Barely anyone working in the field of AI in healthcare received a formal education on the topic. Simply, because with emerging fields, there usually isn’t much formal education yet.
Luckily, as many people are learning as they go, there is a large willingness in the community to share knowledge and experiences. My path into data science and AI started with a general machine learning course on educational platform Coursera. Also, I attended many local meetups on the topic, which helped expand my network and gain understanding of what the possibilities are with the technology. An unexpected side effect was that it boosted my confidence. While I was learning I noticed, I got better at understanding the talks and asking critical questions, up until the point I was talking about my own projects on stage, and hosting my own meetups on AI in medical technology.
Events, conferences, webinars and blogs remain a great resource to get inspired, learn and stay up-to-date, but sometimes you want to dive a bit deeper. (Online) courses are an excellent way to do so. Fortunately, by now, with the market maturing, more and more educational resources are becoming available for AI in healthcare specifically. Are you looking to bridge that gap between healthcare and AI? This is the place to start! (Courses are in no specific order.)
This is an extensive, all-round course touching upon many different topics around medical software, such as the regulatory, software development and even business aspects. The course is aimed at people with a technical background, but I suspect it to be useful for anyone interested in bringing their idea or model to clinical practice.
Organizer: Yale, via Coursera
Time: 14 weeks, 3hrs/week
Format: Self-paced
Price: Free audit or €39 if you would like a certificate.
This course is the one for (potential) users of AI to get a quick feel of what AI in healthcare entails. Week one provides an introduction to AI and is continued with subjects on ethics, trustworthiness, human-AI interaction and choosing the right AI product.
Organizer: University Medical Center Groningen, University of Tartu, University of Copenhagen, University Medical Center Cologne, and several industry partners, via FutureLearn
Time: 4 weeks, a few hrs/week
Format: Self-paced
Price: Free audit or €20 per month, or €59 once if you would like a certificate.
HelloAI programs are designed for healthcare professionals who want to develop or implement AI in their clinical practice proactively. There are several modules to choose from, so you can decide whether you want a quick taste, focus on the implementation of AI, or even if you want to get a glimpse of coding algorithms.
Organizer: GE Healthcare, Royal Institute of Technology Stockholm (KTH), LEITAT Technology Center, University of Maastricht (UM), University of Debrecen (UD), COCIR
Time: Video material Basic level: 3hrs, Advanced level: 15hrs, Professional level: 18hrs. Depending on the level, there is up to +200hrs individual learning materials.
Format: Self-paced with an additional online live session in each module.
Price: Basic €49, Advanced €199, Professional from €399. (EITH certificate and equivalence proofs for ECTS credits are available at Advanced and Professional levels.)
RSNA will be launching a series of courses, starting with the foundational certificate for radiology professionals specifically focused on evaluation, deployment and use of AI algorithms in clinical practice.
Organizer: Radiological Society of North America (RSNA)
Time: 6 modules of around 3 hours each
Format: Self-paced
Price: $750 for members, $950 for non-members
When bringing AI software to clinical practice, we can’t get around the regulatory aspect. This course is a good starting point to get an overview of the European regulations around medical devices. Note, it goes beyond software only, so some parts may be less relevant.
Organizer: Martin Conneely, via Udemy
Time: 15 lectures totalling around 2.5 hours + some quizzes
Format: Self-paced
Price: €89.99 (regularly available at discounted price though)
This course would be more suited for those who wish to bring their AI software (medical device) to market. It is more in depth and assumes some basic knowledge on the MDR. Want to get a preview? Monir has a very extensive YouTube channel on the topic!
Organizer: Easy Medical Device
Time: 5 days, 2-3 hrs/day
Format: Live online sessions, all in one week. Course is held monthly.
Price: €397
This one is for all the techies who want to move toward the field of healthcare. A basic understanding of Python and statistics/machine learning is expected. They promise that “After taking the Specialization, you could go on to pursue a career in the medical industry as a data scientist, machine learning engineer, innovation officer, or business analyst.”
Organizer: DeepLearning.ai, via Coursera
Time: 3 to 4 weeks, 4-6 hrs/week per course. There are 3 courses.
Format: Self-paced
Price: €43 per month
Conclusion
We need more people skilled in both fields to have AI live up to its promise in healthcare. Whether you are a healthcare professional or data scientist, a manager or a user. Whether you want to learn the basics, how to implement AI or how to develop it. Either way, there is a course for you!
We welcome any recommendations for courses to add, send me an email!
Last updated: 15th of April 2022