Edward Small presenting at Bristol

Edward Small advances AI model for predicting long-term health risks during Alan Turing Internship

Author ADM+S Centre
Date 20 December 2024

Edward Small, higher degree research student at the ARC Centre for Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society (ADM+S), RMIT University has recently wrapped up his internship in Manchester, UK, which began in May 2024. 

The internship, part of a collaborative program run through the prestigious Alan Turing Institute, saw Edward working alongside industry leaders at Accenture to deploy deep learning models to predict the risk of developing long-term conditions such as diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart attacks, and depression in different populations. 

“It is models such as these that allow our health systems to move from reactive care to proactive care; preventing a disease before it occurs instead of just treating it after the fact,” said Mr Small.  

The deep learning models developed during the internship have shown to be significantly more accurate than current models, are also a lot more flexible to use, and are simple to train and deploy.

The models are currently being trialed in London and Yorkshire, where they are being integrated into the local healthcare systems to assess their impact. 

“We worked closely with medical professionals and data scientists in the National Health Service to validate these models, and we are hoping that not only will they lead to a healthier population but also reduce health inequalities across the board.”

These AI-powered models have the potential to significantly improve the identification and management of long-term health conditions. If successful, there are plans to expand their use across the UK’s integrated care boards, with the goal of embedding them into the National Health Service federated data platform by next year.

Edward is planning to finalise a paper on this project, its methodologies, findings, and potential implications of the deep learning models for healthcare in 2025.

This internship was supported by the ADM+S Higher Degree Research Training Program.

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