Community Engagement

Last week, I had the privilege of meeting Prof. Dr. Moez CHAFRA, President of the University of Tunis El Manar, and his esteemed colleagues. We had a productive discussion exploring potential collaborations, including the exciting possibility of organizing a Summer School on AI in Medicine in Tunisia, among other initiatives.

I had the pleasure to give a lecture at the Health Data Science Principles (GD5301) course offered at St. Andrews University and interact with the briliant students there! Thanks to Prof. Silvia Paracchini from the School of Medicine for the great hospitality!

It was a pleasure moderating the Symposium on AI in Medicine and sharing our recent works, which have recently been accepted at hashtag#MICAD and hashtag#MICCAI Workshops! Thanks to the team members Sarah Schaab, David D. Gaviria, and Elyes Farjallah for their great efforts! Thanks to the co-moderator Prof. Valentin S. Schäfer, and the organizing team behind the MIB Future Panel; Lisa Mona Marie Senner, Prof. Frank G. Holz, and the dean, Prof. Bernd Weber, among others! Congrats to the winners!

It was an exciting to present our research on Lymph Node Metastasis Detection in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma at the MIB Future Panel 2024. Hosted by the Medical Imaging Center Bonn in partnership with Universitätsklinikum Bonn and the Medical Faculty of Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, this symposium united thought leaders from both academia and industry.

David participated in the Student Retreat 2024 organized by the BIGS Clinical and Population Science PhD program in Bonn, Germany. This event was an invaluable opportunity to present my research in a poster format, engage with fellow scholars, and exchange scientific knowledge.

Elodie had the chance to attend the 2024 IEEE International Conference on Image Processing in Abu Dhabi, Emirates. She presented her work during an oral session about Medical Image Analysis. This work was part of her Ph.D. projects and was entitled Uncovering communities of pipelines in the task fMRI analytical space.

I had the pleasure to give a talk at the DESAM Congress at the Near East University in Nicosia. I had the chance to meet and discuss further collaboration with rectorate reprsented by the rector, Prof. Dr. Tamer ŞANLIDAĞ, vice rector; Prof. Dr. Umut AKSOY, and his advisors; Prof. Dr. Murat SAYAN and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dilber UZUN ÖZŞAHİN at the Near East University.

At the World Health Summit, I had the opportunity to participate in key sessions moderated by GLOHRA, such as Stronger Together: Improving Research Partnerships with LMICs, where we heard from influential figures, including parliament members, and sessions like Bridging Policy and Research: Translating the EU Global Health Strategy into Action and Building Success: On the Road to the ‘Nutrition for Growth’.

Despite the difficult circumstances, we are proud to contribute to MICCAI 2024 with a few papers besides being on board the organizing committee of MICCAI 2024 and DeCaF Workshop! looking forward to meeting and interacting with #young #talents at #MICCAI in #Marrakech next week.

Join us in our #GLOHRA session on Federated Learning with Medical Imaging! This is quite an important topic nowadays to tackle the data privacy issue while leveraging the collective intelligence we have in multi-national and diverse medical institutes around the globe! It is the way forward to bridge the gap between the global north and global south in medicine and healthcare! This aligns with our recent activities in organizing the 5th workshop on Collaborative and Federated Learning which will happen in Morocco in conjunction with MICCAI, and our recent IEEE-TMI Special Issue on Federated Learning. I am looking forward to meeting you on 1st October!

I am deeply grateful to the organizers of this symposium for bringing together Syrian and Arab scholars in such a meaningful way. It is a privilege to have the opportunity to present on the topic of collective intelligence, highlighting the importance of interdisciplinary research in shaping a better future. Events like these foster collaboration and inspire innovative solutions that transcend boundaries, and I am honored to be a part of it.

I’m truly honored and excited to be invited to participate in the Helmholtz Annual Meeting 2024. I was particularly inspired by the insightful talk on synaptic transmission by Nobel laureate and Stanford Professor Thomas C. Südhof. His groundbreaking work continues to shape our understanding of neuroscience and opens new doors for innovation in the field. Additionally, the panel discussion led by BMBF Minister Ms. Bettina Stark-Watzinger was highly thought-provoking, especially her emphasis on fostering research and development in Germany. These sessions highlight the critical role of science and policy in shaping our future.

