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Expert Spotlight: AI and Accreditation in Behavioral Health
Recently, Mike Johnson, MA, CAP, Senior Managing Director of Behavioral Health at CARF International sat down with the host of the podcast No Notes to discuss how the major accrediting agencies are thinking about AI—and whether an organization’s use of AI ultimately impacts their accreditation. Tune into this captivating discussion using the link below. Michael makes a point in the podcast that CARF has no issue with AI tools being used for documentation as long as the notes meet established standards for quality and accuracy. There are positive effects and benefits of responsible AI use in behavioral health—from reduced provider burnout and turnover to better client engagement and outcomes. But, how do these technologies stack up against behavioral health accreditation standards? And how do the industry’s top accreditation bodies feel about the use of AI in behavioral health practice? Michael Johnson is the CARF International Senior Managing Director of Behavioral Health. If you are looking to know more or connect with Michael, view his profile below to arrange an interview today.
Supply chain disruptions cost organizations an estimated $184 billion annually, according to Swiss Re. A recent survey of 2,000 European shipping customers by logistics giant Maersk revealed that 76% experienced supply chain disruptions that delayed their business operations in the past year, with 22% reporting more than 20 disruptive incidents in the same period. These figures underscore the growing businesses’ growing vulnerabilities, as detailed in the 2025 J.S. Held Global Risk Report, which outlines how companies worldwide must adapt to an increasingly complex and volatile supply chain landscape. As highlighted in the 2025 Global Risk Report, modern supply chain disruptions stem from a range of factors, including climate change, natural disasters, cyberattacks, fraud, and geopolitical instability. Conflicts such as the Russia-Ukraine war and tensions in the Middle East continue to exacerbate these challenges. Gone are the days when companies could shift blame to suppliers without accountability. The globalization of supply chains has made them increasingly susceptible to cyber incidents, material shortages, and regulatory scrutiny. Consumers and governments alike are demanding greater transparency, pushing companies to disclose where products come from, how they are sourced, and whether their manufacturing processes harm people or the environment. The 2025 Global Risk Report notes that in response, governments worldwide have introduced stricter regulations, particularly in the European Union, where new and existing legislation is enforcing greater oversight and compliance. “As consumers, governments, and corporations acknowledge the effects of supply chain risks, transparency and due diligence will become more critical to the internal compliance structure of global businesses,” said Vice President of Sustainability Andrea Korney. “The enactment and greater enforcement of laws focused on sustainability issues have increased the obligations on companies to examine the sources and actions of their suppliers and how it all impacts the entire value chain.” In the 2025 J.S. Held Global Risk Report, multidimensional experts who combine scientific, technical, financial, and risk management expertise identify and explore key business risks shaping the future of supply chain resilience, including: Geopolitical instability Natural disasters and climate science Maritime route disruptions Regulatory fragmentation Cybersecurity threats Trade and tariff threats Critical minerals dependency Financial risks and fraud J.S. Held environmental risk and compliance expert John Peiserich, Esq., observes, “These risks are no longer hypothetical—they are actively reshaping the business landscape. Organizations that fail to anticipate and mitigate these challenges risk operational disruptions, financial losses, and reputational damage.” For businesses seeking to build resilient supply chains, the 2025 J.S. Held Global Risk Report serves as an important guide, providing expert insights and data-driven analysis to help companies navigate the evolving risk landscape. J.S. Held experts serve as trusted advisors to global clients on these and other risks, crafting business strategies, leveraging technology seeking to mitigate risk, and optimizing business opportunities to build resilience in an era of uncertainty. Supply chain risk is just one of the five key areas analyzed in the J.S. Held 2025 Global Risk Report. Other topics include sustainability, the rise of crypto and digital assets, AI and data regulations, and managing cyber risk. If you have any questions or would like to further discuss the risks and opportunities outlined in the report, please email GlobalRiskReport@jsheld.com. To connect with Andrea Korney or John Peiserich simply click on either expert's icon now. For any other media inquiries - simply contact : Kristi L. Stathis, J.S. Held +1 786 833 4864 Kristi.Stathis@JSHeld.com
A Beginner’s Guide to Expertise Marketing
