IIIT Hyderabad Launches Online Course in AI for Medical Professionals

Hyderabad: International Institute of Information Technology Hyderabad (IIITH) has launched an online course in AI for Medical Professionals in collaboration with the National Academy of Medical Sciences (NAMS), an autonomous organisation under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, and IHub-Data.

The 12-week online orientation course in AI for Medical Professionals will equip them with the requisite skills needed to understand, evaluate, and apply AI technologies in clinical settings, improving patient care and operational efficiency. It covers both theory and tutorials covering the basics of AI, machine learning, deep learning, and case studies on clinical applications involving screening, diagnosis, prognosis, and patient management.

Participants will also explore ethical and governance issues using AI tools and techniques. Delivered through video lectures, weekly contact sessions, and case studies, the course includes quizzes, assignments, and assessments, leading to certification upon completion. Around 200 medical professionals which include senior faculty/research members from premier medical institutions with postgraduate degrees across 41 specialties spread over 24 states and 56 cities across the country are participating in the program. Eminent faculty mentors from IIITH and NAMS are involved in delivering this course.

P J Narayanan, Director of IIIT Hyderabad said, “IIITH is proud to partner with NAMS on this initiative. As the top-ranking institute in AI research in India, we feel it's imperative to share our expertise in making AI more accessible to the medical fraternity, not only to provide useful and rare AI insights to medical professionals to enhance their judgments and diagnosis but also in modern drug discovery.”

Shiv Kumar Sarin, President of NAMS said, “This AI course will enable medical professionals to understand and use transformative technologies like AI in diagnosis and treatment of patients. Medicine is both an art and a science, the competencies of doctors and engineers can be pooled to develop AI-supported solutions in medicine”.

Dr Abhay Karandikar, Secretary, Department of Science & Technology, Government of India, said, “We need supportive technologies like AI to help doctors extend healthcare to a larger population, especially in rural areas. Engineers and doctors must work together to ensure solutions that will benefit society. This course is a step in the right direction.”