Scientists, physicians and engineers representing the Indiana University School of Medicine, Purdue University College of Engineering, and the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CTSI) gathered at the Machine Learning in Medicine Joint Symposium on May 9 in Indianapolis to share groundbreaking work, raise important questions and plant the seeds of future collaboration and innovation.
The event is part of the Engineering in Medicine program, a joint initiative between the IU School of Medicine and Purdue College of Engineering supporting collaborative research between the two institutions. The goal of the initiative is to improve patient care through innovative approaches to engineered systems. Additionally, the event served as the 2025 Purdue campus summit for the Indiana CTSI.
“May’s Machine Learning in Medicine Symposium was an excellent showcase of collaboration between the IU School of Medicine and the Purdue University College of Engineering,” said Tatiana Foroud, PhD, executive associate dean for research affairs at the IU School of Medicine. “Drs. Jiang Bian and Behzad Sharif, the co-organizers of the symposium, developed an outstanding program.”
“This symposium, like those before it in the series, showcased the dynamic partnership between the IU School of Medicine and Purdue Engineering,” said Kevin Otto, PhD, the Dane A. Miller Head of Biomedical Engineering at the Purdue College of Engineering. “Together, we're building a foundation for transformative innovation at the intersection of medicine and engineering. I can’t wait to see the fruits of this meeting and what exciting developments the next chapter brings.”
The symposium featured a variety of scientific presentations from IU and Purdue faculty working in fields such as radiology imaging, pathology, data science, biomedical engineering and mechanical engineering. Presentations focused on artificial intelligence-powered innovations in medicine and research, including potential future uses for AI.
Attendees had the opportunity to network with one another over lunch while engaging in a poster session.
The poster session showcased an array of research projects integrating AI and machine learning across medical and engineering disciplines. Key themes and research areas from the poster session included medical imaging and signal processing, drug discovery and personalized medicine, and ethical considerations and bias mitigation.
Lee Cooper, PhD, director of the Center for Computational Imaging and director of computational pathology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, delivered the keynote address, “Experiences with Translational Pathology A.I. Research at an Academic Medical Center.”
Jiang Bian, PhD, associate dean of data science at the IU School of Medicine and Regenstrief Institute deputy director for the Indiana CTSI, helped organize the event and gave a presentation titled “Real-world Data, Real-world Problems, and Real-world Opportunities with A.I.”
“The Machine Learning in Medicine Joint Symposium was an incredible experience,” Bian said. “I loved how it brought together researchers from both engineering and medicine, opening my eyes to new approaches and helping me identify potential collaborators. It’s events like this that fuel my excitement for team science and cross-disciplinary innovation.“