Audiences today are consuming more digital content than ever, but they’ve also become far more discerning. Algorithms, AI search summaries, and social platforms have changed how information is discovered and trusted. The result is that organizations often get caught up in pushing out content quickly—only to be overlooked when it lacks depth or credibility. From misinformation to shallow click-driven posts, audiences are quick to disengage. What they’re seeking now are authoritative voices backed by proven expertise. That’s where Expertise Marketing comes in: a strategy focused on showcasing real knowledge, research, and experience in ways that build trust, attract attention, and strengthen reputation. According to Edelman’s Trust Barometer Study, experts play a vital role in establishing credibility amongst audiences and developing more meaningful interactions with businesses and organizations. As far back as their 2019 report results showed that 56% of people trust businesses as a source of news and information while only 47% trusted the government. On top of that, they also reported that 73% of participants were worried about false information or fake news being used as a weapon. This distrust has only gotten worse since COVID and the polarizing politics of recent years. With this in mind, there’s a real opportunity for knowledge-based organizations to step up and show their smarts through expertise marketing. What is Expertise Marketing? Expertise marketing is the practice of making the knowledge and skills of your human resources more visible to your partners and audiences. It draws attention to the value that your people can bring as brand ambassadors and strategically leverages the work your experts are doing to tell a more personal story. In many cases, expertise marketing can also be used to showcase your strengths in research and innovation. Creating a stronger digital presence, expertise marketing more effectively uses your channels to connect with audiences such as media, customers, partners and donors. It builds a sense of trust with your audiences and above all else, it helps establish your reputation as an industry leader. Expertise Marketing Defined: The practice of collectively promoting an organization's experts as brand ambassadors to demonstrate their skills or knowledge. Best practices to publish and connect organizational expertise in ways that foster internal discovery, collaboration, shared knowledge and diversity. Activities that leverage expertise to nurture conversations and connections with audiences such as media, customers, partners, government and funding agencies. How to Make Your Expertise More Visible Properly executed, expertise marketing is about harnessing your in-house expertise and making it more visible. By delivering comprehensive, relevant information in a visually engaging format, you can create a window into your organization that helps audiences better understand your offering and encourages more meaningful conversations. Here are three areas where expertise excels: On Your Website There’s a good chance that you already created touchpoints for expertise marketing but they’re just not optimized for audiences. For example, many organizations are unaware that the “About Page” is the second most visited page on a website and may overlook its potential for attracting audiences. Other webpages that strongly benefit from expert content include: Speaker’s Bureaus Media Rooms Employee Directories Faculty Directories Blogs Employee Intranets Awards Recognition Research & Technology Transfer Through Search Engines Content marketing and search engine optimization (SEO) go hand-in-hand – and it’s key to making your expertise more visible. In Google’s search algorithm, factors like trust and authority are significantly impacted by items such as content and expertise. While SEO is no small task, tools like the ExpertFile Platform are designed to make aggregating and optimizing expert content as seamless as possible. In addition, organizations can also improve their rankings by: Identifying and showcasing a range of expertise Using rich media to display expert content Regularly updating your website with expert content Producing content related to current trends and emerging news Through Distribution Networks Showcasing your experts isn’t just about hosting profiles on your own website—it’s about ensuring they are discoverable where key audiences are already looking. By publishing expert content on dedicated search engines such as expertfile.com and the ExpertFile Mobile App, organizations dramatically expand their reach beyond their immediate networks. These channels are designed for the very audiences that matter most—media, event organizers, research partners, donors, and prospective clients—who are actively searching for credible voices to inform stories, shape agendas, and build partnerships. Leveraging these distribution networks amplifies visibility, positioning your experts as go-to authorities well beyond the boundaries of your institutional website. In The Media For many organizations, media opportunities are an afterthought but it’s the perfect way to highlight your expertise and attract a broad range of audiences. Media outlets are constantly on the hunt for topic-specific experts to speak at conferences, weigh-in on their editorials and enhance the overall quality of their reporting. By making your experts more visible to this audience, you’re not only building your brand reputation as an industry authority but you’re also creating opportunities for new revenue. Starting an Expertise Marketing Program Bringing an expertise marketing program to life starts by taking a deeper look at your human resources and pinpointing the people in your organization who can support your expertise marketing initiatives. This post on Identifying Expertise is a great starting point for understanding what makes someone an expert and how you can position them for various tasks in your expertise marketing program. From there, it’s about getting buy-in from key stakeholders, collaborating across departments to surface expert content and strategizing with your team about where your expertise is best served. Download The Complete Guide to Expertise Marketing For a comprehensive look at how expertise marketing benefits the entire organization and drives measurable return on investment, follow the link below to download a copy of ExpertFile’s Complete Guide to Expertise Marketing for Corporate & Professional Services, Higher Education Institutions, Healthcare Institutions or Association & Not-for-Profits.
