Summer institute

Urban view of Calgary. Photo credit: Unsplash – Kyler Nixon

Summer Institute 2024

The Artificial Intelligence for Public Health (AI4PH) Summer Institute was held in Calgary, Alberta in 2024. Successful applicants had the opportunity to expand their skills and knowledge related to the application of AI innovations in public health research and practice while exploring the potential impact of AI technologies on the widening or narrowing of health inequities. The theme was “Introduction to image analysis and applications to public health”, with methods and examples organized around this topic.

What happened this year?

• The theme was “Introduction to image analysis and applications to public health”.
• Attendees received materials before the Summer Institute to help them prepare.
• Travel support was available for attendees ($1000)
• Prior experience with R or python was a pre-requisite for attending the 2024 Summer Institute. Applicants without coding experience can take advantage of other training opportunities through the AI4PH Training Platform.

Why attend?

Participants selected to participate in the AI4PH Summer Institute benefit from a stimulating, interactive program that includes small-group discussions, tutorials, data challenge activities, and research talks. Participants will have the opportunity to:

• • Learn from a diverse group of leading researchers in public health and AI;
    
  • Network and collaborate with their peers, who will bring perspectives from public health, ethics, social sciences, and computational sciences;
    
  • Develop and refine their computational skills; and,
    
  • Explore state-of-the art public health data to build confidence in AI- and equity-focused analyses.

Who supports the Summer Institute?

• The AI4PH Summer Institute is supported by a grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
• The event was hosted at the University of Calgary.
• Support is also provided through partner organizations, including CIFAR, Mila, The Vector Institute, Amii, IVADO, Public Health Ontario, INSPQ, Statistics Canada, QPHRN and the George & Fay Yee Centre for Healthcare Innovation.

Calgary, Alberta view of river. Photo credit: Unsplasg – Nataliia Kvitovska

Applications will re-open in Spring 2025 

I have attended the Summer Institute in previous years, can I apply again this year?
⇒ No, unfortunately we are unable to accept applications from previous attendees as we want to provide the opportunity to attend our Institutes to as many people as possible.

I am not resident in Canada, can I attend the Summer Institute?
⇒ No, unfortunately you need to be resident in Canada with a valid visa or citizenship.  

I have limited knowledge of R and/or Python, can I still apply to the Summer Institute?
⇒ Some familiarity is required in at least one of the programming languages. We recommend that you do one of these courses and then consider applying: https://ai4ph-hrtp.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/AI4PH-Intro-Coding-Resources.pdf 

What is the deadline for applications?
⇒ The deadline to submit an application for the 2024 AI4PH Summer Institute has been extended to Friday, April 5th, 2024 – applications are CLOSED.. 

How much does the Summer Institute cost?
⇒ There is no fee for successful applicants.

When will I know if my application will be successful?
⇒ Applicants will be notified by 10 May 2024.

I don’t live in Calgary, is there any financial support for travel and accommodation.
⇒ A minimum $1,000 of travel support will be available to each accepted applicant into the program.

Can I apply if I am not registered for a university degree?
⇒ We accept applications from post-docs and early career researchers, as well as PhD students. Medical residents are also eligible, however, will need to have some demonstrated interest in research and programming skills, to be competitive.