CTSA News

HERSHEY, Pa. — Rural hospitals are facing unprecedented challenges, with patients traveling farther for care and rural populations experiencing higher mortality rates from heart disease, cancer, injury and stroke. Artificial intelligence (AI) and data science have the potential to bridge this gap through improved diagnosis, monitoring, and decision support.

To lead this critical charge, two Penn State institutes are bringing together clinical frontline workers and technology experts for a unique "research matchmaking" event.

The workshop, titled "Frontiers of Rural Health & AI: Planning for Rural Pennsylvania," will take place on Oct. 30 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the University Conference Center in Hershey. Co-organized by Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) and Penn State Institute for Computational and Data Sciences (ICDS), the event aims to identify priority research areas that will directly serve rural communities in Pennsylvania — which has 48 out of 67 counties classified as rural — and across the nation. Registration is required.

Matchmaking and collaboration

The day’s agenda is designed to spark immediate collaboration, according to event organizers. The primary goal of the event is to explicitly match the healthcare needs and clinical challenges faced by Penn State Health and College of Medicine professionals with the AI and data science expertise of researchers from Penn State Harrisburg and University Park.

The event will kick off with a series of five-minute "flash talks." Participants will share a challenge they are facing in their role that could benefit from an AI solution, or an AI solution they are expert in that could benefit from a clinical problem. These talks are meant to share ideas and present immediate opportunities for innovation.

The afternoon will transition into a working lunch and breakout sessions led by faculty and staff. During these sessions, workgroups will take the ideas generated from the flash talks — along with other interest areas designated by the planning team — to the next step. Groups will rank research priorities, formulate plans for research proposals, and solidify their interdisciplinary research teams. Collaborative research priorities will be identified through this interactive process.

How to attend

The workshop is open to faculty, staff and clinicians from Penn State Harrisburg, University Park, Penn State Health and the College of Medicine. Clinicians, public health researchers, engineers, computer and data scientists, and colleagues in business, agriculture and the social sciences are all encouraged to attend.

Space is strictly limited to 50 participants on a first-come, first-served basis, and lunch will be provided.

Those interested in shaping the future of rural health can register and indicate their interest in giving a flash talk. Directions to the University Conference Center will be provided in the registration confirmation email. For further information, please contact Soundar Kumara or Jennifer Kraschnewski.