I was fortunate enough to attend and participate at the DAAD PRIME Alumni Seminar where I had the chance to meet and re-connect with PRIME fellows and a couple of colleagues! We exchanged career paths and trajectories and heard several success stories in both academia and industries.

It is a pleasure to accept the invitation to deliver a talk at the The Artificial Intelligence and Machine-Learning (AIMS) working group of the North American Imaging in MS (NAIMS) Cooperative. I’ll present our Nature Machine Intelligence Paper on anomaly detection in MR Brain Imaging which includes MS Lesions.

We have just wrapped up an amazing week at the Summer School on Affordbale AI (SAAI – سعي). As the curtains close on an unforgettable week in Bonn, we reflect on the enriching experiences shared at the AGYA Summer School on Affordable AI. We were thrilled to host 60 guests, including 35 students from nations across the globe; 🇲🇷 Mauritania, 🇲🇦 Morocco, 🇹🇳 Tunisia, 🇩🇿 Algeria, 🇱🇾 Libya, 🇪🇬 Egypt, 🇵🇸 Palestine, 🇱🇧 Lebanon, 🇯🇴 Jordan, 🇸🇾 Syria, 🇮🇶 Iraq, 🇴🇲 Oman, 🇶🇦 Qatar, 🇰🇼 Kuwait, 🇸🇦Saudi, 🇦🇪 UAE, 🇾🇪 Yemen, 🇰🇲 Comoros, 🇩🇪 Germany, 🇷🇺 Russia, 🇮🇹 Italy, 🇺🇦 Ukraine, 🇫🇷 France, and 🇨🇴 Colombia alongside 15 faculty and AGYA members, and 6 dedicated tutors.

Very much enjoyed the time in Strasbourg! Great keynotes and lectures at the summer school for surgical data science. I was fortunate enough to meet a couple of brilliant minds at the school! It was also a pleasure meeting my mentor Prof. Nassir Navab! Thanks for the invitation, organziation and the warm hospitality, Prof. Nicolas Padoy 🙏🙏

David had a enriching experience at the SDS Summer School 2023, hosted by the Institut de Chirurgie guidée par l’Image (IHU Strasbourg) and Université de Strasbourg. This event showcased the exciting fusion of computer science and surgical data science, offering a platform for exploring the latest advancements in the field.

Happy to see so many brilliant works at the hashtag#MIDL conference in Paris! It’s a fantastic opportunity to connect with colleagues and graduates passionate about medical imaging and deep learning.

I was invited to give a Keynote Lecture on AI in Ophthalmology and Pathology to present a few works on Histopathology; Mitotoc figure detection in Breast Cancer, Domain Adaptation from H&E Imaging to IHC imaging among others. Thanks Prof. Martina C. Herwig-Carl for the invitation and warm hospitality!

We have just participated at the Helmholtz AI conference and presented one of our Helmholtz AI projects!

I had the pleasure to meet such brilliant scientists from all over the Arab world and Germany in the general assembly of the Arab-German Young Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Berlin!

I have just completed the research visit at the University of Sharjah, NYU Abu Dhabi, and other esteemed universities. This initiative aims to strengthen connections and foster collaboration between German and Emirati academic institutes in the field of health and medical sciences. I will soon return to the Emirates to organize a one-day workshop on AI and healthcare at a prestigious academic institute. Stay tuned for more details!

It was a pleasure participating at the AGYA Winter School on ‘Quantum Materials for Energy and Environmental Technologies’ at Sharjah, UAE. The school seamlessly integrates networking opportunities for both Arab and German students, alongside expert presentations focusing on new materials for sustainable energy technologies.

I was excited to join a distinguished panel, including Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Böcker, Prof. Dr. Clemens Cyran, and Katharina Danhauser, moderated by Claus Belka, to explore AI’s readiness for clinical routine. Our discussion spotlighted crucial aspects: the current state of AI in clinics and strategic placement within workflows. Emphasis was placed on robust data governance and addressing development challenges. The dialogue highlighted the importance of collaboration with stakeholders, involving regulatory bodies, and prioritizing education and training. Grateful for the opportunity to contribute to this pivotal conversation shaping the future of AI in healthcare. Thanks for the invitation, Guillaume Landry!

