Innovation Pitch Competition Showcases Transformative Ideas at the 2025 AI and Technology in Global Health Symposium
The spirit of innovation was on full display at the 2025 AI and Technology in Global Health Symposium during the Innovation Pitch Competition. This year’s event brought together trainees, researchers, and global partners to share bold, AI-driven solutions to some of the world’s most urgent health challenges.
The competition invited submissions from medical students, graduate researchers, residents, and postdoctoral scholars across UAB and its international partner institutions. Each participant submitted a short video and abstract describing how artificial intelligence could be leveraged to improve health outcomes, enhance scalability, and address critical issues of ethics and data access in global health.
Rising to the Top: The Competition Winner
OncoSphere AI
Aakash Desai, M.D., MPH,
Assistant Professor, UAB Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology
OncoSphere AI is an artificial intelligence platform designed to make cancer care faster, more consistent, and more equitable across the globe. It addresses major barriers in oncology, including fragmented data, inconsistent care in low-resource settings, and time-consuming workflows, by integrating patient information from multiple systems into one streamlined, de-identified record. Using a multi-agent RAG-based system, OncoSphere AI generates concise case summaries, personalized clinical recommendations, and real-time evidence to support tumor boards and patient education, helping every clinic deliver higher-quality cancer care, everywhere.
The platform offers role-specific modules for medical professionals, oncologists, surgeons, nurse navigators, and research coordinators, delivering concise case summaries and tailored recommendations. It also generates real-time tumor board outputs, patient education materials adapted to literacy levels, and actionable checklists. These features streamline workflows, reduce prep time, and improve trial matching and treatment selection, ultimately enhancing patient outcomes and narrowing care gaps.
OncoSphere AI stands out in a competitive landscape by offering customizable, real-time, multi-agent support without requiring FDA clearance. Its scalable SaaS model includes tiered subscriptions, per-case fees for smaller practices, and integration services. Future plans include expanding into data-as-a-service for pharma and trial sponsors and developing reimbursable modules for patient education and care navigation. Early testing has shown promising results, and pilot partnerships are underway in Alabama, South Africa, and India.
Desai emphasized during the pitch, "We’re not here to replace clinicians, we’re here to empower them. OncoSphere AI gives every oncology team the clarity and confidence to make faster, more personalized decisions, no matter where they practice."
This vision reflects the platform’s mission to democratize high-quality cancer care across geographies and resource levels.
Additional Pitch Participants
Scorecard-Based Risk Modeling for Meaningful Clinical Decision Making
Caitlin Smith, M.S.
In health settings around the world, particularly in rural and low-income regions, clinicians often face high-stakes decisions without the digital infrastructure, data tools, or analytical support that modern medicine increasingly depends on. Electronic medical records may be incomplete or entirely absent, predictive analytics are not always accessible, and many anesthesiology teams lack dedicated data science support to implement or interpret machine learning models. As a result, clinicians must make critical decisions with limited guidance and few mechanisms to track outcomes or drive continuous improvement. The Perioperative Risk Scorecard was designed to assist with this gap of knowledge.
This scorecard-based risk modeling system supports clinical decision-making in perioperative care. The tool functions like a credit score app, offering interpretable, numeric risk estimates for patient outcomes following anesthesia. It uses machine learning and automated binning to generate risk scores from clinical data, such as lab values, vital signs, and comorbidities, and can be deployed without a dedicated data scientist.
The system includes an interactive risk calculator for individual patients, assigning scores and categorizing risk into five bins. It's designed to handle missing data and provide clear, explainable outputs, making it especially useful in diverse clinical environments.
AI-generated ethical principles for health policy: An exploratory co-design approach with Aymara Indigenous people from Bolivia
Carlos Alberto Rosas Jiménez, BSc, BA, MScIH, MSc | Ph.D. Candidate in Global Health, McMaster University
This pitch looked at how artificial intelligence, specifically ChatGPT, could help make health policies fairer for Indigenous communities. The researchers worked with an Indigenous Advisory Committee in Bolivia to understand what ethical guidelines should look like from an Indigenous perspective. Together, they held workshops to introduce ChatGPT, discuss its benefits and risks, and review examples of what it produced. Through this collaboration, the group created a set of ethical principles, core values, and practical indicators that could guide more equitable health policies in Bolivia. The project showed that when Indigenous people are directly involved in shaping the process, tools like ChatGPT can support more just and inclusive decision-making.
