The Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, within the framework of the competition announced by ABM for the development and implementation of an original postgraduate program in biomedical sciences, will implement the project entitled "Innovative medicine based on facts, IT, AI and robotics" from 2024. The project aims to showcase technological advances, IT, AI and robotics solutions in medicine and health care."
As part of the project, two postgraduate courses will be implemented starting in the 2024/2025 academic year:
- Artificial Intelligence and Robotics in Medicine - the originator of the direction is Zbigniew Nawrat, MD. The direction will be conducted with the participation of a consortium member, i.e. Silesian University of Technology, on behalf of which substantive supervision is exercised by Prof. Paweł Badura, D.Sc. and Prof. Ewa Piętka, D.Sc. ( Silesian University of Technology).
- Bioinformatics, biostatistics and modern methods of visualization in biomedical research - the originator of the course is Mr. Prof. Tomasz Francuz, Ph.
The studies last for 2 semesters, and the next editions of the studies in the aforementioned fields will start in 2025/2026, 2026/2027.
Postgraduate studies conducted under the Competition are free of charge for participants.
THE OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT is to enable medical personnel, employed in the biomedical sector, to supplement their professional qualifications by obtaining specialized knowledge and practical skills necessary with the development of a medical environment dominated by modern technology.
Participants in the study may be persons who meet all of the following conditions together:
- are employed in the biomedical sector, i.e.: employees of medical entities within the meaning of the Act of April 15, 2011 on medical activity, or medical professionals, or persons employed in companies with a profile of pharmaceuticals, medical devices, IT solutions for the health sector, clinical research, biotechnology - regardless of the form of employment, or employees of universities with a biomedical profile, or employees of the administration of the health system and public health area, excluding employees of the Medical Research Agency.
- are graduates of bachelor's or master's degree programs or uniform master's degree programs who have self-declared their desire to participate in postgraduate studies;
- are persons who have voluntarily declared their willingness to participate in the study, i.e. they cannot be delegated by their employer to participate in the study;
- are persons whose work experience in the biomedical sector, referred to in para. 1) is a minimum of one year.
The postgraduate course "Artificial Intelligence and Robotics in Medicine" aims to equip participants with modern tools and technologies that will contribute to the advancement of medicine and the future development of healthcare, taking into account the ethical and legal aspects of the use of AI and robotics in medicine.
We have assembled a group of excellent teachers with extraordinary experience in the creation, production, use of AI and robotics in medicine. They are accompanied by careful analysts of the humanities and law. As a result, we have created a course of study that is unique in the country and an opportunity for our graduates to gain the skills, knowledge and experience sought after on the job market, related to the topics of innovation with the greatest impact on the future of medicine.
Students will gain the skills to design, implement and evaluate innovative solutions based on artificial intelligence and robotics that will improve the quality of healthcare, reduce diagnosis time, increase the precision of procedures and streamline medical processes.
During the course of study, participants will have the opportunity to explore issues related to the analysis of large medical data sets, machine learning algorithms, neural networks, telemedicine technology and the application of medical robots in clinical practice, improving every element of the treatment process or the operation of a medical facility. The goal of the program is to prepare specialists capable of effectively using artificial intelligence and robotics tools in a comprehensive approach to diagnosis, therapy and patient care. The knowledge contained in the program is an indispensable package also for those who prepare new products: inventors or manufacturers of hardware and software used in medicine.
We will begin by discussing the human being as a source of digital data and an object of application of medical devices. Then we will invite legal and philosophical considerations, so that in practical engineering classes at the Silesian University of Technology, or workshops at the SUM Simulation Center and laboratories, we will learn about their medical implications, gain knowledge and skills. The study program includes lectures, seminars, in which students will learn all issues of AI and robotics (from ethics to practice, from ideas to working applications and devices), learn the basics of both engineering and medical. Participants will gain skills in selecting appropriate AI algorithms and tools depending on specific medical problems, taking into account the appropriate quality of data used in the machine learning process. Study participants will also have the opportunity to apply them in practice, including robot control. Among the teachers we have the best in Poland specialists, inventors, designers or manufacturers of medical robots. A special place will be given to surgical robotics, which is currently developing most strongly. With the best-informed specialists in Poland, we will conclude our meetings by discussing the current state of the field of AI and robotics in medicine and forecasts, assessments of development opportunities in all areas of medical applications.
Studying is a process in which the participants are a partner, and we are happy to have you join us. Together we will enter the next years of opportunities and threats created by new technologies, wiser and aware of our capabilities, weaknesses and needs.
The postgraduate course in Bioinformatics, Biostatistics and Modern Visualization Methods in Biomedical Research is interdisciplinary in nature, covering knowledge of bioinformatics, biostatistics, the conduct of clinical trials and the use of the latest simulation techniques, including artificial intelligence in medicine. The study will be implemented over 2 semesters.
The course instructors are clinicians with many years of experience in clinical research, statisticians and people with unique experience in the implementation of IT projects related to data analysis in medicine, robotics and artificial intelligence. Some of the classes in the course will be conducted in English. Classes will be divided into three main thematic blocks: Introduction to conducting and planning research; Clinical research; Simulation technologies in medicine. As part of the courses related to the above thematic blocks, classes will be conducted as an introduction to the topics discussed, with the aim of leveling up students and laying the groundwork for the implementation of advanced course topics. Some of the workshop and laboratory classes, due to the equipment and apparatus required to conduct them (e.g., 3D printers, access to a medical robot, VR goggles) will be carried out in laboratories with full multimedia equipment, with individual access of participants to computers equipped with the required software (statistical packages - Statistica, SAS, R, simulation software). Conducted seminars and workshops will be interactive in nature teaching group work.
