Zoe Berg

Yale students and professionals convened earlier this month to examine how artificial intelligence is reshaping healthcare — and how to do so responsibly.

On April 11, the 2025 Yale Healthcare Conference, held at Yale School of Management’s Evans Hall, centered on the theme “AI²: Shaping Health with Integrity and Intelligence.” Organized by students from Yale’s professional schools, the conference featured keynote speeches, panel discussions and breakout sessions on AI in healthcare, with additional focus on health equity, chronic disease, global health and policy. The event drew a multidisciplinary audience and highlighted both the promises and limitations of emerging health technologies.

“We wanted to build a theme that recognized AI’s potential while remaining grounded in values,” conference co-chairs Cecil Ehirindu GRD ’27 and Cecilia Jiye Lee wrote in an email to the News.

The idea for the theme emerged from a post-conference reflection on last year’s event, where a breakout discussion on AI drew overwhelming attendance and engagement. According to the co-chairs, the popularity of that session highlighted a growing interest in AI—but also a need to frame it within the realities of healthcare delivery.

“That’s where AI² came from. The name itself—amplified intelligence—was inspired by Dr. Ingrid Nembhard, a former JD Thompson Awardee,” they said. “It represented the idea that when artificial intelligence is paired with human values like empathy, transparency, and ethics, it becomes something greater.”

The theme also shaped how content was curated. While AI remained a central thread throughout the day, a wider array of healthcare topics, including chronic disease, mental health access and health equity were also addressed during the conference.

“Our biggest challenge was finding the right balance between AI-specific content and the broader realities of today’s healthcare landscape,” said Lee. “The real world isn’t made of silos, and our conference wasn’t aiming to be either.”

The conference drew attendees from across Yale and beyond, including public health students pursuing careers in health management and policy. Rachel Kitay SPH ’25, who attended the conference after recently returning from the American College of Healthcare Executives Congress, said the event felt like a natural continuation of her interests.

“So I mean, how could I not take advantage of the opportunity being here at Yale? To connect with so many inspiring people and the industry I hope to work in,” Kitay said.

Panel sessions spanned AI governance, ethics, clinical applications and health equity, and also included discussions on topics outside of AI, such as hospital reimbursement policy and digital health in low- and middle-income countries. Content committee members said the goal was to ensure every attendee—regardless of discipline—found something relevant to their interests.

“We were intentional about assembling panels that brought together voices from across the healthcare ecosystem—from clinicians and academics, to entrepreneurs and policy experts,” said Ryan Shi, a member of the content committee. “We prioritized diversity in career backgrounds and lived experiences to reflect the complexity of today’s healthcare landscape.”

Kitay said the theme itself—centered on “integrity” and “intelligence”—resonated with ongoing conversations about ethics in healthcare innovation.

“I thought it was really helpful to have different leaders from AI applications and healthcare come and give us such a personalized view and have in depth discussions about how, like it or not, this technology is here, how are we gonna apply it in a way that’s beneficial for all members of society and try to increase health equity,” she said.

One panel that drew strong audience engagement was “Scaling Solutions in Global Health,” which discussed the challenges of applying AI in low- and middle-income countries. The session explored infrastructure limitations, cost considerations and the importance of localized approaches.

The conference featured two keynote speakers. Andrew Bhak, a healthcare executive and Yale Healthcare Conference Advisory Board member, was awarded the JD Thompson Award and delivered the morning keynote. His remarks focused on hospital systems, financing and the political economy of health data.

“Andrew has demonstrated exceptional leadership at the intersection of healthcare, finance, and policy,” said the co-chairs. “He brought both intellectual rigor and grounded insight that challenged our audience to think bigger and more responsibly about the future of health data and AI.”

In the afternoon, keynote speaker Dr. Nneka Mobisson, co-founder and CEO of mDoc, shared how her team uses AI and data to support chronic disease management in sub-Saharan Africa. A graduate of Yale’s MD/MBA program, she emphasized the role of local context and purpose-driven tech.

“Her work embodies everything we aimed to highlight at the conference: innovation rooted in service, technology shaped by purpose,” said the co-chairs. “Her story and presence left the room in awe—and deeply inspired.”

Organizers said coordinating speakers and managing day-of logistics required cross-committee collaboration, detailed preparation and strong contingency planning. The logistics team worked with the School of Management’s IT department to conduct AV run-throughs, classroom tech uploads and real-time troubleshooting.

“One of the most complex aspects was ensuring that all committee members—especially volunteers and newer team members—were quickly and effectively onboarded to handle last-minute issues,” said logistics co-lead Miguel Agreda. “It required real-time decision-making under pressure.”

Volunteers were trained through a handbook, venue tour and remote briefings. The logistics committee created a detailed run-of-show and divided tasks into shifts, assigning 33 volunteers to roles across the day.

“The logistical element we’re proudest of pulling off is volunteer management,” said Agreda. “Even with a few small adjustments along the way, the plan held up well.”

The conference also received financial support from sponsors including Northwell Health, ICON, Yale School of Public Health, F-Prime, AlleyCorp and the Connecticut Association of Healthcare Executives. Finance committee members said they worked to secure funding while keeping ticket costs accessible.

“We aimed to balance ambitious programming with responsible spending, especially given the increased costs in certain areas,” said Andrew Smith of the finance committee. “We proactively reached out to alumni, current students across the Yale ecosystem and our professional networks ahead of time.”

Marketing efforts used LinkedIn, Bluesky, Instagram and direct email campaigns to reach attendees across sectors. Messaging was tailored depending on the audience, including outreach to Yale graduate schools and undergraduates interested in health careers.

“We crafted the public-facing identity of this year’s conference with the goal of striking a balance between professionalism and accessibility,” said Sydney Kang of the marketing committee. “Every visual and written element was designed to reflect the energy and innovation of our student team while maintaining the credibility and polish expected of a leading healthcare conference.”

Faculty attendees noted the student leadership and interdisciplinary collaboration across the conference. 

Dr. Howard Forman, faculty advisor to the event, said the event showcased the strength of student and faculty engagement.

“I thought that the conference represented some of the best things about Yale: amazing students who collaborate across schools; faculty who are subject matter experts and thought leaders; and attendees who are eager participants as well as listeners,” Forman said.

Organizers said their goal was to offer attendees new knowledge, professional connections and a sense of direction as AI continues to shape health systems.

Panel discussions concluded with a range of open questions on policy, implementation and equity that organizers said they hoped would prompt continued conversations beyond the event itself.

“We hope attendees walked away with three things: a new idea that they hadn’t considered before. A meaningful connection that challenges their thinking. A spark of inspiration to lead with both intelligence and integrity,” said the co-chairs.

Yale School of Management is located at 165 Whitney Ave.