A Message from the Vice President and Chief Transformation Officer

Dear UTMB Community,

I am excited to announce two significant developments in our institution's commitment to leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) for the advancement of healthcare: the launch of UTMB's Artificial Intelligence Council and the appointment of Peter McCaffrey, MD, as our inaugural Chief AI Officer.

The AI Council, a broadly representative body, marks a significant step forward in our AI strategy. Bringing together key stakeholders from across UTMB's clinical, research, educational, operational, and administrative departments, the council ensures our AI initiatives align with the diverse needs and goals of our institution. Meeting monthly, the council will swiftly evaluate, recommend, and prioritize AI projects based on their potential impact across all areas of UTMB's mission.

A key function of the AI Council is to standardize and expedite the approval process for AI projects. By establishing clear evaluation criteria and a streamlined review workflow, we aim to reduce the time from idea conception to implementation. This approach will allow UTMB to be more agile in adopting beneficial AI technologies while maintaining rigorous standards for safety, ethics, and efficacy.

Leading our AI initiatives, Dr. Peter McCaffrey brings a wealth of experience as the Director of Laboratory Information Services, Pathology Informatics, and the Division of Bioinformatics and Artificial Intelligence. With an MD from Johns Hopkins, residency at Harvard, and advanced degrees in Biomedical Data Science and AI from Stanford, Dr. McCaffrey is well-equipped to guide our AI efforts. His accomplishments at UTMB include pioneering AI-ready datasets, receiving a Gage Award for COVID-19 Innovation, and co-chairing the University of Texas Healthcare AI Collaborative.

To ensure a coordinated approach, all AI project requests, including those from vendors, must be submitted through the program manager of the Transformation Office, Pennelope Kunkle at pkkunkle@utmb.edu. An AI Intake committee will review submissions weekly, evaluating projects based on importance, impact, and feasibility.

By creating a strong AI strategy with carefully selected initiatives, we have the opportunity to significantly enhance our productivity across all missions and strengthen UTMB's position as a leading academic medical center. I encourage you all to embrace this exciting new chapter in UTMB's journey towards AI-driven healthcare innovation.

Sincerely,
Salim S. Hayek, MD
Vice President, Chief Transformation Officer
University of Texas Medical Branch