Israeli Experts Highlight AI’s Role in Early Brain Bleed Detection and Medical Innovation
At a recent conference hosted by Calcalist and the Holon Institute of Technology (HIT), leading Israeli medical and technology experts discussed the growing integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare. Dr. Rafael Barkhan, HIT’s Vice President and founder of the Digital Medicine Technologies Department, emphasized the need for professionals fluent in both medicine and technology. He described digital medicine as a young academic field born during the COVID-19 pandemic, aiming to train experts who can bridge healthcare and technological innovation, including AI implementation in clinical settings.
Dr. Roni Lavenda, Vice President of AI at Aidoc, presented her company’s AI-powered system that detects brain hemorrhages from CT scans before doctors are aware, significantly speeding up diagnosis and treatment. Aidoc’s technology is currently used in over 2,000 hospitals worldwide, analyzing more than 60 million scans annually. The AI not only identifies urgent conditions like brain bleeds but also detects dozens of other pathologies, generating comprehensive radiology reports and facilitating timely medical decisions.
Dr. Michal Tzukman Katz, Innovation and Research VP at Maccabi Healthcare Services, highlighted the transformative potential of combining AI with rich clinical data for preventive and personalized medicine. She noted that Israel’s healthcare system is positioned to lead globally by integrating advanced technologies that enable early risk detection and tailored interventions based on extensive patient data, including from wearable devices.
Additionally, Or Retzkin, CEO of EyeControl, shared how his company develops AI-driven eye-tracking communication tools for ALS patients. Originating from a personal family experience, EyeControl’s technology allows patients to communicate and interact cognitively without complex calibration, and has been adopted in Israeli and U.S. hospitals, including intensive care units during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The conference underscored Israel’s advancing role in medical AI innovation, emphasizing multidisciplinary expertise and the critical impact of technology on patient care and healthcare systems.
