AI for Brain Health

About the event 

The University of Edinburgh is marking two remarkable milestones: 300 years of the Edinburgh Medical School, and its place in the history of AI, it was the first place in Europe to research and teach AI more than 60 years ago. 

To celebrate this shared legacy, the Generative AI Laboratory (GAIL), the Centre for Doctoral Training in Biomedical AI and Edinburgh Medical School invite you to a one-day event exploring how AI is transforming brain health. 

This event will showcase breadth of work and expertise of researchers across the University, alongside speakers from industry and academia. 

What we mean by "brain health" 

We will take broad view of brain health, looking at many areas of neurological disease, such as epilepsy, neurodegenerative diseases and neurodevelopmental conditions. Across the day, we'll examine how AI can support innovation at every stage of the brain health pathway, including: 

  • Risk stratification – identifying who is most at risk 
  • Early detection and diagnosis – spotting conditions sooner and more accurately 
  • Prevention – reducing risk where possible 
  • Treatment and care – developing better pathways, including personalised medicine 

We will explore how these advances can lead to improved patient outcomes and wider societal benefits – while remaining clear-eyed about the challenges and responsibilities that come with using AI in healthcare. 

Who should attend 

This event has been designed with a wide audience in mind, including: 

  • Academics and researchers working in AI, neuroscience, neurology, informatics and related fields 
  • Clinicians and healthcare professionals 
  • Those working in industry 
  • PhD students and early-career researchers 

The day offers a valuable opportunity to build new collaborations, share expertise and help shape the future of AI-driven brain health research at Edinburgh and beyond. 

 

Agenda

9:00 – 9:30 Registration (Coffee and pastries)
9:30 – 9:45 Opening remarks - Professor Lorna Marson, Professor of Transplant Surgery and Dean of Clinical Medicine
9:45 – 10:15 Keynote speaker - Dr Dimitrios Vitsios, Senior Director, Agentic AI Innovation Lead, Astra Zeneca
10:15 – 11:00 Patient voice discussion*
11:00 – 11:15 Coffee break
11:15 – 12:45 Panel discussion – Diagnosis and Prevention**
12:45 – 13:45 Lunch and PhD research showcase
13:45 – 15:15 Panel discussion – Treatment and Care***
15:15 – 15:30 Fireside chat with Julie Jacko and other speaker TBC
16:00 – 16:15 Closing remarks

* Patient voice discussion 

  •    Dr Tracy Jackson, Associate Dean for Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement, College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, University of Edinburgh
  •  Sammy Waite, Patient and Community Involvement in Research Officer, Clinical Research Facility, University of Edinburgh

** Panel discussion – Diagnosis and Prevention

Chair: Professor Julie Jacko, Professor of Health Informatics and Data Science, Chief Academic Officer of Usher Institute and College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine Dean of Innovation and Engagement, University of Edinburgh

Panel:

  • Professor Miguel Bernabeu Llinares, Professor of Computational Medicine, Usher Institute, University of Edinburgh  
  • Professor Sotos Tsaftaris, Professor of Machine Learning and Computer Vision, School of Engineering, Canon Medical/Royal Academy of Engineering Research Chair in     Healthcare AI and Director of the Causality in Healthcare AI (CHAI) Hub, University of Edinburgh
  • Dr Shama Rahman, Innovation Fellow, School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh
  • Dr Milly Lo, Consultant Paediatric Intensivist and Research Lead for Paediatric Critical Care Medicine, Centre for Inflammation Research, University of Edinburgh  
  • Dr Javier Escudero, Reader in Biomedical Signal Processing, School of Engineering, University of Edinburgh

*** Panel discussion – Treatment and Care 

Chair: Professor Ram Ramamoorthy, Professor of Robot Learning and Autonomy, Director, Centre for AI in Assistive Autonomy and Director, Generative AI Laboratory, University of Edinburgh

Panel:

Professor Ian Simpson, Professor of Biomedical Informatics and Director UKRI Artificial Intelligence CDT in Biomedical Innovation, University of Edinburgh 

Professor Miguel Bernabeu Llinares, Professor of Computational Medicine, Usher Institute, University of Edinburgh  

Professor Sotos Tsaftaris, Professor of Machine Learning and Computer Vision, School of Engineering, Canon Medical/Royal Academy of Engineering Research Chair in     Healthcare AI and Director of the Causality in Healthcare AI (CHAI) Hub, University of Edinburgh

Dr Shama Rahman, Innovation Fellow, School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh

Dr Milly Lo, Consultant Paediatric Intensivist and Research Lead for Paediatric Critical Care Medicine, Centre for Inflammation Research, University of Edinburgh  

Dr Javier Escudero, Reader in Biomedical Signal Processing, School of Engineering, University of Edinburgh