By Erin Jester
As artificial intelligence becomes ubiquitous in our lives, how can students, instructors and the health industry harness its power — responsibly — for maximum benefit?
The fifth annual UF Data and Artificial Intelligence Symposium, or DAISY, workshop brought together students, faculty from three of UF’s colleges and an industry leader in the field of generative AI application in pharmaceutical settings to try to answer that question.
DAISY’s theme evolves each year based on trends in technology as well as feedback on past events, said Mattia Prosperi, Ph.D., a professor of epidemiology and associate dean for AI and innovation in the UF College of Public Health and Health Professions. This year, the workshop joined forces with the campuswide AI Days event, meant to showcase artificial intelligence innovations across UF’s colleges and beyond.
Junshui Ma, Ph.D., the associate vice president and head of the biometrics research department at Merck Research Laboratories, gave a keynote presentation about his own journey with generative AI.
“We know generative AI right now is defining a new era in technology, culture and economics, and indeed in many other areas,” Ma said. “Humanity is heading toward an uncertain future, but no one can put the genie back in the bottle.”
Despite massive investment in generative AI, Ma said, productivity will remain elusive unless companies build workforces for the age of AI. To achieve that, Ma taught himself how to use generative AI, then built a small team of dedicated AI employees and challenged them to come up with a practical biotechnology tool.
“It was a great example of how curiosity and initiative can create real value inside such a large organization,” said Noah Hammarlund, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the PHHP Department of Health Services Research, Management and Policy.
In a panel focused on how academia and industry can collaborate earlier and more effectively, moderated by Hammarlund, participants stressed that students need to know not only how to use generative AI responsibly, but how to be good researchers.
“It’s very important that students know how to manage data,” said Gabriel Pundrich, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Fischer School of Accounting at the UF Warrington College of Business.
Pundrich was joined by Serena Guo, M.D., Ph.D., an assistant professor in the College of Pharmacy’s Department of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy; Almut Winterstein, Ph.D., a distinguished professor in the College of Pharmacy and founding director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Safety; and Ragnhildur Bjarnadottir, Ph.D., an associate professor in the College of Nursing’s Department of Family, Community and Health Systems Science.
Panelists discussed leaning into AI use as educators and encouraging students to use AI tools critically, complementing their own skills rather than substituting their own critical thinking.
The event also highlighted the work of Md Mahmudul Hasan, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the College of Pharmacy’s Department of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy, who discussed his development of AI tools to predict treatment dropout and relapse in opioid use disorder with the goal of helping clinicians personalize care.
“To me, the common thread was adaptability, from industry partners using generative AI creatively to students using it critically and clinicians applying it responsibly,” Hammarlund said. “That spirit of continuous learning and openness makes the field so dynamic right now.”
PHHP’s collaborators on DAISY include the AI2 Center, the College of Nursing, the College of Pharmacy, the Warrington College of Business, the Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory, and the Emerging Pathogens Institute.