ISCB SC RSG Turkiye has become a paramount student initiative, organizing events that contribute to the developing computational biology and bioinformatics society in Turkiye.
We organize student symposiums attracting undergraduate and graduate students since 2012. We have been organizing our symposiums as satellite meetings to HIBIT (International Symposium on Health Informatics and Bioinformatics), which is the biggest bioinformatics meeting in Turkiye. Being less formal and student-oriented organization, our student symposiums has been successful in encouraging early career researchers to meet and exchange their expertise in the area.
Dr. Ramazan Terzi, the first keynote speaker of this year’s symposium, presented “Turkish AI in Medicine Projects.” Dr. Terzi, from the Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye Digital Transformation Office, highlighted ongoing AI projects in medicine across Türkiye. His talk emphasized the importance of AI technologies in transforming the medical field, with special focus on the development of AI tools that aid in diagnosis and treatment processes. Dr. Terzi underscored how these projects are contributing to national healthcare systems and their future potential.
Prof. Dr. Tolga Çukur, our second keynote speaker, presented “Medical Imaging Meets Artificial Intelligence: Speed, Sensitivity, Specificity.” Prof. Çukur, from the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering at Bilkent University, discussed the merging of medical imaging techniques with artificial intelligence. He highlighted advancements in AI-driven medical imaging, which are enhancing the speed and accuracy of diagnoses. Prof. Çukur also delved into AI’s role in improving the sensitivity and specificity of diagnostic tools, revolutionizing patient care.
The panel discussion titled “Bioinformatics Applications in Medicine in Türkiye” featured three distinguished speakers. Dr. Ahmet Görkem Er and Dr. Burçak Otlu from METU, along with Prof. Dr. Kaan Orhan from Ankara University, discussed current and emerging bioinformatics applications in the medical field in Türkiye. Their discussions ranged from genomic data analysis to the use of AI and bioinformatics in clinical settings.
In this year’s symposium, we also hosted a workshop on “Carcinoma Classification from Medical Images with Deep Learning,” conducted by Dr. Ravza Gür from Oxford University. The workshop provided insights into how deep learning techniques can be applied to classify carcinoma from medical images, offering participants a hands-on experience in this critical area of medical informatics.