Empowering the Next Generation of Medics – Student Led Conference with AI Theme

Aspiring medics from Abbey College Cambridge recently organised and held a highly successful student-led conference exploring how medicine is being transformed by artificial intelligence and technology.

Hosting approximately 60 students from Years 11 to 13, the conference was also attended by students from local establishments including Ely College, St. Mary’s School, Felstead School and the Cambridge Academy of Science and Technology (CAST).

Introductions were made at the start of the day outlining the conference’s agenda, followed by a pioneering presentation delivered by medical student Rayin and engineering student Aria. The dynamic duo showcased a robotic arm they had developed and coded, combining their inspiration of engineering and medical need to produce an innovative, forward-thinking solution for attendees to celebrate.

To illustrate the importance of AI and technology in medicine, a quartet of talks from special guests ensued shortly after. NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre Patient and Public Involvement Coordinator, Georgina Norris spoke on Getting Involved in Health Research at Cambridge University Hospitals, and Professor Raj Jena, Clinical Professor of Data Science & Machine Learning in Radiotherapy at the University of Cambridge Department of Oncology, discussed Building an AI Powered Medical Imaging Device within a Hospital.

Professor Vikas Khanduja, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon & Research Lead (Elective) at Addenbrooke’s Hospital talked in depth about The Smart HIP Replacement Story: Lessons in Innovation and following a short break for attendees, Professor Eoin McKinney, Versus Arthritis Chair of Rheumatology in the Department of Medicine at the University of Cambridge spoke about Systems Immunology and Digital Twins. All of the talks had a significant impact on the students, providing key insights into the future of medicine and how technology can be leveraged in a positive way to be a force for good.

Following the inspiring talks, students were presented with a challenging task to propose an effective AI/technology-based solution to a current medical issue of their choosing. The activity prompted valuable collaboration across schools in small groups and the need to demonstrate teamwork to form a presentation on the subject based on what they had learned during the day, which would then be subject to a short heat format to determine a clear winner. The winning group showcased an impressive piece on using AI to enhance stroke diagnosis.

Further showcasing its commitment to supporting students for progression into medicine, Abbey College Cambridge is celebrating nineteen much-coveted medicine offers and counting, secured by its students to study at an array of prestigious universities including Aston, Trinity College Dublin and the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland.

Sephora Day, Head of Medicine at Abbey College Cambridge commented: “Hosting an inspiring, student-led conference reflects the rich history of academic and university application support that Abbey College Cambridge provides for its medical students, enabling a platform for them to thrive and bridging the gap between college studies and degree-level education. The conference’s theme of Supercharging Medicine through Technology and AI was chosen to prepare students for this rapid-changing and evolving field and we’re always looking for ways to prepare our students for practising medicine in tomorrow’s world.

“We are incredibly proud of our students for hosting such an impeccable event, which captured attendees with real-world examples of how AI and technology are advancing medicine — and the journey ahead to fully harness their potential for the benefit of all. To see students collaborating and engaging in advanced topics is highly rewarding, and we wish them the best of luck in their further studies.”

Abbey College Cambridge students felt inspired and proud of their achievements during the conference, and found the talks by the speakers informative and thought-provoking. Here’s what they had to say:

“The conference was an amazing opportunity for every student welcomed at Abbey College Cambridge and the schools that had joined us to learn about AI and advancing technology associated with medicine. The guest speakers especially gave inspirational talks on variety of groundbreaking topics such as recognizing patterns, digital twins and hip replacement which was one of the highlights of the day.” – Thin Yanant (Jolie), Year 12

“Georgina’s insights on AI in biology were fascinating! I especially appreciated how she explained the researches and opportunities in a clear and engaging way. It would be great to hear further advancements in this field.” – Myat Phone Khant (Shin), Year 12

“I would like to thank you for the opportunity given to participate in the student-led Medicine Conference. Hearing from the speakers and being chosen as a group leader were amazing and an eye-opening opportunity for me. All of the presentations were very informative and understandable!” – Sophie, Year 12

“I was captivated by the talk about systems immunology and digital twins by Professor Eoin McKinney. The idea behind the inability of AI to distinguish patterns unlike humans was what truly caught my attention that day. On top of that Georgina’s research opportunities were very promising and caught my attention just as well. Overall, the conference was a success!! – Aylin, Year 12

“The conference went very well and I particularly enjoyed how Professor Kanduja explained about the hip replacement and how technology had improved and helped a lot in the medical field and it was amazing. Moreover, I was also inspired by the talk by Professor McKinney where he explained about the pattern recognition and digital twins which was the most interesting part throughout the day.” – Thandar Kyaw (Jenny), Year 12

“I enjoyed a lot the talk about OSARIS by Professor Jena and it truly inspired me to continue my dedication to medicine.” – Aruzhan, Year 12

“The conference was fantastic. I gained valuable insights into the applications of AI in medicine. The speakers were truly inspiring, offering a profound perspective on how AI is shaping the future of medicine and science.” – Maurice, Year 12

“I really loved the speeches from the speakers. I was very inspired and I’m pretty sure everyone was. Even the guests from other schools were telling me the speech was valuable.” – Seungbum (Daniel), Year 12