CHAI Member Spotlight: Q&A with Elisabeth Garwood
Excerpts from a Coalition for Health AI (CHAI) member spotlight Q&A featuring Elisabeth Garwood, MD, radiologist and Associate Chief Medical Informatics Officer at UMass Memorial Health in Massachusetts
What is your role at UMass Memorial Health and how did you get involved with the Coalition for Health AI (CHAI)?
I’m Dr. Elisabeth Garwood, a musculoskeletal radiologist and Associate Chief Medical Informatics Officer for UMass Memorial Health. I joined CHAI in 2022 as a member of the safety working group. I was an editorial lead and wrote portions of the assurance standards guide for CHAI.
Why has radiology been at the forefront of AI implementation in healthcare?
Radiology has been one of the easiest departments for AI to progress in because we’re already very tech-heavy and used to rapid technological change. We’re accustomed to evaluating new technologies in terms of their impact on workflow and efficiency. Bringing AI to other subspecialties that aren’t used to such rapid technological change can be more challenging.
What future developments are you looking forward to?
I’m particularly interested in CHAI’s upcoming guidance on evaluating generative AI tools in
healthcare. This is a rapidly evolving area where we currently lack standardized evaluation
processes. Additionally, the potential development of regional AI assurance labs could be
valuable in consolidating expertise and standardizing evaluation workflows.