2026 biocrossroads life sciences summit
Advancing Healthcare Operations with AI
An AnalytiXIN Workshop in partnership with BioCrossroads
Health systems are exploring how AI can help them anticipate patients’ needs, make better use of operating room capacity, and reduce the time staff spend on routine tasks. Across Indiana, that work is taking shape through collaborations among healthcare providers, university researchers, and technology companies.
This interactive workshop will connect participants with the people developing those approaches to explore where their work could meet needs across healthcare organizations. Facilitated by Darshan Shah of AnalytiXIN, the session will combine short presentations with facilitated discussion about practical applications, implementation challenges, and opportunities for partnership.
- October 28, 2026 | 2:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
- Hyatt Regency, Downtown Indianapolis
- Summit attendees are invited to register for one workshop at no additional cost
There is no cost to attend this workshop, but space is limited. Workshop registration is separate from Summit registration.
What to expect
Presenters will share projects at different stages of research, development, and implementation, offering a starting point for a broader conversation about AI in healthcare operations. Substantial time will be reserved for participants to ask questions, share challenges within their own organizations, and discuss what it would take to apply or adapt these approaches.
The goal is to connect promising work with potential users and collaborators, helping participants identify opportunities they can pursue beyond the Summit.
Who should attend
This workshop is designed for healthcare executives, clinical and operational leaders, researchers, technology developers, and life sciences partners interested in applying AI to healthcare operations. It is particularly relevant to organizations looking for collaborators, evaluating potential applications, or working through implementation challenges.
From Shared Challenges to Opportunities for Collaboration
The facilitated discussion will explore:
Where AI could address significant operational needs across health systems.
Which challenges are shared across organizations and could benefit from collaboration.
What is needed to move promising research and pilots into broader use.
How partnerships among healthcare providers, universities, technology companies, and life sciences organizations could support implementation.
Whether an ongoing community of practice could help participants continue this work beyond the Summit.
Bring the questions and operational challenges your organization is working through. The session is an opportunity to learn about emerging approaches, contribute your perspective, and connect with people whose work could inform your next steps.
Featured speakers and work
Identifying Social Risks and Connecting Patients with Support
Serena Guo, MD, PhD | Purdue University
Housing instability and other unmet social needs can affect patients’ health and their likelihood of hospitalization. Guo is developing AI approaches that combine patient information with environmental and community data to help care teams better identify those risks.
Her work includes iSMART, a platform based in electronic health records that is designed to help teams identify unmet needs, prioritize interventions, and connect patients with appropriate resources. She is extending this research through an NIH-funded project focused on patients with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
Automating the Movement of Clinical Supplies
Justin Slattery | Arrive AI
Moving lab specimens, medications, and supplies is an essential part of hospital operations that also demands staff time. Slattery will discuss Arrive AI’s work with Hancock Health to automate those deliveries using secure delivery stations paired with autonomous ground robots.
The collaboration offers an example of how automation can support clinical workflows and reduce manual transport trips, allowing staff to spend more time on patient care.
Exploring AI Agents in Healthcare Workflows
Yiyu Shi | University of Notre Dame
Shi and collaborators are advancing the Indiana Avatar Initiative, which explores how AI agents and digital avatars could take on routine healthcare tasks, support patients and caregivers, and help redesign clinical workflows.
The initiative connects Notre Dame’s AI expertise with implementation science to examine how these technologies could be tested in healthcare environments and scaled to reduce administrative burden and improve care delivery.
Improving Pediatric Operating Room Scheduling
Amrou Awaysheh | IU Kelley School of Business
Rachel Fogleman | Riley Hospital for Children, contributing by video
Anticipating how much operating room time surgeons will need is a complex challenge with implications for capacity and scheduling. Awaysheh and Fogleman are exploring how AI can improve those forecasts and help Riley make more efficient, transparent, and data-informed decisions.
Their work has progressed into a second phase focused on developing a more robust forecasting prototype, offering a practical example of AI’s potential role in healthcare resource planning.