The ethics of using AI in academic writing: Opportunities and challenges in education
A major topic buzzing around educational circles right now is the use of AI in academic writing. With AI tools becoming more sophisticated, students and educators find themselves navigating a new academic landscape. It’s both exciting and daunting. Joshua Wilson, an associate professor of education at the University of Delaware, can discuss this landscape. Drawing on his research in automated writing evaluation (AWE), Wilson explores how AI tools – particularly generative AI – can transform the teaching and learning of writing by supporting critical thinking and knowledge transformation. He emphasizes that AI can help writers overcome lower-level constraints, such as grammar and organization, enabling deeper reflection and metacognitive engagement. Additionally, AI tools hold promise for helping students structure their thoughts and ideas, serving as valuable aids in organizing ideas before they begin writing. Thus, making writing more accessible and less intimidating for learners at all levels. However, he cautions that the value of AI depends on its thoughtful integration into educational practices, alignment with learning theories, and addressing challenges such as equity, feedback accuracy, and ethical use. He provides actionable insights for educators, researchers, and policymakers on how AI can enhance writing instruction, critical thinking and accessibility while avoiding potential pitfalls. Wilson has appeared in publications including The Washington Post, The Baltimore Sun and The Philadelphia Inquirer. To speak with Wilson further about AI and writing, click on his profile.
J.S. Held Experts Examine Sustainability Investments and Headwinds in Annual Global Risk Report
In the 2025 J.S. Held Global Risk Report, scientific, technical, financial, and risk management experts explore the implementation of new and existing Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) regulations across different regions along with significant compliance challenges for organizations operating on a global scale. As sustainability continues to be a critical issue worldwide, businesses are facing an increasingly complex regulatory landscape. While some jurisdictions are advancing sustainability frameworks, others, most notably the United States, are likely to see new environmental and energy policies which disfavor sustainability advancements as reflected by recent executive orders following the change in administrations. The European Union’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CS3D), adopted in 2024, is a landmark regulation requiring both EU and non-EU companies to conduct due diligence to identify and prevent adverse environmental and human rights impacts throughout their operations and supply chains. J.S. Held environmental risk and compliance expert John Peiserich, Esq., observes, “Compliance with CS3D poses significant challenges for multinational corporations, especially those selling into the EU market, as they navigate conflicting regulatory requirements across jurisdictions.” In the United States, ESG-related policies have become a polarizing issue. Some states have mandated ESG criteria—such as climate risk assessments—for state-related investment decisions, while others have actively opposed such measures. Kim Logue Ortega, Associate Vice President at J.S. Held, adds, “Despite these contrasting approaches, businesses must continue addressing sustainability concerns, as environmental considerations are increasingly tied to permitting and regulatory approvals.” Following the June, 2024 United States Supreme Court ruling in Loper Bright, a team of environmental risk experts at the Verdantix Green Quadrant recognized consultancy J.S. Held, examined in Crosscurrents: Companies Face Regulatory Uncertainties in Wake of SCOTUS Decisions, how the Supreme Court further complicated the regulatory environment by undermining agency authority to define compliance standards. This ruling is expected to lead to increased legal challenges to environmental and sustainability-related regulations, adding further uncertainty for businesses seeking to comply with evolving standards. With the second Trump administration expected to roll back key environmental justice directives and sustainability-related incentives introduced under the previous Administration, businesses must remain vigilant in monitoring regulatory developments. Strategic planning and proactive risk management will be crucial for navigating the evolving ESG landscape and maintaining compliance across multiple jurisdictions. J.S. Held experts present insights into how organizations can align with evolving frameworks while driving innovation and managing risk, as they explore: 1. EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, where non-compliance could lead to fines and civil liability, necessitating companies to rigorously assess environmental and human right impacts. 2. Regulatory Fragmentation and Greenwashing / Greenhushing, summoning businesses to avoid exaggerated or underreported sustainability claims to mitigate the rising threat of litigation and regulatory scrutiny. 3. Shareholder Activism and Litigation, as investors demand greater transparency on sustainability goals, which may present legal consequences for failing to meet expectations. One week into the new Administration in the United States, the anticipated rollback of environmental justice directives and sustainability-related incentives introduced under the previous Administration have begun to take shape in the form of various Executive Actions and other directives. J.S. Held experts are actively monitoring regulatory developments, providing strategic guidance to multinational clients as they navigate the evolving ESG landscape and compliance requirements across multiple jurisdictions. Sustainability is just one of the five key areas analyzed in the J.S. Held 2025 Global Risk Report. Other topics include global supply chain challenges, the rise of crypto and digital assets, AI and data regulations, and managing cyber risk. If you have any questions or would like to further discuss the risks and opportunities outlined in the report, please email GlobalRiskReport@jsheld.com. For any other media inquiries - simply contact : Kristi L. Stathis, J.S. Held +1 786 833 4864 Kristi.Stathis@JSHeld.com
