Wagga Doctors win Research Award for Artificial Intelligence

Doctors from Wagga Wagga have won first prize at the Australia-New Zealand Medicine Research awards. Dr Lachlan Weir, Dr George Mallat and Associate Professor Joseph Suttie were grateful for all the local support. Research co-ordinator Simon Paton said, “We have seen an absolute explosion in research by young doctors throughout the MLHD in the last few years. We have really invested in the enthusiasm and talent of our local doctors in training, and the results are beginning to show. We’re incredibly proud of the whole team”. Simon Paton said “It’s pretty exciting to be at the cutting edge of artificial intelligence”.  

The prize-winning research studies how artificial intelligence (AI) can be used in CT scanning of the heart. AI uses ultra-powerful computers to allow machine learning on big datasets. In this case, AI can be used to identify blockages in coronary vessels or lung tumours. Thousands of scans were processed using an algorithm for identifying blocked vessels and compared with human processing for speed and accuracy. The best outcome was achieved using a hybrid model of human reporting augmented by artificial intelligence.

Dr Lachlan Weir said “It was really humbling to see Wagga on the international stage. A lot of people were surprised to see artificial intelligence research in regional NSW. However, there are many potential applications for artificial intelligence to better identify cardiovascular disease in rural areas. It’s definitely part of the future for medicine”. Wagga has two advanced cardiac CT computer systems located at I-Med and at Wagga Wagga Base Hospital.

Associate Professor Joseph Suttie said that the research is the culmination of many years of trying to build a research culture, often in the face of people resisting change. “It’s about time we realised that just because we are in the country, we shouldn’t accept second best. Anything they can do in the big city, we can do better”.