While browsing the Reuben College termcard, I didn’t expect to sign up for any talks so soon after returning from the holidays, especially with so much work to catch up on at the start of the new year. However, I couldn’t resist this session. The topic is rapidly emerging and closely aligned with my interests. I attended together with two guests and I’m so glad that I did! Judging by the size of the crowd and the level of engagement, I was clearly not the only one who found the topic compelling.
We need to live better, not just longer
Dr Vivian S. Lee (Visiting Fellow) warmed up the room by sharing her exciting multidisciplinary background and career journey, along with her passion for improving healthcare systems.
The talk opened with a strong hook around the concept of ‘healthspan’ (the part of a person’s life during which they are generally in good health), framing the need not just to live longer, but to live better. She guided us into the issue effectively with clear graphs and relatable examples. One particularly intuitive graph illustrated health life expectancy followed by loss of independence and morbidity, highlighting the goal of ‘squaring the curve’ - i.e. keeping people healthier for longer. The visual explanation worked well in drawing me in.
I also found the discussion on the factors that determine health really useful, particularly as someone who’s exploring how digital technologies interact with health outcomes in the context of climate change. It gives me clues on how to explore my independent variables.
Agentic AI systems
AI, more specifically agentic AI systems, was then introduced beyond its simple role in transcription for electronic health records, with its potential in advancing the co-production of health being highlighted. Various scenarios and examples of AI-based consultations were discussed, including the challenge of different Large Language Models (LLMs) producing different responses to the same queries.
Q&A and session takeaways
The Q&A session raised a wide range of questions, spanning:
- Curiosity about Dr Lee's career transition,
- Investment in digital health systems,
- The ‘black box’ nature of machine learning and different approaches,
- Green data centres,
- Why climate change framing can be more relatable for healthcare workers than using financial arguments alone,
- And even the role of compassion in AI agents.
Later, the audience was invited to discuss start-up ideas we would pitch and whether AI chatbots used in medical decisions should be regulated. What were those ideas, and how did people feel about regulation? I’ll keep that within the room!
This talk reminded me of what my mentor once said about ethos, pathos, and logos in effective presentations. I could feel all three in Vivian’s delivery. It was a great way to end the day.