J.S. Held Releases 2025 Global Risk Report Addressing Critical Risks Amid Uncertainty
On the first day of the new presidential administration in the United States, global consulting firm J.S. Held unveils its annual report focused on critical areas impacting industries and economies worldwide. Explore the 2025 J.S. Held Global Risk Report here: In an increasingly uncertain and volatile global landscape, businesses, governments, and investors face a growing array of challenges that demand immediate attention and innovative solutions. The 2025 J.S. Held Global Risk Report explores five interconnected topics that organizations must consider in managing risk and opportunity in the year ahead. These include: 1. Sustainability Investments & Headwinds: With various ESG regulations across jurisdictions and increasing scrutiny over corporate environmental and social practices, experts explore how organizations can align with evolving frameworks while driving innovation. 2. Global Supply Chain Challenges: From geopolitical conflicts to climate disruptions, the report analyzes how companies can build more resilient and sustainable supply chains. 3. Crypto & Digital Asset Intensification: As the crypto landscape transitions through regulatory shifts and technological advancements, the report highlights both the risks and opportunities for businesses and investors. 4. Artificial Intelligence, Data & Digital Regulatory Response: With Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems reshaping industries, experts examine the regulatory, ethical, and operational challenges, as well as the competitive advantages for organizations that harness this transformative technology responsibly. 5. Cybersecurity Complexities: From AI-powered cyberattacks to evolving data protection laws, the report provides insights into how organizations can safeguard operations and maintain customer trust in a rapidly shifting digital environment. The 2025 J.S. Held Global Risk Report includes an analysis of these categories of risk and actionable opportunities for companies to gain a competitive edge while addressing critical vulnerabilities. “The 25 technical, scientific, financial, and strategic advisory experts who contributed to the J.S. Held Global Risk Report have collaboratively parsed not only each risk independently but also at their unique points of intersection to create a framework to support business decision-making,” noted Greg Esslinger, Executive Vice President and Global Investigations Practice Leader. “Our experts’ deep understanding of the external factors related to the topics that keep CEOs, CFOs, COOs, CLOs, and Boards of Directors up at night drives the curated insights shared in the report and helps clients navigate risks and capitalize on emerging opportunities in the year ahead,” adds John Peiserich, Esq., Executive Vice President and Environmental, Health, & Safety Practice Leader. The depth and breadth of J.S. Held’s work in the insurance market provides a strong foundation in risk assessment, data analysis, global awareness, regulatory compliance, technological adaptability, and risk mitigation. Collectively, these skills better equip the firm’s experts to assess business risk across diverse geographies, geopolitical landscapes, compliance frameworks, and digital advancements. "In a world where uncertainty is the only constant, there is a need for something solid you can hold onto," observes J.S. Held Chief Executive Officer Jonathon Held. "Our name is our promise," he adds. "Our role as strategic advisor is emblematic of this promise, even in the face of the most daunting risks, clients have the expertise and guidance to act with confidence" "Agile, collaborative, and creative client-centric teams provide solution-forward advisory to our clients across the globe, no matter the scope or complexity of a project; the J.S. Held Global Risk Report is reflective of the trusted advisor role we have earned over the last 50 years," noted J.S. Held President and Chief Operating Officer Lee Spirer. J.S. Held's expertise in strategic advisory is built upon five decades of experience in the most rigorous venues – state, federal, and international courts – and spans more than 150 different industry segments. If you have any questions or would like to further discuss the risks and opportunities outlined in the report, please email GlobalRiskReport@jsheld.com. To connect with John Peiserich simply click on the expert's icon now. For any other media inquiries - simply contact : Kristi L. Stathis, J.S. Held +1 786 833 4864 Kristi.Stathis@JSHeld.com
Two recent incidents highlight concerns about AI misuse - a man used ChatGPT to plan an attack in Las Vegas, and AI video tools were exploited to create harmful content. These events sparked debate about regulating AI and holding developers accountable for potential harm caused by their technology. Carnegie Mellon University professor Vincent Conitzer explained that “our understanding of generative AI is still limited" and that we can't fully explain its success, predict its outputs, or ensure its safety with current methods.