SynuSense
Sepanta Yalamoha, Software and Biomedical Engineering, McMaster University
Yalamoha joined the group via Zoom to present on SynuSense. SynuSense presents a groundbreaking approach to diagnosing synucleinopathies, neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s Disease (PD), Multiple System Atrophy (MSA), and Lewy Body Dementia (LBD), by leveraging the eye as a diagnostic window into the brain. Traditional diagnostic methods for these conditions are often invasive, expensive, and prone to misdiagnosis, with error rates as high as 25% in some cases. SynuSense builds on the success of polarimetric retinal imaging used in Alzheimer’s research, proposing a non-invasive technique to detect misfolded alpha-synuclein protein deposits in the retina.
These deposits are now known to correlate with specific synucleinopathies and their unique cellular localizations, offering a potential biomarker visible through the eye. The innovation lies in combining polarimetric imaging with deep learning to identify disease-specific retinal signatures. Since different synucleinopathies misfold alpha-synuclein in distinct ways and locations, neurons for PD and LBD, oligodendrocytes for MSA, these patterns may manifest uniquely in the retina.
Looking Ahead
The success of this year’s competition highlights the growing intersection between artificial intelligence and global health equity. As AI continues to reshape medicine, UAB and its global partners remain dedicated to fostering innovation that makes healthcare smarter, fairer, and more accessible for all.
UAB’s Heersink Institute for Biomedical Innovation Surges in Growth, Focuses on AI in Healthcare
The Marnix E. Heersink Institute for Biomedical Innovation at the University of Alabama at Birmingham is making waves as one of the fastest-growing academic programs on campus, second only to Computer Science in graduate student enrollment. The program’s remarkable expansion signals a rising demand for healthcare professionals trained in artificial intelligence, and positions the university as a leader in the intersection of health and technology.
With nearly 170 students currently enrolled across its degree, certificate, and professional innovation programs, the institute has rapidly established itself as a national leader in biomedical innovation education. Much of this growth is driven by its cutting-edge graduate offerings, including the first Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence in Medicine in the Southeast.
As healthcare systems across the country, and particularly in Alabama, face mounting challenges such as hospital closures and workforce shortages, AI offers a path forward. In regions losing physical access to care, AI-enabled tools and decision support systems may help fill critical gaps, delivering innovation where infrastructure is limited.
“AI isn’t just a tool, it’s the new language of medicine,” says Rubin Pillay, M.D., Ph.D., chief innovation officer for UAB Medicine and director of the Institute. “The future of healthcare demands professionals who are fluent in data, machine learning, and digital transformation. We’re building that workforce right now.”
A prime example of this internal pipeline is Stevan Fairburn, a former student who is now contributing professionally to the program’s success. His journey illustrates how the program doesn’t just generate innovation, it cultivates innovators.
The AI in Medicine program is growing in every sense: academically, structurally, and personally. New tracks are being developed, and partnerships with other schools and departments are underway. Plans are also in motion to evolve the program’s leadership structure, reinforcing the university’s commitment to developing its own talent alongside its initiatives.
The Institute’s multidisciplinary approach, partnering with departments like the Department of Biomedical Informatics and Data Science (DBIDS) and the School of Health Professions, has created a dynamic ecosystem where clinicians, data scientists, and entrepreneurs learn to co-create solutions for real-world problems.
Through initiatives like the Innovation Clinic and the Heersink AI Founders Club, students gain hands-on experience applying AI to complex healthcare challenges, from predictive diagnostics to operational efficiency.
As healthcare systems worldwide confront rising costs, workforce shortages, and aging populations, the Institute is training leaders to reimagine care delivery through technology and innovation.
“Healthcare as we know it is unsustainable,” Pillay adds. “If we’re serious about better outcomes, better access, and better value, we must innovate. And AI is the accelerator."
Stevan Fairburn is a UAB MS4 student passionate about innovation and healthcare. He is enrolled in the AI in Medicine Graduate Certificate program and recently received an Innovate Fellow status from the Bill L. Harbert Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, allowing faculty, staff, students, and businesses to explore technology development and commercialization.
"I started the program with a very limited technical background, and my understanding of what, when, and how to use AI in healthcare settings grew tremendously."
"Not only has my technical knowledge expanded, but my understanding of the impactful progress that AI is beginning to make in medicine has grown exponentially. I’ve also learned the importance of safe and ethical implementations of AI within healthcare and the necessary limitations it imposes."
