MSc Health Informatics -Digital Health

Students on the MSc in Health Informatics programme were delighted to welcome Ian Bolton (Tech Skills UK) Beth Williams MIRP, Stephen Blakeney and Celeste Olayinka to a session on Employability. The session was both informative, and interactive and provided excellent advice and information from the front line of industry on how to improve your chances in the ever increasingly stressful jobs market. As Health Informaticians, we know this area is developing and the number of job vacancies is growing in tandem. However, competition can be fierce and students were given practical help and guidance on topics such as constructing your CV, interview etiquette and how to fully prepare for work in the UK. We look forward to our next session with TechSkills.org in July and to another session with equally fantastic speakers!

One of our current students, who is a GP Registrar is looking for participants examining the use of AI for medical transcribing. If you fit the profile and are interested please get in touch with him directly.

Sometimes it pays to be the tortoise in the story of the hare and the tortoise. Never more so when it comes to publishing. I am very pleased to announce that one of our former students, who graduated some years ago, has published his dissertation. Johnny Ofori never gave up on his dream to have his research published, and despite rejections (common for first time researchers) simply kept on going. It's this tenacious spirit we love to see in all our students, past and present. He has now contributed to the world of Health Informatics and is an example to each and everyone of us, on just how important it is to simply keep on going! The teaching team want to say many congratulations! You are an inspiration to us all.

Artificial Intelligence – the Ultimate Slave Master?

In a recent interview the Chief Executive of Google, Sundar Pichai, stated that people should not “blindly trust” AI, urging cautious use balanced against the use of other tools. I felt like I was hearing my own thoughts echoed and inwardly said “at last” ! Someone else is thinking what I am. Now, don’t get me wrong. I wholeheartedly support the use of AI in certain circumstances. It is phenomenally good at aiding diagnoses when used in radiology. It excels in helping to analyse large datasets and improving pharmaceutical interventions. When used in direct healthcare it can alert healthcare professionals to increased risk in patients. So we can see that artificial intelligence has the potential to contribute positively to healthcare in a variety of ways.

The issue I have with AI is that ultimately, it robs us of one of our most precious gifts – the ability to think analytically and critically. As an academic, these are the things we teach our students, and to treasure as a life long skill. However, when AI is ubiquitous and so easy to use, why do we need to bother to think at all?

The answer lies in the future and what we want that future to look like. As humans, as academics, as researchers and most importantly as students we dare not lose our critical thinking skills. The danger ahead is that because of the ease of use of AI, we let it take over in the decision making process and in doing that, lose our autonomy. Once we lose autonomy we lose control and as Stephen Hawking famously said.....

“The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race….It would take off on its own, and re-design itself at an ever increasing rate. Humans, who are limited by slow biological evolution, couldn’t compete, and would be superseded.”

I don’t know about you, but I don’t really fancy the idea of being eliminated – well not just yet anyway! Be good to hear your thoughts about it.

Judy Jenkins
Programme Director MSc Health Informatics (Digital Health and Care)