S1, E 19 - Dr. Alvin Liu and AI Diabetic Retinopathy Screening

In this episode of Practical AI in Healthcare, we sit down with Dr. Alvin Liu, retinal surgeon and Professor of Artificial Intelligence and Ophthalmology at Johns Hopkins University, to explore one of the earliest and most successful real-world deployments of medical AI.

Dr. Liu walks us through the evolution of autonomous AI for diabetic retinopathy screening, from FDA approval to large-scale clinical implementation across health systems. We unpack what it really takes to move AI from validation to impact, including workflow integration, sensitivity and specificity tradeoffs, reimbursement challenges, and post-market monitoring. The conversation also looks ahead to emerging AI applications using retinal imaging to predict cardiovascular disease, dementia, and kidney disease at the population level.

This episode is a masterclass in how AI can meaningfully improve access, equity, and outcomes in healthcare when deployed thoughtfully and responsibly.