— Steven Fairburn, MS4
Bridging Borders in Innovation: Walter Sisulu University’s transformative visit to UAB
A delegation from Walter Sisulu University (WSU) in South Africa visited the Marnix E. Heersink Institute for Biomedical Innovation in Birmingham, Alabama, to build a partnership rooted in shared goals: advancing healthcare innovation, strengthening leadership, and improving patient outcomes. What unfolded over several days was more than a professional exchange; it was a profound learning experience set to inspire real change across continents.
A History of Collaboration
The collaboration between UAB and WSU dates back to 2016 when WSU leadership sought exposure for their middle managers through an Executive Healthcare Leadership Program. That initial connection, led by Rubin Pillay, M.D., Ph.D., chief innovation officer for UAB Medicine and director of the Institute and his team, laid the groundwork for several joint training initiatives, including the launch of oncology services at WSU’s main teaching hospital.
"We needed to create a platform to understand how cancer care is approached by high-income countries," said Sikhumbuzo Mabunda. "UAB was the logical partner for this."
Goals Rooted in Progress
This visit was more than ceremonial. With a recently signed Memorandum of Understanding, the WSU team came with clear objectives. Chief among them: exploring the role of artificial intelligence in medicine, benchmarking UAB’s referral systems, and discovering avenues for joint teaching programs and proof-of-concept innovation projects.
"True innovation in healthcare doesn't happen in isolation; it's forged through global partnerships that challenge our thinking and broaden our impact," says Pillay. "This collaboration with Walter Sisulu University reflects our shared belief that equitable, patient-centered solutions can and should be co-created across borders."
Learning That Inspires Action
The team was particularly impressed by UAB’s integrated approach to patient care. From AI applications in forensic pathology to a patient navigation program that ensures chemotherapy compliance, the systems in place at UAB provided new perspectives.
One emotional highlight for the WSU team was witnessing the bell-ringing tradition, where patients celebrate milestones like completing treatment or receiving clear scans. "It's more than a symbol, it's hope made audible," said Jafta. "We hope to bring this idea to our clinics, broadening the reasons patients get to ring the bell."
Bringing Innovation Home
With healthcare systems that differ in structure and access, WSU operates primarily in a publicly funded system with long wait times. The team saw clear benefits in adopting aspects of UAB’s efficiency-driven model. Key takeaways from the visit included plans to launch a telemedicine program (with oncology as the initial focus) alongside efforts to train internal teams in artificial intelligence applications, particularly for high-impact areas such as radiotherapy planning. The delegation also emphasized the importance of introducing leadership development initiatives and fostering collaboration between engineering and healthcare disciplines to enhance treatment outcomes.
Looking Forward
"It was an honor to host the WSU delegation and witness the depth of insight they brought to the table," said Heather Milam, Administrative Director, Heersink Institute for Biomedical Innovation. "From an institutional standpoint, this partnership exemplifies the kind of cross-cultural engagement that strengthens our mission: merging innovation with inclusivity to improve lives around the world."
Perhaps the greatest achievement from the visit was the recognition that innovation isn't just about technology. It's about systems, people, and culture. The team was struck by the collaboration between pharmacists, nurses, and clinicians, as well as the clinical leadership shown by physicians who double as administrators.
Mabunda summed up the visit perfectly: "We don't just want to replicate what we saw; we want to reimagine what's possible in our own context. This partnership isn't about aid or instruction. It's about mutual growth and shared vision."
From Classroom to Commercialization: UAB Heersink Institute Powers Biomedical Startups
At the Marnix E. Heersink Institute of Biomedical Innovation, we are doing more than educating the next generation of innovators in healthcare. We're fueling real companies that aim to transform medicine. Through its programs, the Institute is turning ideas from faculty, postdocs, and students into startups that leverage UAB's extensive translational research ecosystem.
A key example is Spiromatics, co-ventured by Surya Bhatt, M.D., and Sandeep Bodduluri, Ph.D. (Department of Medicine, Pulmonary, Allergy & Critical Care), along with other collaborators. Spiromatics, described as an "AI-based lung function solutions suite," was awarded one of the first grants from UAB's Blazer Bridge Fund, which supports campus innovators advancing promising biomedical ideas into commercial potential.