Expert comment available - the Government's announcement for the AI Opportunities Action Plan
Expert comment is available on the the Government's announcement for the AI Opportunities Action Plan in which it is aims to roll out AI across the UK. In a speech setting out the government's plans to use AI across the UK to boost growth and deliver services more efficiently, the Prime Minister said the government had a responsibility to make AI "work for working people". The government claims that the AI Opportunities Action Plan is backed by leading tech firms, some of which have committed £14bn towards various projects, creating 13,250 jobs. It includes plans for growth zones where development will be focused, and the technology will be used to help tackle issues such as potholes. Expert comment: "The plan is a necessary step in the right direction with appropriate investment. It should be coupled with a major training programme at business and public levels to bridge the skill gap and develop essential capabilities. "It is important to specify the role that the higher education sector will play in the delivery of such a plan particularly with regards to innovation and knowledge transfer partnerships. "The government used stated that the technology will be used to help tackle issues such as potholes, however AI should be used not only in the detection of potholes, but also in their prediction. Using predictive analytics would significantly reduce the number of cameras that must be deployed to monitor road surface conditions up and down the country." Professor Abdul Hamid Sadka, Professor of Visual Media Technologies, Director, The Sir Peter Rigby Digital Futures Institute, Aston University For further details contact Nicola Jones, Head of Press & Communications (interim) on (+44) 7825 342091 or email: n.jones6@aston.ac.uk
AI Everywhere: Where Artificial Intelligence and Health Care Intersect
Imagine a world where AI doesn’t just support health care providers, but anticipates their next move — detecting diseases faster than human eyes, analyzing patterns and patient data that humans might overlook and revolutionizing health care decision making at every level. Driven by data, AI can identify which patients are most likely to have repeated emergency department visits or thrive from personalized medicine. With the power of robotics enhanced by AI, people with medical needs can gain more independence, managing daily tasks such as taking medication, monitoring their health and receiving personalized care, all from the comfort of their own homes. And this is just the beginning. “AI is transforming – and is going to continue transforming – every industry, especially health care,” said Bharat Rao, a notable figure in the fields of health care, technology and AI. Rao himself has made significant contributions to artificial intelligence, machine learning and data analytics, particularly in health care innovation. His current start-up, CareNostics, uses AI technology to identify patients at increased risk for chronic disease. “We take this for granted,” he said, “but it’s like what I used to see on Star Trek as a kid. The opportunities are limitless.” Rao was a keynote speaker at ChristianaCare’s inaugural Innovation Summit, a two-day conference at ChristianaCare’s Newark campus in Delaware, in fall 2024. During panel discussions and keynotes, more than 200 attendees heard about current and future health tech from national innovators and thought leaders, as well as technical advice for inventors who want to patent ideas and protect intellectual property in a world where “AI Is Everywhere,” the conference’s theme. Speakers emphasized that it’s not just technologists, but also researchers, clinicians and other health care professionals who play an essential role in implementing AI-based health care solutions. “There’s no AI without HI, which is human intelligence,” said Catherine Burch, MS, CXA, CUA, vice president of innovation at ChristianaCare. “You want to help shape the future, not wait for it to shape you.” How AI helps improve patient care “AI is incredibly good at reducing noise in images,” said speaker David Lloyd, a technical leader at Amazon, who discussed the use of AI in radiology. “It can detect anomalies, and it can automate radiologist reports, which saves time for radiologists.” Data informatics is another example of the power of AI to help health professionals determine which patients are at an increased risk for falls, malnutrition or recurrent asthma attacks, enabling them to optimize patient health and prevent hospitalizations. “Some patients with asthma go to the ER repeatedly because their treatment plan isn’t working,” said speaker Vikram Anand, head of data at CareNostics. When patients have uncontrolled asthma, data-rich platforms like CareNostics can provide treating physicians with guidelines and other support to improve patient care, which may lead to evidence-based medication changes or other therapies, he said. Using