Prof. Abdulaziz Ahmed
Talk Title
AI in Healthcare: From Research to Practice
Abstract
Artificial intelligence (AI) has significant potential to transform healthcare by improving clinical decision-making, optimizing healthcare operations, and enhancing patient outcomes. However, translating AI innovations into routine healthcare practice remains challenging. Despite advances in machine learning and predictive analytics, many AI solutions remain confined to research environments, with limited evidence of their effectiveness, usability, and sustainability in real-world clinical settings.
This presentation explores the journey of healthcare AI from idea to practice, emphasizing the importance of identifying clinically meaningful problems, engaging multidisciplinary stakeholders, developing reliable predictive models, and evaluating their impact before implementation. Particular attention will be given to bridging the gap between predictive accuracy and clinical utility, integrating AI into existing workflows, building clinician trust, and addressing challenges related to generalizability and sustainability.
Using emergency department overcrowding as a case study, the presentation will illustrate how an Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)-funded research project integrates machine learning, simulation, and clinical decision-support systems to support proactive healthcare management. The discussion will highlight lessons learned, implementation challenges, and practical strategies for moving AI innovations from research environments toward real-world healthcare applications.
Ultimately, the value of healthcare AI should be measured not only by its predictive performance but also by its ability to support better decisions, improve healthcare delivery, and generate sustainable real-world impact.
Speaker Biography
Abdulaziz Ahmed, PhD, is a tenured Associate Professor of Health Informatics in the Department of Health Services Administration, School of Health Professions, at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), USA. He also serves as Director of the Graduate Certificate in Artificial Intelligence in Health Services.
Dr. Ahmed earned his PhD in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Binghamton University, State University of New York, and his master's and bachelor's degrees in industrial engineering from Jordan University of Science and Technology.
Dr. Ahmed's research focuses on applying artificial intelligence, machine learning, predictive analytics, simulation modeling, and operations research to improve healthcare delivery, patient outcomes, and operational efficiency. His work particularly emphasizes clinical decision support, emergency department patient flow, hospital overcrowding, and the development and implementation of AI-driven healthcare solutions.
Dr. Ahmed serves as Contact Principal Investigator on major federally funded research projects supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), with a combined funding of nearly $5 million. His current research includes developing AI-based decision support systems to reduce emergency department return visits among patients with mental health conditions and predictive systems to mitigate emergency department overcrowding.
In addition to his research, Dr. Ahmed is actively engaged in graduate education, academic leadership, and professional service. He teaches healthcare data analytics and advanced quantitative methods, mentors graduate students and researchers, and serves as a reviewer and chair for NIH scientific review panels.