Thursday June 13th, project FLORENCE was represented at the tent for Research Projects at Sjællands University Hospital at this year’s Folkemødet. Professor Ismail Gögenur, the project’s lead partner, participated in the debate “Can AI promote equality in healthcare?”

Ismail opened the debate: “Inequality exists in healthcare because we haven’t done well enough. We need to better equip healthcare professionals to promote equality in health. We can do this by utilizing AI.”

The research project FLORENCE aims to improve the treatment of patients with colon cancer through an AI-based decision support tool designed to assist clinicians.

The project is supported by Interreg Öresund-Kattegat-Skagerrak.

Ismail highlighted the potential of AI in healthcare: “AI can process large amounts of data. With FLORENCE, we collaborate across Denmark, Norway, and Sweden to develop AI models that can enhance patient care without transferring patient data.”

Debate participants also included Morten Ziebell, Chief Medical Officer at Zealand University Hospital, and Lene B. Oddershede, SVP for Natural & Technical Sciences at the Novo Nordisk Foundation.

Lene B. Oddershede emphasized the need for transparency and responsibility in AI usage. It is crucial to know which data the models are built on and whether they are representative.

In conclusion, Ismail emphasized: “We have a significant potential for improvement, especially for high-risk patients. AI can help us prevent complications and enhance the quality of our treatments.”