Another active startup linked to the Institute is Alveolus Bio, which was launched in 2022 by C. Vivek Lal, M.D., who served as the director of Clinical Innovation at the Heersink Biomedical Innovation Institute. Alveolus Bio recently secured a $2.5 million, NIH Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Fast-Track grant to develop inhaled, microbiometargeted therapies for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a notable validation of the vital support HIBI's translational infrastructure provides for nascent ventures.
These startups illustrate how the Institute's educational mission is closely tied to commercialization. Students and postdocs in its programs, especially those in the AI in Medicine track, have opportunities to build technologies from scratch, pitch to entrepreneurial funds, and work side-by-side with clinical innovators.
The Institute serves not just as a training ground, but as a bridge between education, research, and real-world application. By enabling faculty, students, and clinicians to found startups like Spiromatics and Alveolus Bio, the Institute is helping bring bold biomedical ideas from the classroom to the clinic.
Pillay Named AI Educator of the Year at AIMed25
At this year's AIMed25 conference in San Diego, one of the most anticipated moments came when Rubin Pillay, M.D., PhD, was honored with the 2025 AI Educator of the Year Award, a recognition celebrating not just individual achievement but a wider movement toward responsible, equitable, and human-centered innovation in healthcare.
"A heartfelt thank you to AIMed for this incredible recognition," Pillay said. "I'm deeply grateful to be named the AI Educator of the Year, an award that truly reflects the collective effort of an extraordinary community committed to transforming healthcare through intelligence."
AIMed25, held November 9-12, brought together clinicians, data scientists, entrepreneurs, educators, administrators, and investors from around the world. Known as the premier gathering at the intersection of AI and medicine, the conference is designed to be clinician-led and impact-driven, emphasizing real-world applications across diagnostics, care delivery, population health, extended reality, cybersecurity, and more. Attendees leave with both inspiration and actionable insights for integrating AI into clinical practice and health system strategy.
Against this backdrop of innovation, Pillay's recognition highlighted two major initiatives that have helped shape the global conversation about how healthcare professionals learn, adapt, and lead in the era of artificial intelligence.
The first is the development of a comprehensive suite of academic programs in AI in Medicine, spanning graduate certificates to advanced master's pathways. Built to prepare clinicians, leaders, and innovators for the realities of AI in real clinical environments, these programs focus on responsible implementation, meaningful use, and the translation of emerging technologies into better care.
The second milestone acknowledged by the award is the creation of the FutureMed Academy, a global learning platform dedicated to reducing the cost of technology and AI education for healthcare professionals everywhere. The initiative is driven by a simple but powerful belief: that the future of healthcare should not be gated by geography, resources, or privilege.
"This recognition honors two journeys I'm especially proud of," Pillay reflected. "Both are rooted in the belief that if we want healthcare innovation to be ethical, inclusive, and equitable, we must invest in the people who will ultimately bring it to life."
Pillay also emphasized gratitude for the students, colleagues, and global healthcare partners who continue to push the work forward.
"Thank you to my colleagues, students, partners, and the global healthcare community who continue to inspire this work every day. And thank you, AIMed, for championing the intersection of AI and healthcare with such vision."
Making AI Understandable and Accessible: Bodduluri speaks at OLLI
As part of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) Fall 2025 semester series on Artificial Intelligence, Sandeep Bodduluri, Ph.D., assistant professor, Department of Medicine, and director, Marnix E. Heersink Institute for Biomedical Innovation, AI Programming, delivered an engaging and informative presentation on AI in Medicine to a room of nearly 50 attendees. The event, held at the Hoover Chamber of Commerce, marked one of the most well-attended sessions of the term, reflecting the growing interest in AI among OLLI's Birmingham chapter members.
Bodduluri’s presentation was part of a broader series focused on various aspects of AI, providing participants with a comprehensive view of this rapidly evolving field. His session aimed to demystify AI in healthcare, making it more understandable and accessible for all, particularly as AI becomes increasingly integrated into medical practices and patient care.
The talk sparked a lively Q&A, with participants asking thoughtful questions about accuracy, ethics, and how patients can better navigate medical decisions in an AI-assisted world. Bodduluri emphasized the importance of transparency and patient empowerment, stressing that AI should be a tool to support, not replace, human judgment in healthcare.
OLLI’s Birmingham chapter, part of a national network of programs designed for adults aged 50 and up, offers a diverse range of courses based on member interests. With approximately 275 active participants each semester, the chapter offers classes on topics ranging from literature and history to healthcare and technology. In addition to academic sessions, members enjoy field trips and social events, building both knowledge and community.