Mamatha Bhat, MD, MSc, PHD, FRDPC 

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When: Friday, January 24, 2025, 11am-12pm Eastern Time​​

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Title: “Development of AI tools in Transplantation: Current and Future Prospects"

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Abstract: Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools have been increasingly applied to clinical questions in transplant medicine in recent years. As we continue to push the limits of transplantation, there are many challenges throughout transplant medicine that must be better addressed including equity and objectivity in decision-making. Various factors affect liver transplant pathology and outcomes, including sex, ethnicity, genetics, BMI, diabetes, and immunosuppressive regimens. There exist complex, non-linear patterns in laboratory tests that must be considered in conjunction with the complex clinical variables to predict outcome. Additionally, electronic health record data, imaging technologies, histology, and ‘omics data have continued to expand the types of data available. These complex data points, their hidden patterns and interrelationships can be uniquely leveraged with the use of AI tools. Longitudinal changes in these variables are also being examined to provide a continuous reassessment of risk along the timeline. Applications of AI in transplant medicine include waitlist prioritization, donor-recipient matching, and short-term/long-term outcome prediction. In this talk, I will go over these considerations with respect to application of AI in transplant medicine. I will additionally discuss integration of ‘omics data, as well as perspectives regarding clinical deployment of AI tools.

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Bio: Dr. Mamatha Bhat is a Hepatologist and Clinician-Scientist at the University Health Network's Ajmera Transplant Centre, Scientist at TGHRI and Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto. Dr. Bhat completed her medical school and residency training at McGill University. She then completed a Transplant Hepatology fellowship at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, followed by a CIHR Fellowship for Health Professionals, through which she completed a PhD in Medical Biophysics. The goal of Dr. Bhat’s research program is to improve long-term outcomes of liver transplantation by developing tools of Artificial Intelligence integrating clinical and 'omics data, and has been funded by CIHR, Terry Fox research institute, Canadian Liver Foundation, American society of Transplant among others. She has published over 155 papers in journals such as Lancet Digital Health, Journal of Hepatology, JAMA Surgery, Gut and Hepatology. Dr. Bhat has been the recipient of recognitions such as the 2022 CASL Research Excellence award and the 2021 American Society of Transplantation Basic Science Career Development Award. Dr. Bhat is also Director of the Clinician-scientist training program in the Dept of Medicine at U of T, Partnership & Engagement Lead for the Temerty Centre for AI Research and Education in Medicine (T-CAIREM), and past Chair of the International Liver Transplant Society Basic and Translational Science Research committee.​​​​​​​​