Charles Friedman hosts our March Seminar Series
March 5, 2025
We were thrilled to welcome Charles Friedman from the University of Michigan Medical School,
who delivered our March Seminar Series with his talk,
"Why AI and Learning Health Systems Need Each Other".
Charles began by advancing the idea that, while both are extremely important: AI is a means and Learning Health Systems (LHS) are an end--and why it is most important to maintain that distinction. He introduced the socio-technical infrastructure required for high-functioning learning systems and argue that this infrastructure provides a framework, actually a schematic, for successfully implementing AI into healthcare.
Charles Friedman is Professor of Learning Health Sciences at the University of Michigan Medical School, where he directs the Knowledge Systems Laboratory. He was formerly Founding Chair of the Department of Learning Health Sciences and the Josiah Macy Jr. Professor of Medical Education. He holds joint appointments in the Schools of information and Public Health. He is editor-in-chief of the open-access journal Learning Health Systems and co-chair of the multi-national movement to Mobilize Computable Biomedical Knowledge.
Throughout his career, Friedman has developed and studied methods to improve health, education, and research through innovative applications of information technology. Most recently, Friedman has focused his academic interests and activities on the concept of Learning Health Systems that improve health by marrying discovery to implementation, and the socio-technical infrastructure required to sustain these systems.
Friedman is a Distinguished Fellow of the American College of Medical Informatics, and a founding fellow of the International Academy of Health Sciences Informatics. He holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Lucerne in Switzerland for his contributions to the science of Learning Health Systems. Prior to coming to Michigan, Friedman held executive positions at the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Immediately prior to his work in the government, he was Associate Vice Chancellor for Biomedical Informatics, and Founding Director of the Center for Biomedical Informatics at the University of Pittsburgh.
Seminar Series Event: "Why AI and Learning Health Systems Need Each Other"
Date and Time:
Wednesday 26 March 2025, 10:00 – 11.00 hrs (BST)
Location: The Anatomy Museum, King's Building, Room K6.36, Strand Campus, Strand, London, WC2R 2LS
Attendance:
Mandatory for all DRIVE-Health students, therefore please accept the calendar invitation.
Registration: Alumni and wider King's College London research community all welcome - please email
drive-health-cdt@kcl.ac.uk
to let us know if you would like to attend.
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We are delighted to welcome Luis Garcia-Gancedo , Executive Director and Head of Digital Medicine at GSK , to speak at our symposium and partner showcase next month. Luis will deliver his talk “Digital Medicine in Clinical Development: Innovation at the Industry-Academia Interface " Abstract: Digital Medicine is transforming clinical trials, with wearable devices, digital endpoints, decentralised trial technologies and AI-driven insights already integrated into many clinical development programmes. This presentation will provide an overview of the current landscape and will discuss the opportunity for industry-academia collaborations to overcome existing barriers (including evidence generation to support validation and regulatory acceptance) to propel the field forward for the benefit of patients. Date and Time: Thursday 11 June 2026, 10:00 hrs (BST) Location: The Science Gallery London, Guy's Campus Tickets are free, please register as spaces are limited : https://buytickets.at/kingsepsrcdrivehealthcentrefordoctoraltrainingindatadrivenhealth/2143742 Biography Luis Garcia-Gancedo is an Executive Director and Head of Digital Medicine at GSK. In this role, he streamlines the consideration of digital health technologies in GSK’s respiratory, immunology and inflammation clinical trials, transitioning from an opportunistic to a strategic approach for developing and deploying novel digital solutions that address key clinical development challenges. Prior to his current role, he was with AstraZeneca, GSK, and the University of Cambridge. Luis holds a BSc/MSc in Physics, a PhD in Engineering and an Executive MBA.
Bridging Academia and Industry: Turning Health Data into Health Solutions Please join us for the EPSRC DRIVE‑Health CDT Summer Symposium & Partner Showcase 2026 , a two‑day event dedicated to bridging academia and industry and accelerating the journey from health data research to real‑world solutions. This year’s theme, “Bridging Academia and Industry: Turning Health Data into Health Solutions", brings together our vibrant community of students, King’s academics, industry partners, clinicians and policymakers to explore how collaboration can unlock new insights, innovation and impact across health and care. Event details 📅 11 & 12 June 2026 📍 Science Gallery London, Guy’s Campus, King’s College London, Great Maze Pond, London SE1 9GU Timings: ⏰ 10:00–16:00 each day ☕ Refreshments available from 09:30 👉 Please be seated by 09:50 for a prompt 10:00 start Please secure your place here: Register Now Programme highlights KEYNOTE ✨ Dr Luis Garcia‑Gancedo , Executive Director & Head of Digital Medicine – Respiratory, Immunology & Inflammation, GSK INTERACTIVE DEBATE ✨ Student‑led interactive debate exploring AI within the context of the event theme: “Bridging Academia and Industry: Turning Health Data into Health Solutions.” PANEL DISCUSSION & POSTER JUDGING ✨ “What does industry actually need from health data PhDs - and how can industry partner with academia for maximum impact?” Panelists confirmed so far: Dr Laura Acqualagna , Director of AI/ML Engineering, GSK R&D Dr Chris Callaghan , Consultant Transplant Surgeon, Guy’s Hospital Dr Nina Sesto , CEO & Co‑Founder, MEGI Health Dr Srinivasan Vairavan , Director of Data Science & Digital Health, JNJ Innovative Medicine R&D, and Visiting Adjunct Faculty, King’s College London Dr Nicolas Huber , Director, King’s Innovation Catalyst PLUS ✨ Student lightning talks (across both days) ✨ 3‑minute Student Spotlight Slides (across both days) ✨ Poster showcase & networking session (Friday) ✨ Prizes for outstanding contributions (Friday) Please secure your place here: Register Now If you are no longer able to attend the event, please email drive-health-cdt@kcl.ac.uk so that we can reallocate to our waiting list.
