Eight U of T artificial intelligence researchers named CIFAR AI Chairs

Eight University of Toronto artificial intelligence researchers – four of whom are women – have been named CIFAR AI Chairs, a recognition of pioneering work in areas that could have global societal impact. One of the new chairs is Anna Goldenberg, an associate professor of computer science in U of T's Faculty of Arts & Science and the first-ever chair in biomedical informatics and artificial intelligence at the Hospital for Sick Children. She and her colleagues, including U of T's Dr. Peter Laussen, have developed a computer model that uses signals in physiological data, such as a patient's pulse, to detect an oncoming heart attack – giving doctors and nurses vital minutes to intervene and save an infant's life. The early-warning system has been able to predict 70 per cent of heart attacks at least five minutes – and up to 15 minutes – before a patient's heart stops beating. "In machine learning and health care, the key word is prevention," says Goldenberg, whose team is on track to have the system tested in a silent trial in a clinical environment.