robots as part of the health care team in patient homes may sound like science fiction, but speakers discussed the current evolution of consumer robotics, like Amazon’s Astro. Astro follows patients around their home, interacts with them and supports their care. When ChristianaCare tested Astro’s impact on HomeHealth patients, they found that it reduced feelings of isolation by 60%. “Astro is like Alexa on wheels,” said speaker Pam Szczerba, PT, MPT, CPHQ, director of ChristianaCare’s HomeHealth quality, education and risk management, who studied patients’ experiences with Astro. “People like interacting with Alexa, but they can only interact in the room they’re in. Astro’s mobility lets it go to the patient.” Based on early successes, health professionals are assessing robots as an extension of clinicians in the home. Early results show that patients with robots show improved activation with their care plans. This may lead to more widespread distribution of household robots to newly diagnosed patients to help prevent disease complications, avoidable emergency department visits and re-hospitalizations. How AI helps ease provider burden Speakers also discussed the potential of AI to improve health care delivery and patient outcomes by handling more administrative work for health professionals. “We can reduce some of the redundancy of work to free up time for people to be creative,” said speaker Terrance Bowman, managing director at Code Differently, a company that educates and prepares people to work in technology-driven workplaces. “AI should be taking the ‘administrivia’ – administrative trivial tasks – out of your life,” said speaker Nate Gach, director of innovation at Independence Blue Cross. “When you want folks to do the creative part of the job that takes brain power, have ChatGPT respond to easy emails.” Other examples shared included the power of AI to record meetings, create summaries and send participants automated meeting minutes. Benefits can be seen across industries. Specific to health care, eliminating the need for note-taking during visits enables more personalized and attentive provider-patient interaction. With the evolution of ambient speech apps, clinicians are no longer just dictating notes into the electronic health record. Now AI is listening to the conversation and creating the notes and associated recommendations. “The physician is no longer spending ‘pajama time’ doing catch-up work, at home late into the evening,” said speaker Tyler Flatt, a director and leading expert in AI and digital transformation at Microsoft. “Especially as we’re dealing with burnout, it’s better for patient and physician satisfaction.” AI may also help caregivers uncover details that they hadn’t noticed, helping them diagnosis patients with subtle symptoms. “We feed a large quantity of data and have it suggest commonalities about patients,” said speaker Matthew Mauriello, assistant professor of computer and information sciences at the University of Delaware. “Some things are very insightful, but humans miss them.” AI has also been used for patient engagement, including chatbots that can assist with tasks like scheduling clinical appointments or acknowledging patient questions. “One of the things AI is great at is natural language understanding,” said David Lloyd. “You can alleviate a lot of the burden if you have something that can talk to your patients, especially if it’s an administrative task.” Creating new health innovations “The key is to think of something you’ve done that’s original and non-obvious,” said Rao, who holds more than 60 patents in AI. “The process of writing about it will help you flesh it out.” Turning breakthrough ideas into game changers is just the start — protecting these innovations is what ensures they shape the future, rather than fade into the past. “Keeping it secret and internal to your organization until you know what you want to do with it is important,” Greg Bernabeo, partner at FisherBroyles, LLP, said. “Otherwise, the opportunity is lost, and you can’t get the genie back in the bottle.” Benefits of non-obvious thinking People who pursue “non-obvious” ideas are often on the cutting edge of technology in and out of health care, said keynote speaker, Ben DuPont, while discussing innovative ideas with Randy Gaboriault, MS, MBA, senior vice president and chief digital and information officer at ChristianaCare. “Amazon was not founded by a book retailer; Airbnb was not founded by somebody who was in hospitality,” said DuPont, author, entrepreneur, and co-founder and partner at Chartline Capital Partners venture capital fund. “Before Uber, the founders were running around Paris and they couldn’t get a taxi.” Innovative ideas often arise when people consider non-obvious points of view while thinking about solutions, DuPont said. Non-experts have the ability to cut through the clutter and find the frustration, which can lead to innovative solutions, which DuPont explores in his book “Non-Obvious