Polytechnique Santé Seminars

The Polytechnique-Santé* group is organizing a series of seminars to explore the following question: Will preventive healthcare be algorithmic? 

This theme has been chosen because of its promising emergence. The use of algorithms is part of tomorrow's medicine, making it more personalized, predictive, participative and preventive. In the field of prevention, research projects, experiments and initiatives have been launched in areas as varied as the onset of epidemic crises, personalized monitoring of at-risk individuals and improving individual behavior to delay dependency. Promising avenues are emerging at both individual and local levels, as well as nationally and internationally. At the same time, as the subject is relatively recent, a number of questions remain open. These include the choice of models and the type of data collected. We are also beginning to see the impact of such developments on insurance coverage, business models and, more generally, lifestyles. These impacts are worth exploring.
 

Four seminars are proposed to deal with the subject. Each deals with one facet of the theme. Cross-cutting issues will guide the discussions. At first glance, they concern: the models themselves (the data and their processing; how they are understood); how they are adopted by patients and citizens, as well as by the professionals concerned; ethical aspects, particularly with regard to respect for the privacy of the person concerned; the risks of inequalities in the dissemination of preventive measures; and, finally, the economic model. This list is by no means exhaustive, however, as discussions during the seminar may touch on other themes. As a whole, the seminar will provide some answers to the initial question: will preventive health care be algorithmic in the future?

Each seminar is based on the following principles. It is organized with a keynote speaker who addresses the topic in the form of a question, and two “discussants” who react. In addition, two Polytechnique students take part in the debate with the audience. The event lasts around 1h30.