(KNOX) – The University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences is exploring the idea of creating a hub for artificial intelligence in North Dakota’s healthcare. This hub would support both providers and students.
Monson Endowed Chair for Medical Education Richard Van Eck, who is also an associate dean for teaching and learning at the school and one of the chairs of UND’s AI Collective says the conversation around AI at the med school started roughly two years ago with an informal discussion group.
Van Eck says an AI hub would do three different things. It would work with rural healthcare organizations to help them build AI solutions for problems they encounter, create research partnerships, and it would support training students on AI competencies.
The medicine and health sciences school has a formal AI committee, as well as multiple advisory groups apart of the school. The committee says they are focused on teaching and learning, research and development, policy and guidance.
Van Eck has also tried to help inform the Grand Forks community about AI. He held a community class on June 1, focused on AI in healthcare. He explained some basics of AI, such as the difference between generative AI and deep learning. He also discussed different uses for AI and what challenges and benefits AI brings.
He shared an example of an AI model that involves pancreatic cancer. The AI was 90% accurate in detecting lesions and it was able to do so one year earlier than a radiologist would. Another AI example that was built in 2024 was able to detect cancerous and benign tumors at an accuracy rate between 92% and 97%.
At Mayo Clinic alone, there are 108 AI models being used in everyday practice, and there are 375 currently being developed. Mayo Clinic has partnered with Microsoft to build an AI health tool based on historical patient data.
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