Brief description of the organization
Waterloo Regional Health Network (WRHN) is a newly integrated health system serving the Waterloo Region. WRHN is focused on advancing high-quality, accessible, and sustainable care through system integration, innovation, and the adoption of emerging technologies including artificial intelligence.
Problem area
Health systems are increasingly approached by vendors and internal teams proposing AI solutions. There is currently no standardized framework at WRHN to evaluate these opportunities across clinical value, data readiness, risk, cost, and long-term sustainability.
Students will develop a structured due diligence and evaluation framework to support evidence-based decision-making for AI adoption.
Main objectives
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Define evaluation criteria for AI solutions in healthcare.
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Develop a standardized due diligence framework.
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Incorporate clinical, operational, financial, ethical, and data considerations.
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Create tools to support consistent evaluation and comparison.
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Ensure usability for real-world decision-making
Scope of work
- Review existing AI evaluation frameworks (healthcare and beyond)
- Identify key evaluation domains (clinical impact, ROI, TCO, data readiness, risk)
- Develop scoring or assessment tools
- Design decision-support templates for governance use
- Test framework on sample AI solutions (real or simulated)
- Refine based on stakeholder feedback
Deliverables
- Report
- Presentation
- New protocols/processes
- Resources
Team meeting frequency
Weekly
Skills and training required
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Analytical and critical thinking
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Health economics or business analysis (asset)
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Data literacy
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Structured problem solving
Resources required
- Example AI use cases or vendor materials
- Access to subject matter experts
NDA or a commercialization agreement for this project?
Yes