Hosts: ARC Training Centre for Information Resilience (CIRES), UQ AI Research Network, and the UQ Business School.

Professor Anandhi Bharadwaj

Goizueta Endowed Chair in Electronic Commerce and Professor of Information Systems & Operations Management, Emory University

Title: Healthcare Algorithms and Disparities: Realized Value or Lost Opportunity?

 Abstract: The increasing adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare, particularly in the form of clinical decision support systems (CDSS), holds the promise of improved efficiency and patient outcomes. However, concerns about algorithmic bias and its potential to exacerbate existing health disparities have been raised. This paper examines the impact of healthcare algorithm adoption on clinical outcomes, focusing on racial disparities in the treatment of Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS). Through a large-scale empirical analysis, we find that while algorithm adoption is associated with reduced mortality for white patients, this benefit is not observed for non-white patients. We further identify differential treatment pathways, with non-white patients less likely to receive timely and intensive care, as a key mechanism contributing to these disparities. Our findings underscore the urgent need for careful scrutiny and reform in algorithm design and implementation to ensure equitable healthcare delivery.

Speaker Bio: Professor Bharadwaj is one of the world’s leading scholars on the business value of IT. She joined Goizueta after completing her PhD in Management Information Systems with a minor in Computer Science, from Texas A&M University. She also holds an MBA and a BS degree in Mathematics. Prior to pursuing her doctoral studies, Anandhi worked as an information systems consultant at NIIT. Anandhi’s research examines the adoption, use, and impact patterns associated with technological change. Her work has made impactful contributions in the areas of business value and impact of information technology, digital business strategies, healthcare technologies, and technology outsourcing. In her dissertation research, she proposed an artificial intelligence (AI) based architecture for dynamic scheduling based on an analysis of cardiac catheterizations in a large hospital in Texas. Anandhi previously served as the Vice Dean of Faculty and Research. She has also served as Department Editor for the IS track in Management Science, Senior Editor for Information Systems Research, and Associate Editor of MIS Quarterly and the Journal of AIS. Her research has been published in journals such as Management Science, Information Systems Research, MIS Quarterly, Organization Science Journal of MIS, Production and Operations Management, HBR, and IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management.

Professor Xitong Guo

Professor of School of Management, Harbin Institute of Technology

Title: AI in Healthcare: Theory and Action

Abstract: The rapidly aging population, surging demand for healthcare services, and the pressing need to enhance national health management systems present significant challenges to healthcare reform. Digital health emerges as a pivotal solution to these societal issues and represents the cutting-edge direction for the future development of medicine and healthcare. This presentation delves into digital health research and practice through the lens of information systems, with a focus on three core areas:

• Societal Impact: This section examines how digital health addresses critical challenges — including disparities in medical resource distribution, complex clinical workflows, and the resistance to changing individual health behaviors—while analyzing its broader societal implications and underlying mechanisms.
• Service Innovation and Value Creation: This section investigates the innovation, management, and value generation of digital health services within the broader healthcare ecosystem.
• Intelligent Decision Support: This section focuses on the development of AI-driven clinical decision-support technologies aimed at advancing precision medicine.

We explore AI-driven innovation in digital health from the perspectives of knowledge management, service management, and management practice, to offer both theoretical insights and practical strategies for the digital transformation of healthcare systems, and foster a more efficient, equitable, and sustainable model of healthcare services.

Speaker Bio: Xitong Guo is a professor of Information Systems and Director of the eHealth Research Institute at the Harbin Institute of Technology. His research focuses on eHealth with special interests in healthcare data enabled service management for citizen wellness. He attended the Lindau 2011 Economics Nobel Laureates Meeting and is PI for the State Key Program and Outstanding Scholars of the National Natural Science Foundation of China. His work has been published in MISQ, ISR, POM, JOM, JMIS, JAIS, EJIS, ACM TMIS, DSS, IJEC, ICIS, among other outlets. He received a Ph.D. in Information Systems at the City University of Hong Kong jointly with a Ph.D. in Management Science and Engineering at the University of Science and Technology of China in 2010 and a Bachelor in Mathematics from the University of Science and Technology of China in 2005.