Joint Evans Center Pre-ARC and Focused Research Program (AI-PRISM) Workshop

Event Information:

Recommended for clinicians and faculty in engineering, biostatistics, and other related fields.

Date: Wednesday, January 14, 2026

Time: 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Location: Duan Family Center for Computing & Data Sciences, Room 1101 (Virtual option available — register to receive the link.)

Contact: For questions or to express interest in presenting a pilot proposal, please contact Dr. Charlene Ong at cjong@bu.edu.

Event Summary:

Join us for a joint Evans Center Pre-ARC: VITAL and AI-PRISM Focused Research Program (FRP) collaborative workshop dedicated to advancing interdisciplinary pilot proposals in AI, data science, and critical care.

This working session will focus on the research progress made in the AI-PRISM FRP and introduce Pre-ARC: VITAL. Together, we will focus on developing concrete research aims, drafting proposals for the upcoming ARC (Advanced Research Collaboration) application cycle, and identifying opportunities aligned with DARPA and NIH funding priorities.

Participants are encouraged to come prepared with draft pilot aims if they wish to submit a proposal for the ARC application.

Agenda

VITAL-ARC Workshop Agenda

Date: January 14
Time: 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Workshop Objectives

Establish a high-energy, forward-looking ARC strategy and shared vision
Review a small number of motivating exemplar projects
Define infrastructure and governance needs for ARC-scale work
Integrate npj Digital Medicine Perspective feedback into a more concrete, fundable ARC narrative
Advance strategy and next steps for the ARC application

10:00 – 10:15 | Opening: ARC Vision and Strategic Framing

Purpose: Set ambition, urgency, and shared goals

Why ARC, why now
What problem ARC is uniquely positioned to solve
What success looks like (scientific, clinical, institutional)
How today’s discussion feeds directly into the ARC application

10:15 – 10:45 | Selected Works in Progress (High-Energy, Illustrative)

Format: 10 minutes per project (overview + discussion)

Projects chosen to motivate ARC and anchor strategy
FAIT (Noelle Saillant): Real-world implementation lessons relevant to ARC
Neurologic Deterioration (Charlene Ong): Detection, labeling, deployment challenges
Hypertension (Yannis Paschalidis/Nick Cordella): Cross-setting monitoring and intervention

Goal: Surface common patterns, bottlenecks, and ARC-relevant needs

10:45 – 11:05 | Emerging Projects and Strategic Fit

High-level framing of future ARC directions
Motor function and motor deterioration (Eshed Ohn-Bar)
Medical errors and failure-to-rescue (Huimin Cheng)
How these map onto ARC pillars and priorities

11:05 – 11:30 | Infrastructure and Governance to Enable ARC

Foundational discussion

Introduction from AI / Data Science leadership (Nick Cordella)
Secure infrastructure (AWS secure environment)
AI governance, adjudication, monitoring, and regulatory considerations
Minimum viable vs. aspirational ARC infrastructure

11:30 – 12:05 | VITAL-ARC Perspective: Reviewer Feedback → Concrete Revisions

Synthesis session (informed by earlier discussion)

Summary of npj Digital Medicine reviewer feedback
Key critiques: concreteness, novelty, feasibility, generalizability
How today’s project and infrastructure discussions address these critiques

Agreement on:

Specific examples to include
Figures / workflows to add
Clarified claims and positioning

12:05 – 1:00 | ARC Application: Strategy, Scope, and Next Steps

Extended planning session

Defining ARC’s scope, strengths, and differentiators
Aligning current and planned projects with ARC aims
Identifying gaps (scientific, technical, governance)
Assigning action items, owners, and timelines

Workshop Leaders:

About AI-PRISM Focused Research Program (Artificial Intelligence for Precision Recommendations and Integrated Scoring in Medicine)

AI and machine learning (ML) have transformed various industries, yet their full potential in clinical medicine remains untapped due to concerns about interpretability, robustness, and integration into real-world decision-making. This FRP aims to apply AI and machine learning to clinical care applications to (1) optimize prescriptions for hypertension and (2) compute NIH Stroke Scales from unstructured clinical notes, emphasizing safety, robustness, and explainability. Learn more.

About Pre-ARC: VITAL (Visionary Integration of Technology, AI, and Learning in Critical Illness)

VITAL aims to pursue a convergence-focused collaboration model across BU, VA, and BMC to strengthen AI-driven critical care research. It’s a hub for integrating sensors, data science, engineering, and clinical—serving as the intersection of research across disciplines, particularly in critical care. Meetings will remain outcome-oriented, identifying priorities and timelines for spring readiness. Learn more.