PhD defence

From Bytes to Bedside and Back: Enhancing Clinical Decision Support with Explainable AI

PhD candidate	SM (Sonja) Katz
Promotor	prof.dr.ir. VAP (Vitor) Martins dos Santos
External promotor	Dr. Gennady Roshchupkin (EMC)
Co-promotor	dr. E (Edoardo) Saccenti
Organisation	Wageningen University, Systems and Synthetic Biology
Date	Fri 20 September 2024 10:30 to 12:00
Venue	Omnia, building number 105 Hoge Steeg 2 105 6708 PH Wageningen +31 (0) 317 - 484500
Room	Auditorium

Summary

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has transformed our daily lives: from car navigation with real-time traffic updates to using ChatGPT for homework and checking smartwatches for sleep quality. In medicine, AI enables more personalised diagnoses and treatments, aiming to reduce side effects, increase efficacy, or even prevent diseases before they manifest. This field, known as precision or personalised medicine, leverages AI to analyse complex data.

The thesis “From Bytes to Bedside and Back: Enhancing Clinical Decision Support with Explainable AI” examines how AI can improve current medical standards. It explores how AI models can help doctors diagnose and treat rare yet deadly diseases, improve patient grouping by considering factors such as age and sex, and assist researchers in generating new scientific hypotheses. The research presented in this thesis aims to contribute to the global efforts of advancing healthcare towards transparency, data-driven practices, and personalised approaches.