Karen Batch

Background

About Karen Batch

I am currently the Director of the Artificial Intelligence Task Force at Distributive. I lead a team of 12 software developers, building commercial AI/ML projects: DIANA (Distributive Inferencing, A New Approach), and the Osler Surgical Block Scheduling application. These applications leverage the capabilities of the Distributive Compute Protocol (DCP) to harness latent compute to power AI/ML, Big Data, and Advanced Research Computing. I hold a Bachelor of Computer Science (Specialization in Cognitive Science), a Master of Science of Computing in Artificial Intelligence, and am an expert in ML. My published research uses Natural Language Processing to detect cancer from radiology reports to identify trends and predict metastatic spread in patients over time. I use my leadership and passion in the healthcare industry as Development Lead for the design, customization, and marketing of Osler; a surgical block schedule optimization application that applies ML algorithms to optimize operating room utilization. Ease of use and clarity of output results in more effective use of physical and human resources in a hyper-constrained industry. Secondary product benefits include a short learning curve, and reduced stress levels for schedulers, an historically complex skillset. Under my leadership, Osler is being implemented in hospitals across Canada, building schedules that improve surgical throughput by 9%, having a material effect on patient outcomes. Additionally, I was the Head Coach of the Queen’s University Varsity Artistic Swimming Team, am a seasons ticket holder for the PWHL Toronto Sceptres, and am an avid advocate for more women occupying technical leadership positions in industry.