinical Problems?"
ft. Jeff Upperman (moderator), Yaa Kumah-Crystal, Susannah Rose, Jon Schoenecker, Daniel Fabbri

Virtual link for Session 3 can be accessed here.

1:50 pm—2:10 pm: BREAK

Session 4:
2:10-3:00 pm CT: "Human Values & Design in Health AI" 
ft. Matt Weinger (moderator), Laurie Novak, Megan Salwei, Shilo Anders and Carrie Reale

Virtual link for Session 4 can be accessed here.

3:00 pm—4:00 pm CT: Networking Session

Concluding with: VUMC Discovery Lecture Series 
4:00 - 5:00 pm CT in Light Hall 208
Featuring: Eric Horvitz, MD, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer of Microsoft
co-sponsored by the Department of Biomedical Informatics and the VUMC Office of Research

Virtual link for the Discovery Lecture talk can be accessed here. 

"ADVANCE" Center Launch Event

Friday, March 8, 2024 from 2:00 to 4:30 pm CT at Langford Auditorium

Questions? Email mia.garchitorena@vumc.org

EVENT SCHEDULE

2:00 - 2:10 pm — INTRO by Peter Embi, MD, MS & Brad Malin, PhD

Panel #1: AI RESEARCH (2:13 - 2:28 pm — Moderated by Jeff Carr, MD)

• Sharon Davis, PhD, Research Assistant Professor in DBMI
• Bennett Landman, PhD, Stevenson Chair, Professor and Department Chair of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Biomedical Engineering
• Amir Asiaee, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Biostatistics

Panel #2: AI in CLINICAL PRACTICE (2:31 - 2:46 pm — Moderated by Michael Matheny, MD, MS, MPH)

• Dara Mize, MD, MS, Chief Medical Information Officer at VUMC
• Jeff Upperman, MD, Professor and Chair, Pediatric Surgery; Vice Chair, Pediatric Surgical Services
• Dan Brown, MD, Interim Chair, Department of Radiology & Radiological Sciences

Panel #3: AI ETHICS  (2:49 - 3:04 pm — Moderated by Laurie Novak, PhD, MHSA)

• Susannah Rose, MSSW, PhD, Core Faculty in Bioethics, Assistant Professor in DBMI & Health Policy
• Ellen Clayton, MD, JD, Craig-Weaver Professor of Pediatrics, Professor of Law, Center for Biomedical Ethics & Society
• Martin Were, MD, MS, Professor of Biomedical Informatics and Medicine

3:05 - 3:20 pm — FINAL REMARKS by Peter Embi & Brad Malin

3:20 - 4:30 pm — RECEPTION

Below is a list of events where members of our ADVANCE Center and the Department of Biomedical Informatics were invited to speak about artificial intelligence: 

"Using Large Language Models to Optimize Clinical Decision Support and Patient-Provider Communication"
Open Insights Seminar, Department of Biomedical Informatics at Harvard Medical School (Feb. 25, 2025) 
ft. Siru Liu, Assistant Professor of Biomedical Informatics and Computer Science 

The VUMC Pediatric Office of the Surgeon-in-Chief (OSIC) hosted the OSIC Innovation Summit: AI in Healthcare on September 9, 2024 in collaboration with the ADVANCE Center within the Department of Biomedical Informatics and the Brock Family Center for Applied Innovation.

The summit focused on the cutting-edge applications of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare, exploring how AI is transforming patient care, enhancing surgical precision, and improving clinical workflows. Our panel of experts will share their insights and experiences, followed by an interactive discussion with attendees. 

Expert Panelists: 

Ken Holroyd, MD, MBA

Specialty: Leading collaboration and commercialization in Healthcare AI
Highlight: A leader in bringing AI innovation into clinical practice, Dr. Holroyd is known for driving AI solutions that improve patient care and streamline operations. 

Yaa Kumah-Crystal, MD, MPH, MS

Specialty: Voice Assistant Technologies in Healthcare
Highlight: Dr. Kumah-Crystal pioneers the integration of voice-assisted technologies in healthcare, aiming to enhance clinical workflows and patient engagement.

Eunice Huang, MD, MS, FACS, FAAP

Specialty: Leveraging AI to enhance surgical precision, improve patient outcomes, and streamline surgical workflows
Highlight: Dr. Huang is recognized for her innovative work in utilizing AI to advance surgical techniques and outcomes

Susannah Rose, MSSW, PhD

Specialty: Ethics of AI in Healthcare
Highlight: Dr. Rose leads the AI ethics consultation services, ensuring the resposible and ethical integration of AI technologies in clinical settings. 

Moderator:

Jeffrey Upperman, MD, FACS, FAAP, Surgeon-in-Chief

Dr. Upperman facilitated the discussion, guiding the panelists through key topics and engaging with the audience for an interactive and thought-provoking session. 

TBD