Quiet but powerful innovations in artificial intelligence (AI) are reshaping healthcare, not by replacing caregiver expertise, but refining it enhancing workflows, improving diagnostics and optimizing resources. UH is at the forefront of this AI-driven transformation thanks to unique programs like RadiCLE, UH’s Radiology AI & Diagnostic Innovation Collaborative.

Led by Leonardo Kayat Bittencourt, MD, PhD, Vice Chair for Innovation at UH, RadiCLE bridges the gap between clinical radiology and AI research. The program collaborates with global startups and industry leaders to create AI tools aimed at enhancing diagnostic accuracy and patient care.

Watch the video above and learn about RadiCLE’s first success story, a project with French company AZmed that resulted in FDA-approval of fracture diagnosis software that can read x-rays faster and with greater precision than traditional methods.

Though its foundations are in radiology, RadiCLE spans clinical areas, with active projects in stroke and prostate cancer detection, screening for cardiovascular risk, and identifying the precursors for lung cancer.

“By stepping up to the AI game, UH is gaining national and international relevance as an active player in the decisions related to adoption of AI,” said Dr. Bittencourt. “And philanthropy is a critical factor for our success.”

Recruited to UH in 2020, Dr. Bittencourt is a Roe Green Global Health Scholar and has used funding from the program to travel internationally and foster innovative partnerships. “It's one of the great honors of my professional life that I can call myself a Roe Green Scholar,” he said. “That support is ensuring the impact of RadiCLE’s AI-driven innovations extends beyond local borders.”

Dr. Bittencourt already has plans for future RadiCLE projects that would incorporate not just AI, but novel uses of 3-D printing, virtual reality and anything else his team can dream up.