Meet Florence, WHO’s AI-powered digital health worker

(Pharmaphorum)

An artificial intelligence-powered digital health worker has been unveiled by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as its latest tool for disseminating reliable health information to the public. Originally developed by New Zealand tech company Soul Machines, with support of the Qatar Ministry of Health, the first version of the virtual health worker was used to combat misinformation about the pandemic. The new version – dubbed Florence 2.0 – covers a broader range of topics. Along with advice on COVID-19 vaccines and treatments, it can also share advice on mental health, give tips to de-stress, provide guidance on how to eat healthily and be more active, and quit tobacco and e-cigarettes, according to the WHO.

The chatbot can currently converse in English, with Arabic, French, Spanish, Chinese, Hindi, and Russian to follow.

VR/AR Funding Falls As Metaverse Mass Adoption Still Not Reality

(Crunchbase)

One day, perhaps, we will spurn the two-dimensional screens that now dominate our attention in favor of the more immersive world of the metaverse. At present, however, that isn’t happening en masse. And as Meta’s staggering share price plunge on the heels of its pricey metaverse investments demonstrates, there’s lots of money to be lost in pursuit of that futuristic vision. Venture investors appear to be growing increasingly sensitive regarding those risks. That, at least, is one easy explanation for why funding to companies in the VR, augmented reality and virtual worlds categories has been dropping quarter over quarter since their peak in late 2021.

Highmark, Google, League Partner to Launch New Digital Health Platform

(Med City News)

The new platform is a “digital front door” for members, offered on the web and through the My Highmark app. It will help members with scheduling appointments, accessing primary care and urgent care, managing prescription drugs and other services. It will roll out in January. The new platform is a “digital front door” for members, offered on the web and through the My Highmark app. It will help members with scheduling appointments, accessing primary care and urgent care, managing prescription drugs and other services. It will roll out in January.

Immerse Global Summit (AR/VR Association)

Monday, December 5 – Wednesday, December 7, 2022

The Immerse Global Summit is a conference bringing together tech developers, creators, and individuals from across multiple industries. The event will feature conversations, talks, developer workshops, exhibits, and events led by globally leading companies and organizations, including an emphasis on AR/VR.

Mass General Brigham Speaker Series: Building A Best-In-Class Virtual Care Framework

Saturday, May 7 2022 – Friday, January 13, 2023

Mass General Brigham’s Virtual Care Speaker Series, led by our industry's most widely regarded stakeholders, thought leaders and policy experts, will feature a deep-dive into the evolving virtual care landscape and dig into how to build and optimize virtual care programs as a permanent modality in care delivery. Dynamic panels will lead in-depth discussions about advancing the reach of virtual and hybrid patient care at a critical time for hospitals and health care.

Patient Safety Technology Challenge

Submissions will be open from Thursday, December 1, 2022 - Tuesday, January 31, 2023

The Patient Safety Technology Challenge is designed to fuel the engagement of innovators in creating technology-enabled solutions and envisioning transformational approaches to reduce medical errors. The Futurist Patient Safety Transformation Award is meant to conceive anew who delivers what care, where, when, and how by incorporating modern technology, new professional roles, and new construction to achieve safe, optimal care. Three cash prizes of 1) $2500, 2) $1500 and 3) $1000, as well as a $2500 travel stipend for the first prize winner go to Philadelphia for the award acceptance are available

MIT Reality Hack | AR/VR Metaverse Hackathon

Apply as a Participant by Sunday, December 4, 2022

MIT Reality Hack is an annual community-run XR hackathon comprising thought leaders, brand mentors and creators, participants, students, and technology lovers, who come together and attend tech workshops, talks, discussions, fireside chats, collaborations, hacking, and more. Participants of various backgrounds and all skill levels attend from all over the world.

MGB Data Science Office Launches Service for Obtaining Radiologic Imaging Studies for Research

Accepting Requests on Rolling Basis

Looking for imaging studies for research? The Enterprise Medical Imaging team within the Data Science Office recently launched the Medical Imaging Data As A Service (MIDAS) that enable MGB investigators to obtain radiologic imaging studies for research purposes. The first product available under MIDAS is the Defined Exam Retrieval Service. Using this service, researchers can specify a list of imaging studies, up to 1,000 per request, to be retrieved from clinical imaging archives and stored in a temporary location that has security and access control based on IRB permissions.

Guidance for Sharing Model Code and Data as a Requirement for Publication

As AI/ML research continues to expand, there are increasing privacy concerns stemming from the publication or dissemination of model code, hyperparameters, weights, and training datasets. At the same time, in an effort to advance the field, ensure scientific reproducibility, and embrace open science, many journals and granting agencies are requiring machine learning model code with or without associated data to be shared as a requirement for publication. This document provides guidance for researchers as they consider when to publish and what elements to share as part of a discrete individual research project (i.e. not part of an on-going open source activity).

Harvard Clinical Informatics Lecture Series

Weekly lectures are held on Tuesdays at 12:00PM

The Harvard Clinical Informatics Lecture Series (HCILS) provides a forum for clinicians and researchers at HMS and beyond to learn the field of clinical informatics. The series addresses core topics in clinical informatics as outlined by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education as well as cutting edge research being done nationally.