Thrilled to share the success of our EEDA Autumn School on AI – a global collaboration between Albarqouni Lab (Germany), Universitätsklinikum Bonn, The University of Bonn, and the Faculty of Health Sciences at Beirut Arab University (Lebanon). Over the weekend, a distinguished Lebanese delegation from the Beirut Arab University ( BAU), American University of Beirut ( AUB), and Lebanese American University ( LAU) joined us for an immersive program blending cutting-edge AI with diverse disciplines.

Very much enjoyed the time in Shanghai! Great keynotes and lectures at the Sino-German Symposium on AI in Medicine. I was fortunate enough to meet a couple of brilliant minds at the school! It was also a pleasure meeting my mentor Prof. Nassir Navab! Thanks for the invitation, organziation and the warm hospitality, Prof. Kuangyu Shi 🙏🙏

I stand here, my heart heavy with emotion, as I find myself struggling to focus on the incredible work and learning opportunities at the MICCAI conference in Vancouver, Canada. I hope for the day when we can attend conferences and go about our academic pursuits without the weight of such heart-wrenching events on our minds. Until then, my thoughts and prayers are with my family in Gaza and with all those who yearn for a more peaceful world.

I very much enjoyed the two days at the International Conference on Computer Vision (ICCV) in the lovely Paris 🇫🇷. I met a couple of students, colleagues and friends who are coming from Stanford 🇺🇸, Imperial 🇬🇧, Google and ETH Zurich 🇨🇭, and TU Munich, UniBonn, and University of Potsdam 🇩🇪! We discussed the possibilities of collaboration and exchange that might happen in the future!

David attended the International Conference on Computer Vision (ICCV) 2023 in Paris from October 2–6, 2023. This event brought together leading minds in computer vision and AI from all over the world. It was an incredible experience to immerse myself in the latest developments in the field and gain insight into cutting-edge research.

IEEE EMBS Jordan Chapter is pleased to invite faculty, students, fresh graduates, and professionals to attend the (virtual) EMBS Jordan Chapter Distinguished Lecture on Wednesday, July 26th, 2023, 6:00-7:30 PM (Jordan Local Time). This time we have a special guest PROF. Dr. Shadi Albarqouni, Professor of Computational Medical Imaging at the University of Bonn in Bonn, Germany. For registration, use the form below or the QR code. The seminar will take place on the ZOOM platform. Details for how to join the virtual meeting will be sent later for those who confirm their registration.

I very much enjoyed the invited talk at the University of Warwick, United Kingdom! I met students from the UK 🇬🇧 , Korea 🇰🇷 , Iran 🇮🇷 , Pakistan 🇵🇰 , Saudi 🇸🇦 , and Egypt 🇪🇬 ! Incredibly amazing how international that place is! The talk was part of the DomGen workshop. Thank you so much for the invitation and the warm welcome and hospitality, Mostafa Jahanifar and Nasir Rajpoot!

David attended the AI4Health Summer School 2023, organized collaboratively by the French Health Data Hub and French AI research institutions at PariSanté Campus, was an incredible experience! The program focused on advanced methods in medical AI, covering critical aspects of deep learning for medical imaging.

Just wrapped up an incredible 72-hour agya fact-finding mission with the brilliant Vice-Presidents and Provosts of top universities in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, UAE. The main goal of our fact-finding mission is to promote the call for membership of the Arab-German Young Academy of Sciences and Humanities (AGYA)! Dr. Nada El Darra and I had the pleasure to meet Vice-President Sultan Al Haji, the Acting Provost Prof. Tim Baldwin at MBZUAI (Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence), and the Acting Provost and Chief Academic Officer Prof. Michael Allen at Zayed University besides our brilliant colleagues Dr. Rania Dghaim, Dr. Fatme Al Anouti, and Dr. Omar Alfandi. Thanks to our alumna, Dr. Henda Mahmoudi, and her colleagues Nour El Jundi and Evans Kioko, we very much enjoyed the wonderful field trip at International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) where we discussed potential interdisciplinary research collaboration on AI and Food Safety!

