The three-day AVISHKAR – AI Training Workshop 2026, focused on the transformative role of Artificial Intelligence in medical imaging and clinical research, was successfully conducted at Amrita Hospital from May 7 to 9. Organised by the Indian Clinical Trial Network (ICTN) in collaboration with Amrita Hospital and supported by Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), the workshop brought together clinicians, researchers, academicians, healthcare professionals, and students from engineering, computer applications, and life sciences backgrounds.
The workshop aimed to bridge the gap between technology and medicine by equipping participants with practical knowledge and hands-on exposure to AI-driven healthcare applications. Sessions focused on medical imaging, machine learning, deep learning, clinical AI integration, ethical frameworks, and AI-based research methodologies.
The programme was inaugurated by Dr. P. Venkat Rangan, Vice Chancellor, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham. Felicitation addresses were delivered by Dr. Jaydeep C. Menon, Associate Dean, Research; Dr. Shyam Diwakar, Professor and Director, Amrita Mind Brain Center, Amritapuri Dr Priya Nair Additional Professor, Gastroenterology and Dr. Merin Dickson, Chief Research Officer, Indian Clinical Trial Network. Dr. Gopal S. Pillai, Head of Ophthalmology Research Unit welcomed the gathering.
Over the three days, experts from various domains led interactive lectures and practical sessions. Topics covered included AI in gastroenterology, neuroscience and robotic applications, cardiovascular AI, medical image annotation, data preprocessing, machine learning coding for cardio disease prediction, deep learning model development, AI in ophthalmic imaging, AI-based medical imagery analysis, and AI research tools.
Hands-on training sessions enabled participants to work directly with medical datasets, image annotation techniques, exploratory data analysis, artificial neural network model training, and research proposal writing. The workshop also featured sessions on AI paper writing and quantitative model evaluation.
The valedictory and certification ceremony was attended by Dr. Damodaran M. Vasudevan, Dean – Research (Medical) who was specially honoured during the event. Certificates were distributed to all participants, while faculty members and organising team members received tokens of appreciation.
The workshop was organised under the guidance of Dr. Gopal S. Pillai, Dr. Merin Dickson, Aparna Sreevalsan, Abhinav Babu, Rahul Bini Jacob, and Aleena Susan Joby.
The organisers noted that the workshop received enthusiastic participation and positive feedback, serving as a valuable platform for interdisciplinary learning, collaboration, and innovation in AI-powered healthcare and medical research.
