Abu Dhabi: Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, member of the Executive Council of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, has attended the second Majlis Mohamed bin Zayed Ramadan lecture of the year, “Charting New Paths in Healthcare Technology.”
Dr. Catherine Mohr, President of the Intuitive Foundation, delivered the talk in the Majlis Mohamed bin Zayed location of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi.
During her talk, Dr. Mohr spoke on the “intersection of technology and healthcare,” going over the benefits of robotic surgery, AI, and machine learning, and how they affect patients, physicians, and students.
Dr. Mohr investigated the potential applications of developing technology in resolving “wicked problems,” or situations where there is a significant disparity between the clinician’s desired outcome and what is practically achievable for the patient.
She gave the example of diagnosing and treating lung cancer, describing a novel approach that combines machine learning algorithms with a robotic catheter to enable physicians to explore the bronchial tree, perform biopsies, and even remove tumors, significantly reducing treatment times and obviating the need for invasive surgery.
The discussion then shifted to education and the opportunities that technology presents, such as the capacity to analyze data from millions of treatments due to robotic surgery’s ability to make a surgeon’s motions visible. She went on to say, “We start to be able to characterize and understand expertise, and that helps us teach it,” when describing how this may help aspiring physicians.
The lecture was moderated by Dr Mishal AlQasimi, CEO of the Capital Health Specialized Rehabilitation Hospital and Health Shield Medical Center. It featured pre-recorded contributions from Dr Jorge Guzman, President and Chief Executive Officer at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi; Prof Humaid Alshamsi, Consultant and Director of Oncology at Burjeel Medical City; Dr Muna Tahlak, President of the International Hospital Federation; and Dr Walid Zaher, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Carexso.