Her research during the summer of 2021 was done remotely, from her home in Ardsley, New York, with guidance from Max Dolinsky, assistant professor of finance. She reviewed literature examining both the potential and the limitations of algorithm-based analysis for the health care industry. In her summary presentation, Levine said researchers found that AI holds great potential for health care, but also found that many patients and health care systems are not ready to use the powerful technology.

Q: What draws you to research?

Levine: I believe research can better my knowledge and experience in the topic of health care and that is the field I want to pursue. I believe the discipline, respect and organization helps me become a better student and improve my work ethic. While at times it can feel overwhelming and open-ended in keeping on track with my schedule, it helps me prioritize my work and improve my time management as well.

Q: What motivated you to study this topic?

Levine: This topic was a way to jumpstart my career in this industry. Given its ever-changing environment, I was motivated to research the advancements for the future of health care.

Q: What have you found most surprising about this work so far?

Levine: I was definitely most surprised by the complexities of improving processes and methods in the health care industry. I have discovered that while AI is present in health care — through helping schedule appointments for patients, for example — the complexity of integrating it into advanced medical practice may be a far-fetched goal, given the current state of the industry.

Q: What are the possible real-world applications for your study?

Levine: Because AI involves data and analytics, this topic has helped me tie some of my in-class experience with software and data responsibility to a real-world application. In addition, the research context of clinical health care is applicable because it involves an ever-changing industry that is constantly evolving to improve patient care and experience, the health of populations and the per capita cost of health care.

Q: How would you explain your work to a non-scientist or a fifth-grader?

Levine: Within health care there are many goals for improvement. A well-known set of goals is called the Triple Aim. The Triple Aim has three determinants: 1) improving patient experience/care; 2) improving the health of populations in general; and 3) lowering the cost of health care per person (per capita). These aspects are crucial to the health care industry’s improvement and with these goals comes the need for efficiency. What I focused on was the patient experience piece of the Triple Aim. A way of improving patient care has been integrating artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence (AI) links computer programs with specific data to accomplish tasks. There are varying levels of complexity in AI and it can be useful in improving the patient experience aspect of the Triple Aim. Examples include newly designed wearable devices that help track a patient’s vitals in a hospital to the complex technology that is designed to track cancer cells in a patient’s radiology reports. My research explores AI’s potential, purpose and the feasibility of it growing in prominence in clinical care.