Meeting MI - Radiologists Behind AI: Dr. Ben Fine, AI Lead

Meeting MI – Driving AI offers the Department of Medical Imaging the opportunity to meet the members of MI and learn about their work with artificial intelligence (AI).

Name: Ben Fine
Division: General Radiology
Academic Rank: Assistant Professor & AI Lead
Hospital site: Trillium Health Partners

1. What inspired you to pursue radiology after medical school?
I studied engineering for undergrad and was attracted to the idea of using modern technology to help patients.

2. What role do you play in the Department’s work advancing AI research and integration into radiology?
I have spent the past few years leading the AI Deployment and Evaluation Lab at Trillium Health Partners and have recently taken on the role of AI chair for the department of medical imaging.

3. What are some of the highlights and challenges you’ve experienced working with AI?
AI brings both great opportunities and new challenges. There is great excitement around the potential of these tools to improve patient care and the radiologist work experience, and seeing our practice at THP  actually deliver on this promise brings great pride. But there is a lot of growing pains as both organizational and technical challenges need to be overcome to put in place governance and infrastructure required for quality, safety and efficiency throughout the lifecycle of an AI tool.

4. Looking ahead, what are you most excited to see with the integration of AI into medical imaging?
I think many technical challenges required for augmenting the practice of radiology for the better have been solved. The exciting thing for me – boring for many others – will be seeing how practices, hospitals, administrators, vendors, regulators and payors coordinate and adapt to be able to create the value for patients at the system that these tools hold.

5. Tell us something about you that might surprise your colleagues!
I have turned down multiple offers to be a backup dancer for bar mitzvah DJs