The CTSC Insight Summit: Artificial Intelligence and Health Outcomes

The Clinical and Translational Science Collaborative (CTSC) of Northern Ohio hosted its 2026 Insight Summit, Artificial Intelligence and Health Outcomes, on May 20 at the Case Western Reserve University. The full‑day event brought together researchers, clinicians, trainees, students, and community partners from across the region to explore how artificial intelligence can be responsibly leveraged to improve chronic health outcomes, with particular focus on rural communities.

The summit featured a keynote address by Dr. John Piette of the University of Michigan, along with spotlight sessions, an interactive collaboration lab, a poster session, and a multidisciplinary panel discussion. Together, these sessions highlighted both the promise and challenges of integrating AI into clinical and translational research, with a strong emphasis on ethics, fairness, implementation, and real‑world impact.  

“Researchers and clinicians worked together… bringing their distinct perspectives to the issue of health disparities in rural Ohio… moving beyond ideas and technology to solutions that are grounded in real clinical experience.” - Katherine Weber, Assistant Professor and Faculty Director of AI in Medical Education, CWRU

A major milestone of the day was the announcement of the CTSC 2026 Themed Pilot Program, Enhancing Translational Impact: Integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Improved Health Outcomes, introduced by CTSC Principal Investigator Dr. Grace McComsey. The pilot program will support rigorous and ethical clinical and translational research evaluating AI within real‑world workflows.

“The summit was a terrific experience… Our speakers and participants came away with a decent understanding of the benefits and pitfalls of AI.” - Goutham Rao, MD, Chief Clinician Experience Officer at University Hospitals

Throughout the afternoon, attendees explored research from across CTSC partner institutions during the poster session, which also featured AI‑generated abstract visualizations, and participated in networking opportunities to strengthen collaborations. The CTSC extends sincere thanks to all of the event exhibitors who contributed to the day’s success, including [U]Tech, CWRU Research Computing & Cyberinfrastructure (RCCI), Interactive Commons, and the CTSC Research Recruitment Platform Chatbot team.

If you would like to explore the creative side of the summit, you can view the AI‑generated artwork from the poster session in the CTSC Insight Summit Virtual AI Art Gallery. Additionally, slides from the keynote presentation by Dr. John Piette are available here.