The Certificate Program for Basic Training in Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare, organized in collaboration between Middle East Technical University and the Ministry of Health, started on June 8.
The opening event was attended by Huzeyfe Yılmaz, the Deputy Minister of Health, and Prof. M. Verşan Kök, the President of Middle East Technical University. The training program that includes 25 staff members and doctors from the Ministry of Health will continue at the METU Graduate School of Informatics until July 8. Participants of the program will contribute to the development of new projects within the Ministry of Health.
Based on rapid advancement of digitalization in healthcare and the increasing role of artificial intelligence technologies in health systems, the program organized in collaboration between the Ministry of Health and METU aims to strengthen Turkey’s vision of artificial intelligence in its healthcare system. The program seeks to equip the healthcare personnel with certain competencies in the administrative and clinical use of artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence can be used for administrative purposes such as improving health management systems, efficient use of hospital capacity, reducing errors and fraud cases, as well as cost and quality control. Additionally, it can also be utilized for clinical purposes, including early diagnosis and intervention, tracking of test results, the use of image analysis tools, robotic surgery, personalized treatment, and clinical decision-making.
As the training program continues from June 8 to July 8, 2024, participants will develop and propose their own projects under the guidance of trainers and in collaboration with engineers developing artificial intelligence applications. By the end of the program, participants will be expected to have gained the ability to use the information provided by existing data sources in the most convenient and efficient ways while considering the sensitivities required by the nature of health data. Aiming to make significant contributions to improving the healthcare system in Turkey by uncovering the potential of artificial intelligence in healthcare services, the training program will conclude with the presentation of selected projects at a workshop to be held on July 8.
The training program has been organized under the coordination of Prof. Banu Günel, the Director of METU Graduate School of Informatics, and Assoc. Prof. Yeşim Aydın Son, the Chair of the Department of Medical Informatics, and a total of 13 expert trainers in their respective fields contributed to the creation and development of the program’s content.
Some of the experts to take part in the training program as trainers include Asst. Prof. Aybar Can Acar and Asst. Prof. Burçak Otlu from the METU Department of Medical Informatics; Assoc. Prof. Elif Sürer, the Chair of the Department of Multimedia Informatics; along with Assoc. Prof. Erdem Akagündüz from the same department; Assoc. Prof. Cihangir Tezcan, the Chair of the Department of Cybersecurity; along with Asst. Prof. Fatih Öğmen from the same department; and Assoc. Prof. Barbaros Yet, the Chair of the Department of Cognitive Science. Furthermore, experts from the Artificial Intelligence Unit operating under the Ministry of Health, coordinated by Dr. Ahmet Görkem Er and Dr. Güray Arık, will contribute to the program, along with Prof. Tunca Doğan from the Department of Artificial Intelligence Engineering at Hacettepe University. Additionally, Research Assistants Cahit Burduroğlu and Arif Ozan Kızıldağ will provide support to participants throughout the training program.
