The University of Georgia will host an interdisciplinary conference March 23–24 examining how artificial intelligence and immersive technologies are transforming health care practice and education.
Healthcare 5.0: Driving Precision Health and Education Through Immersive Technology and Artificial Intelligence will take place at the UGA Center for Continuing Education and Hotel and will bring together faculty, clinicians, researchers, industry partners, and students from across campus and beyond.
“We are thrilled to bring this caliber of a program to the University of Georgia,” said Mike Fulford, conference director and assistant dean for institutional effectiveness and strategic initiatives in UGA’s College of Pharmacy. “Nationally recognized experts from a range of academic and health care disciplines will discuss how virtual, augmented, and extended reality, along with artificial intelligence, are transforming health care delivery and education.”
The conference is co-sponsored by the UGA College of Pharmacy, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mary Frances Early College of Education, School of Medicine, Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, College of Engineering, and the Institute for Artificial Intelligence.
The event opens Monday, March 23, with a welcome from UGA President Jere Morehead, followed by a keynote address from Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D., president of the University of Nebraska System. Walter Greenleaf, director of research and innovation at the Stanford Medical Mixed Reality Center, will present a historical and forward-looking perspective on emerging technologies in health care. Monday’s agenda also includes research presentations on immersive learning, clinical simulations, and AI-enabled health education.
Speakers scheduled for the first day include Caitlin Rawlins of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and Bob Fine, co-founder of the International VR in Healthcare Association.
On Tuesday, March 24, Prashant Doshi, executive director of the UGA Institute for Artificial Intelligence, will highlight how AI is being developed and applied across UGA’s health sciences. Susan Persky, Ph.D., director of the Immersive Simulation Program at the National Human Genome Research Institute at the National Institutes of Health, will present on Tuesday as well. Additional research sessions and immersive technology demonstrations are planned throughout the day.
Students attending the conference will participate in “The Last 10 Feet of Healthcare,” an interdisciplinary design experience partially supported by the UGA Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Public Health. The workshop will challenge students to address real-world health care barriers, including patient understanding, accessibility, and communication, using technology-enabled solutions. Student teams will collaborate across disciplines, engage with conference speakers, and develop innovative strategies that culminate in team pitches evaluated by a multidisciplinary panel.
Said Fulford, “A distinguishing feature of the Healthcare 5.0 Conference is its hands-on approach. Demonstration will allow participants to experience AI applications and extended reality technologies developed at UGA and by industry partners and researchers.”
Current participating partners and vendors include VictoryXR, HouseCall VR, MediaCombo, and Sidekick Wellness. Additional sponsor and vendor opportunities are available; contact Fulford for further information.
The full conference schedule, registration details, fees, and sponsorship information are available online.
