Hamad Bin Khalifa University’s (HBKU) College of Science and Engineering (CSE) partnered with IE School of Science & Technology’s Impact Xcelerator to host the Healthcare and Technology Collider roundtable, which produced a wealth of formidable starting points for research to improve healthcare with AI and new technologies.

Top-tier participation from Dr. Mounir Hamdi, Founding Dean of the College of Science and Engineering, HBKU, and Dr. Ikhlaq Sidhu, Dean, IE School of Science and Technology, and HBKU Board Member, along with many high profile speakers and guests from the healthcare system in Qatar, enriched a forum that mixed experts from different intellectual and professional backgrounds in order to achieve ideas that no single silo would have achieved independently. Dr. Aiman Erbad, Associate Professor and Head of Information and Computing Technology Division, CSE, and Dr. Sidhu welcomed attendees to the event, which was held both online and in-person. 

They discussed how cutting-edge technologies, such as artificial intelligence, sensors, telemedicine, behavioral analytics, metaverse/digital twins, and genomics could form the basis for technological solutions that benefit the global healthcare sector.

The eight-member panel featured leading experts from both the healthcare and biomedical technology sectors, including Dr. Mitchell Stotland, Vice Chair, Department of Surgery, Sidra Medicine; Dr. Niko Mihic, Chief Medical Officer for Real Madrid FC; Dr. José Luis Zamorano, Director, Cardiology Service, Ramón y Cajal University Hospital; and Shaun Holt, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors, Alveo Technologies.

Academic perspectives were provided by Dr. Amine Bernak, Professor and Associate Dean, CSE; Dr. Qaraqe, Associate Professor, CSE; Dr. David Yeregui Marcos, Member, Executive Committee, and Entrepreneur in Residence at IE School of Science and Technology; and Dr. Dae-Jin Lee, Professor at IE School of Science and Technology.

Noting the outcomes produced by the roundtable, Dr. Mounir Hamdi, Founding Dean, CSE, said: “The multidisciplinary nature of the healthcare sector holds incredible potential for technological innovation, and events like the Healthcare and Technology Collider provide the ideal platform for world-renowned experts and entrepreneurs to collaborate and devise such solutions together.”

Aside from new technologies, the panelists highlighted several research and investment opportunities in the sector. They also took part in brainstorming and collaboration sessions, where participants worked together to devise novel healthcare solutions.

“The paradigm of medicine is changing from today’s circle of diagnosis and cure - to tomorrow’s precise circle of prevention and regeneration,” Dean Ikhlaq Sidhu said. “The result of our silo-breaking event has been to understand this at that level, no single silo could be achieved on its own.”

HBKU’s CSE is internationally recognized for its pursuit of high-impact research that addresses the societal and economic needs of Qatar and the world. Its programs involve collaboration with HBKU’s prestigious research institutes, utilizing the skills of expert scientists, and with external world-renowned academics and industrial partners strengthening the link between education and maximizing students’ employability.