Machine Learning in Surgery: A User's Guide

Presenter: Dr. Tanner Wilson (Mentor: Dr. Matthew Rosengart)

Machine learning and artificial intelligence are rapidly becoming part of our everyday lives, from facial recognition technology to Netflix recommendations. Among many applications in healthcare, prediction of outcomes for clinical decision support is one promising application. In this talk, Dr. Wilson will provide an introduction to the basics of machine learning projects and showcase his group's results in attempting to predict various outcomes in cases of small bowel obstruction. He will provide an overview of the tools of the trade, explain how machine learning projects are structured differently from standard statistical investigation, review both standard and deep learning approaches, and explore challenges and solutions to common problems like class imbalance. The techniques that till be presented will provide a framework for addressing diverse clinical problems requiring prediction of surgical outcomes.