Thinking: How to See What Others Miss.” Health providers, for example, may discover ideas when they move out of their comfort zones. “If you want to be a better doctor, go do something that has nothing to do with medicine,” he said. “Innovation happens at the collision of seemingly unrelated disciplines.” Diversity in the workplace is necessary, “but it’s not just diversity in the way people look: It’s diversity in how people think,” DuPont said. “There are people that think in dramatic and different ways. We need those people around the table. They might say: ‘If we just move this little thing over here’ … and it starts an avalanche that changes the world.” Involving the future generation During the Innovation Summit, students with an interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) from St. Mark’s High School in Wilmington, Delaware, competed against one another at ChristianaCare’s inaugural HealthSpark ChallengeTM. Twenty-six high school juniors and seniors were divided into five teams, then challenged to brainstorm ideas for solutions to address the negative mental health effects of social media on teenagers. Each team created a concept poster and pitched their ideas to Summit attendees. The attendees then voted for their favorite solution. The winning solution, Editing Identifiers, is designed to help minimize negative feelings about body image among teens. The solution would use AI technology to identify altered photos on social media. The goal would be to show teens that photos of “perfect” people aren’t real and alleviate the feelings of body dysmorphia. Looking forward Summit speakers highlighted many ways that AI is already incorporated into health care, as well as ways that health tech, AI, and robotics may improve care for patients in the coming years. “We are just scratching the surface,” Rao said. “It’s like laparoscopic surgery – years ago, it was considered experimental or dangerous. Today, surgery is commonly done laparoscopically, with better outcomes and less infection. AI can help identify care gaps and get the right treatment to the right patient. It’s going to be good for the patient.” In a rapidly evolving landscape, the integration of AI into health care not only enhances patient care but also creates opportunities for innovation and collaboration, said ChristianaCare’s Gaboriault. “As AI continues to advance, the health care industry stands on the brink of a revolution, one where the possibilities are as vast as the data that fuels them.”
Aston University is leading a new £5.5 million EU research project Will focus on converting fibre-optic cables into sensors to detect natural hazards Could identify earthquakes and tsunamis and assess civil infrastructure. Aston University is leading a new £5.5 million EU research project to explore converting existing telecommunication fibre-optic cables into sensors which can detect natural hazards, such as earthquakes and tsunamis, and assess the condition of civil infrastructure. The project is called ECSTATIC (Engineering Combined Sensing and Telecommunications Architectures for Tectonic and Infrastructure Characterisation) and is part of the Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Action (RIA), which aims to tackle global challenges and boost the continent’s industrial competitiveness. Converting telecom fibres into sensors requires new digital signal processing to overcome the limited data storage and processing capabilities of existing communication networks. To address this the project will use localised, high performance digital processing that will integrate artificial intelligence and machine learning. The researchers’ goal is to minimise algorithms’ complexity while providing extremely accurate real-time sensing of events and network condition. The new laser interrogation and signal processing technologies will be tested using existing fibre optic networks, including those underwater, in cities, and along railway infrastructure to assess their potential. Delivered by a consortium of 14 partners across seven countries, from academic and non-academic sectors, the research will start in February 2025 and will last three and a half years. The Europe-wide team will be led by Professor David Webb who is based in the Aston Institute of Photonic Technologies (AIPT). Professor Webb said: “There are more than five billion kilometres of installed data communications optical fibre cable, which provides an opportunity to create a globe-spanning network of fibre sensors, without laying any new fibres. “These traverse the seas and oceans - where conventional sensors are practically non-existent - and major infrastructures, offering the potential for smart structural health monitoring.” Professor Webb will be joined by fellow researchers Professor Sergei Turitsyn, Dr Haris Alexakis and Dr Pedro Freire. For media inquiries in relation to this release, contact Nicola Jones, Press and Communications Manager, on (+44) 7825 342091 or email: n.jones6@aston.ac.uk