Today I was privileged to give a keynote speech at the Beirut Arab University in Lebanon 🇱🇧. My talk was about the impact of AI in the field of Medicine and how AI is changing the way healthcare professionals diagnose, treat, and care for hashtag#patients. My presentation included a couple of examples from our hashtag#research on microscopic imaging, but I also looked at a couple of hashtag#startups that are taking this to the next level by transforming healthcare through their hashtag#innovative products. Having a fruitful discussion with the audience was a real pleasure for me! Thanks so much, Dr. Nada El Darra and Dr. Said El Shamieh, for the warm welcome and the invitation 🙏

Just arrived from Amman, Jordan! It was just an amazing trip to Amman where I met our clinical partner King Hussein Cancer Foundation and Center for one of our projects supported by the Arab-German Young Academy of Sciences and Humanities (AGYA)! I was also happy to accept the invitation of my former PhD student, Tariq Bdair, and the head of his department, Dr. Serin Atiani, to deliver a talk at Princess Sumaya University for Technology! I was impressed by the level of their students, indeed! I would like also to thank Dr. Omar Al-Kadi from The University of Jordan for the invited talk and the great hospitality!

I had the pleasure last week of co-organizing a workshop on Bioinformatics in Tunisia. The workshop was part of the working group activities supported by the Arab-German Young Academy of Sciences and Humanities! We had a great lineup of speakers from Germany/Switzerland and Arab countries! I had the pleasure to know a couple of Arab scholars from Egypt, Lebanon, Algeria, Tunisia, and Sudan.

I had the pleasure to give an invited talk at the #Collaborative Learning workshop at MBZUAI (Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence)! It was a wonderful weekend full of amazing talks and fruitful discussions! I had the pleasure to meet a few familiar faces in our community along with other great speakers from UC Berkeley, Harvard, MIT, KAUST, ETH Zurich, Nvidia, and EPFL, among others. I would like to thank Michael I. Jordan and the organizing team behind the workshop for the invitation and the excellent hospitality! For those who are interested in the talks, they will be made publicly available soon!

I will deliver a talk in Federated Deep Learning in Healthcare

I had the pleasure to meet such brilliant scientists from all over the Arab world and Germany in the general assembly of the Arab-German Young Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Berlin!

We had a wonderful week (10. DFG-#Nachwuchsakademie) with many insightful talks and fruitful discussions at the Schloss Birlinghoven! 20 participants with medical and technical backgrounds, from all over Germany, came together to learn about #AI in #Medicine!

AGYA members Dr. Lobna Said, Dr. Mohamed Abou El-Enein, Dr. Shadi Albarqouni and Dr. Mohammad Adm want to bridge the gap and offer training courses for students to improve their labour market skills. At the same time, the AGYA members aim to ignite a debate on the further development of the university’s curricula which must be adapted to the new requirements of the international labour market for more sustainable development.

Disclaimer: I am neither a radiologist nor a clinician. I am a computer scientist who have been working on medical image computing for a while. I tried to summairze the key findings reported in almost 15 papers published in the Radiology Society in North America (RSNA) in the last two months.

Deep Learning (DL) has emerged as a leading technology in computer science for accomplishing many challenging tasks. This technology shows an outstanding performance in a broad range of computer vision and medical applications. However, this success comes at the cost of collecting and processing a massive amount of data, which are in healthcare often inaccessible due to privacy issues. Federated Learning is a new technology that allows training DL models without sharing the data. Using Federated Learning, DL models at local hospitals share only the trained parameters with a centralized DL model, which is, in return, responsible for updating the local DL models as well. Yet, a couple of well-known challenges in the medical imaging community, e.g., heterogeneity, domain shift, scarify of labeled data and handling multi-modal data, might hinder the utilization of Federated Learning. In this talk, a couple of proposed methods, to tackle the challenges above, will be presented paving the way to researchers to integrate such methods into the privacy-preserved federated learning.

One of the major challenges facing researchers nowadays in applying deep learning (DL) models to Medical Image Analysis is the limited amount of annotated data. Collecting such ground-truth annotations requires domain knowledge (expertise), cost, and time, making it infeasible for large-scale databases. We presented a novel concept for training DL models from noisy annotations collected through crowdsourcing platforms, i.e., Amazon Mechanical Turk, Crowdflower, by introducing a robust aggregation layer to the convolutional neural networks. Our proposed method was validated on a publicly available database on Breast Cancer Histology Images showing interesting results of our robust aggregation method compared to baseline methods, i.e., Majority Voting. In follow-up work, we introduced a novel concept of an image to game-object translation in biomedical Imaging allowing medical images to be represented as star-shaped objects that can be easily embedded to readily available game canvas. The proposed method reduces the necessity of domain knowledge for annotations. Exciting and promising results were reported compared to the conventional crowdsourcing platforms.