The TRACE-TB project, supported by USAID and implemented by Wadhwani AI, has organised a two-part webinar series to demonstrate how data science, AI, and machine learning can be effectively utilised to bolster responses to infectious diseases in India.
REGISTER FOR THE SECOND WEBINAR ON 25 JANUARY →
Webinar 1: Key Insights
The first webinar in the series took place on 18 January, and highlighted the ways in which public health responses to COVID-19 can be strengthened using predictive modelling. The panel of speakers for the webinar included state government officials and experts from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, USAID, IIIT Delhi, and WHO.
In an hour-long session moderated by Ms. Kachina Chawla from USAID India, the panellists presented their findings from their use of data science, AI, and ML solutions within various public health systems to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, and explored the way forward for leveraging existing frameworks to estimate and respond to the case burdens experienced by other infectious diseases.
The following are a few key takeaways from the webinar.
TRACE-TB Webinar 1: "The science and AI that we are putting together will be game-changing. It will allow us to do greater screening and diagnosis, and augment the ability of frontline healthcare providers to respond [to infectious diseases]." – Sangita Patel @usaid_india pic.twitter.com/rAaWzIHtMI
— Wadhwani AI (@WadhwaniAI) January 18, 2022
"When it comes to monitoring the state of the #COVID19 pandemic, data is ubiquitous. It is important to analyse the available data and have modelling approaches that will enable you to predict how things are likely to unfold in the future." – Dr. Alpan Raval, Wadhwani AI pic.twitter.com/b02wQa2g53
— Wadhwani AI (@WadhwaniAI) January 20, 2022
"In the initial days of #COVID19, due to lockdowns, we had limited resources and no manpower on-ground to manage the pandemic. Our data insights and the way we managed the information flow helped us to set up the basic foundations of pandemic management." – Ashwini Bhide, MCGM pic.twitter.com/B6EyBr321l
— Wadhwani AI (@WadhwaniAI) January 18, 2022
"During the pandemic, the biggest challenges we faced as administrators involved a failure to anticipate. AI-based projections and data analytics helped us to arrive at relatively more conclusive ideas and helped us to make decisions quickly." – Ravi Shankar Shukla, DC – Dumka pic.twitter.com/FSu6PBjs0p
— Wadhwani AI (@WadhwaniAI) January 18, 2022
"The key factors to be considered for effective mitigation include supply factors, demand factors, infrastructure, equitable distribution, transparent and measurable impact, and effective policy." – Dr. Tavpritesh Sethi, IIIT Delhi pic.twitter.com/KBBkiVvzQX
— Wadhwani AI (@WadhwaniAI) January 18, 2022
"The way forward includes strengthening, simplifying, and streamlining predictive modelling tools. There is also a need for greater coordination among partners and to support countries with modelling." – Dr. Vineet Bhatia, WHO pic.twitter.com/ODvrr31I05
— Wadhwani AI (@WadhwaniAI) January 18, 2022
"It is incredibly important to analyse how we look at hyperlocal situations and the localisation of the information in predictive models." – Kachina Chawla, USAID India pic.twitter.com/Rmj81qRNHt
— Wadhwani AI (@WadhwaniAI) January 20, 2022
Webinar 2: Registrations Open
The second webinar in the two-part series will take place on 25 January 2022 at 4PM IST. It will showcase how AI and ML tools can be utilised for the screening, triaging, and diagnosis of infectious diseases. Click here to register.
The panel will include distinguished experts from WHO, USAID, IIIT, Stop TB Partnership, and Wadhwani AI. View the list of speakers here.