Michael Balas: Using Artificial Intelligence to improve care for patients with traumatic brain injuries
On August 10, T-CAIREM will feature two public presentations from emerging U of T researchers. Michael Balas, a medical student at the University of Toronto's Temerty Faculty of Medicine will be discussing his research into using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to improve care for patients with traumatic brain injuries. We caught up with Balas to learn more about his innovative research.
What inspired you to pursue a career in medicine?
The human body is the most relatable yet also the most complex system we are aware of. My curiosity and interest in this system, coupled with my desire to work with and for others, naturally led me to medicine. Plus, doctors get to play with some of the coolest toys out there.
What will you be presenting on August 10?
The goal of my work is to create a clinical-decision support system driven by artificial intelligence that can predict patient outcomes before being seen by the neurosurgeon to aid with the triage process and serve as an alert system. Whenever someone has a serious head injury – which is not uncommon – they are often referred to a neurosurgeon who must figure out how bad the injury really is – all while running their own clinics and surgeries. As you can imagine, this leads to delays, inefficient use of resources and poor prioritization of true emergencies.
What inspired you to research this topic?
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a very real and a very serious problem that no one wants to experience. This project, besides being a challenging yet enjoyable problem to work on, also has the potential to make significant and lasting improvements to people who do experience TBI, and to do it soon.
What outcomes do you hope your research will eventually lead to?
I’m hoping that this research will help doctors help patients. Just like better roads prevent accidents and reduce traffic, optimizing the highway of patient care could indirectly lead to reduced mortality, morbidity, hospital length of stay and compilation rates.
What are your professional goals after you complete your studies at the U of T?
After medical school comes residency! Whether I continue at the U of T or move elsewhere, my goals are to use the knowledge and skills I’ve acquired to adapt and expand my current research to whichever medical specialty I pursue in the future.
What do you like to do when you aren’t working?
As much as I enjoy my work, I try to balance my activities with a healthy dose of exercise and adventure. I love travelling, backpacking, exploring new cultures and trying new things. But in the end, there’s nothing better than spending some quality time with friends and family.
What’s the best part of doing the type of research that you do?
I have the honour of working with and learning from a brilliant team of people. Their expertise, diversity of thought, and helpful, honest feedback has been a strong driver of both my personal and professional growth. They’re also just genuinely good folks.
