Artificial intelligence (AI) driven by machine learning (ML) algorithms is a branch in computer science that is rapidly gaining popularity within the healthcare sector. Recent regulatory approvals of AI-driven companion diagnostics and other products are glimmers of a future in which these tools could play a key role by defining the way medicine will be practiced. Educating the next generation of medical professionals with the right ML techniques will enable them to become part of this emerging data science revolution.

BackgroundHealthcare-focused hackathons are 48-hour platforms intended to accelerate novel medical technology. However, debate exists about how much they contribute to medical technology innovation. The Consortium for Affordable Medical Technologies (CAMTech) has developed a three-pronged model to maximise their effectiveness. To gauge the success of this model, we examined follow-up outcomes.MethodsOutcomes of 12 hackathons from 2012 to 2015 in India, Uganda and the USA were measured using emailed surveys. To minimise response bias, non-responding teams were coded as having made no progress.Results331 individuals provided information on 196 of 356 projects (55.1% response rate), with no difference in responses from teams participating in different countries (Cramer's V=0.09, p=0.17). 30.3% of projects had made progress after a mean of 12.2 months. 88 (24.7%) teams had initiated pilot testing, with 42 (11.8%) piloting with care providers and 24 (6.7%) with patients. Overall, 97 teams (8.1 per hackathon) drafted business plans, 22 (1.8 per hackathon) had filed patents on their innovations and 15 (1.3 per hackathon) had formed new companies. Teams raised US$64.08 million in funding (average US$5.34 million per hackathon; median award size of $1800). In addition, 108 teams (30.3%) reported at least one member working on additional technologies with people they met at a hackathon. Individual confidence to address medical technology challenges was significantly increased after attending (t(1282)=192.77, p 0.001).ConclusionCAMTech healthcare hackathons lead to consistent output with respect to medical technology innovation, including clinical trials, business plan development, securing investment capital/funding and new company formation.

In the context of current U.S. racial justice movements, analysis of racism in medicine within medical education is a critical task for all institutions. To educate the next generation of physicians about racism in medicine and out of concern that the curriculum required critical assessment and change, a group of students and faculty at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) initiated a longitudinal curricular analysis through a vertical integration group, commissioned by the Medical Education Committee, from May 2019 to June 2020. The curriculum analysis and the major outcomes and guiding principles that emerged from it are described as a path forward, toward a more inclusive curriculum. The major elements of this analysis included a comprehensive internal curricular assessment and an external assessment of peer institutions that led to the development of key curricular recommendations and overarching equity and specific racially focused equity competencies. The curricular recommendations fall into the following domains: (1) challenging the persistence of biological/genetic notions of race, (2) embedding structural practices in medical education to dismantle racism in medicine, and (3) promoting institutional climate change. Initial steps to implement these recommendations are described. The authors believe that the historic and present reality of racism in America and in medicine has impacted medical education specifically, and more broadly, the practice of medicine, trainee experience, and patient outcomes. The key findings of the BUSM analysis are transferable to other medical education institutions, and the described review process can support peer institutions as they engage in the imperative work of institutional reflection and addressing the salient ideas and practices that uphold racism in medicine.

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Introduction: Data from the Association of American Medical Colleges' Medical School Graduation Questionnaire show persistent trends of medical student mistreatment nationwide. To reduce the barriers and increase actionable reporting of mistreatment, we integrated peer-facilitated learning environment sessions led by a group of trained third-and fourth-year medical students in all core clinical clerkships. Methods: During the 2018-2019 academic year, third-year medical students were recruited, oriented, and trained to act as facilitators of sessions on mistreatment. The sessions occurred once every clerkship block, using a standardized session introduction and guide. After a 6-month pilot, new medical students were recruited and worked as scribe/facilitator pairs, receiving an additional 1.5-hour training midyear, which was evaluated with a postworkshop survey. Results: Thirty-eight students implemented 43 peer-facilitated sessions and completed deidentified minutes of each session, which were shared with clerkship directors and the Medical Education Office for review. Survey data from midyear facilitator training indicated that facilitators highly agreed peer-led sessions were an important avenue for students to process experiences of mistreatment (3.9 out of 4), understood barriers to reporting (3.8 out of 4) and definitions of mistreatment (3.6 out of 4), and felt confident to facilitate these sessions (3.6 out of 4). Discussion: Peer-facilitated sessions offer a method to learn more about student experiences with mistreatment in real time and create a new avenue for communication between faculty and students. Assembling a stable core team of third-and fourth-year students trained in facilitation skills ensures the sustainability and relevance of the program.