Healthcare data presents considerable challenges, and Saria has dedicated her professional journey to unraveling its complexities through artificial intelligence.
A prominent figure on Business Insider’s 2024 AI Power List, Saria leads the machine learning and healthcare laboratory at Johns Hopkins University while also serving as the founder and CEO of Bayesian Health, an innovative AI startup. Her journey began in the realm of computer science; she was pursuing her doctorate at Stanford when President Barack Obama enacted the Hitech Act, which aimed to enhance electronic health record utilization—an event that piqued her interest.
In the following year, she harnessed digitized healthcare information to create a predictive algorithm designed to identify premature infants who are particularly vulnerable to life-threatening complications.
After achieving positive results with this initiative, Saria explored further applications of technology in utilizing healthcare data found within medical records for improving patient care across various conditions such as Parkinson’s disease and cancer.
The impetus for change came when tragedy struck: Saria lost her nephew due to sepsis. Determined to make a difference, she transitioned her focus from academic research to practical application in clinical settings by founding Bayesian Health.
This startup emerged from stealth mode in 2021 and successfully secured $15 million in funding from investors including Andreessen Horowitz. It introduced an advanced algorithm that significantly expedited sepsis detection within hospitals, facilitating a notable decline of nearly 20% in sepsis-related fatalities as shown by a real-world study published in Nature Medicine in July 2022. “That research stands out as probably my proudest achievement,” remarked Saria.
“We must not approach medical practice as if we were living centuries ago without scientific foundation or engineering principles,” she asserted. “It’s crucial we elevate our care delivery standards to reflect the scientific advancements occurring throughout our society.”
Bayesian Health’s technology is now employed by leading health systems such as Cleveland Clinic and Northwell Health. The company has formed valuable partnerships with Epic Systems, Cerner (part of Oracle), and Allscripts. Initially focused on sepsis prediction, Bayesian Health is now expanding its capabilities into predicting additional complications like pressure sores while eyeing further challenges ahead—such as deep vein thrombosis during pregnancy.
“I envision numerous conditions where this system can be beneficial,” stated Saria emphatically. “The possibilities extend far beyond just one or two ailments—it applies universally across various domains.”
Additional Insights
Saria remains actively involved in advancing healthcare AI at Johns Hopkins University while also engaging prominently with over 15 other AI startups through angel investments. Her significant contributions led the World Economic Forum to recognize her as a Young Global Leader back in 2018.
In light of inadequate implementations within healthcare AI—exemplified by Epic’s widely adopted but underperforming sepsis algorithm according to a June 2021 JAMA Internal Medicine study—Saria has taken steps alongside industry stakeholders towards developing improved technological solutions. In response, she co-founded the Coalition for Health AI in 2022—a forum that unites federal agencies with healthcare organizations aimed at establishing best practices surrounding healthcare artificial intelligence usage. Furthermore, she played an instrumental role with the National Academy of Medicine helping formulate their recently released code of conduct for deploying AI technologies earlier this year.
Explore Business Insider’s complete AI Power List for more insights into this evolving landscape.
