GHTC 2024 will feature two workshops on Wednesday, October 23
Workshop Title: Effective AI for Social Good
Presenters:
- Ishan Shah, Research Engineer, AI group at Global Health Labs.
- Charles Delahunt, Senior Research Engineer, AI group at Global Health Labs.
Abstract:
AI methods have greatly increased in power and maturity in recent years, and if applied correctly they can have tremendous impact for good in areas such as health care in low resource settings. But AI solutions, however well-intentioned, are guaranteed to fail if they are mismatched to the needs of the targeted use case. Therefore, as a necessary condition of success, we must fully understand the constraints and needs of the use case, and we must design these elements into the AI development process at every step.
In this workshop, we will describe this design process, aided by concrete examples from our work on AI for global health. Attendees will bring away core principles and specific techniques to enable design of AI for successful deployment and impact.
Agenda:
Tutorial (2 hours):
1. Introduction and context
2. Short talks (~20 minutes + Q-A) highlighting particular topics, with examples from global health projects. Topics:
a. The promise and obstacles for AI in global health
b. Understanding the deployment ecosystem
c. Centering the use-case and performance requirements
d. Tailoring ML evaluation metrics and loss functions to the use-case
e. Data: collecting, annotating, and cleaning
f. The central role of domain experts and field partners
3. Discussion, further resources, closing remarks
Outcomes:
Attendees will bring away core principles and specific techniques to enable design of AI for successful deployment and impact. While the examples are drawn from global health, the principles apply broadly to any AI use-case.
Presenter Bios:
Ishan Shah joined the AI team at GH Labs in 2021 as a Research Engineer and has primarily worked on the development and analysis of visual deep learning models to detect cervical precancer in low-resource settings. Previously, he completed his Master’s degree in data science from Stanford University and helped build deep learning algorithms for digital pathology slides at pharmaceutical company Roche.
Charles Delahunt is a Senior Research Engineer on the AI team at GH Labs and has applied AI to global health challenges for over 10 years. He has also held a postdoc researching ML methods at University of Washington’s applied math department. He serves on the scientific committee of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene; has advised the WHO on digital microscopy for malaria; and serves on the board of RISE-MICCAI, which works to increase participation of LMIC-based researchers in the AI community.
Global Health Labs, Inc (GH Labs) innovates to reduce health disparities, especially in low- and middle-income countries. As a nonprofit corporation fully funded by Gates Ventures (the private office of Bill Gates), GH Labs partners with the Gates Foundation and other cross-sector leaders to develop health technology solutions for the people who need them most.
Workshop Title: Humanitarian Engineering Education Programs
Presenters:
Kevin Moore, Executive Director, Humanitarian Engineering Program, Colorado School of Mines
Lin Yong, Chair, Humanitarian Engineering Minor, Miami University School of Engineering
Brian Thomas, Senior Lecturer in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Baylor University
Abstract:
This panel session and participatory workshop addresses the organization and content of Humanitarian Engineering (HE) educational programs, with the primary goal of identifying the frameworks, body of knowledge and current practices commonly found in such programs. We hope to conclude the session with some agreement on a standardized subset of knowledge that would be expected to be found in a course or program titled “Humanitarian Engineering” or similar. A second goal is to develop a network of educators in this space who can exchange ideas and best practices.
In the session selected panelists will frame questions for audience members to address individually and in groups, in a workshop format. Session activities will identify the essential (and hopefully common) body of knowledge in HE programs in two broad areas: 1) foundational conceptual knowledge that motivates and informs HE programs and 2) specific topics that should be included in these programs. Throughout, collaborative online data collection tools will be used, so participants will need to have a mobile device.
Organizers/Presenters:
Kevin Moore, Colorado School of Mines: Kevin Moore is the Executive Director of the Humanitarian Engineering Program at the Colorado School of Mines (Mines), where he is a Professor in the Department of Engineering, Design, and Society and in the Department of Electrical Engineering. He has held faculty and leadership positions at multiple universities and has significant industry and consulting experience. He interests include control systems, robotics, and their applications, senior design pedagogy, accreditation and curriculum design, and humanitarian engineering.
Lin Yong, Miami University: Dr. Lin is a faculty member and Chair of the Humanitarian Engineering Minor at Miami University’s School of Engineering, where he focuses on integrating humanitarian principles into engineering solutions to tackle critical global challenges. As a co-founder of GrowChild.org, a nonprofit organization, he leads efforts to address two pressing issues: converting e-waste, specifically landfilled computers, into educational tools to mitigate environmental impact, and providing low-income families with essential resources to help children escape poverty through education.
With over 20 years of industry experience at Fortune 500 companies, Dr. Lin brings a wealth of expertise to his role. He has also made significant contributions to public service, serving as an advisory board member for the Ohio State government’s Minority Development Financing Advisory Board since 2013.
Brian Thomas, Baylor University: Brian Thomas, Baylor University: Brian is a Senior Lecturer in Electrical and Computer Engineering and is the Faculty-in-Residence at the Gordon Teal Residential College at Baylor. He is a leader of Baylor’s efforts in humanitarian engineering, both in curricular development and teaching. He has held positions in academia and industry and is a founder of a nonprofit organization focused on energy access. At Baylor he has taught a wide range of courses, including ethics, technologies for development, renewable energy, and design. He has also led many international humanitarian engineering projects.