Clinical Integration at Karolinska University Hospital
The research group maintains strong operational ties with Karolinska University Hospital's Department of Medical Technology, ensuring direct pathways from research innovation to clinical implementation.
Fernando Seoane's combined position as Research, Innovation, Development, and Education officer at the hospital's Medical Technology Department creates a vital bridge between academic research and practical healthcare delivery. This dual role enables the group to identify real clinical needs directly from hospital operations, test innovations in authentic healthcare settings, and facilitate rapid translation of validated technologies into routine clinical use.
The connection ensures research priorities align with actual healthcare challenges while providing access to clinical expertise, patient populations for validation studies, and infrastructure for implementing new medical technologies across Karolinska University Hospital's comprehensive healthcare network.
Connection to SMAILE
The Medical Technology and Digital Health Research Group operates with a fundamentally service-driven mindset, viewing research not just as a means to generate publications but as a means to develop capabilities for the broader healthcare innovation community. This philosophy aligns perfectly with SMAILE's mission as Karolinska Institutet's core facility for AI in healthcare.
Our relationship with SMAILE is deeply synergistic. Research breakthroughs in our group directly enhance SMAILE's service offerings. The process mining methodologies we develop become tools available to clinical departments. Wearable sensor expertise informs consultations with medical device companies, and experience in implementing medical AI under regulatory frameworks guides other researchers through certification processes. Conversely, SMAILE's infrastructure enables our research by providing computational resources, technical support, and connections to clinical collaborators we couldn't access independently.
We continuously work to expand services and training programs deliverable through SMAILE. Current developments include new workshops on interactive process mining for clinical quality improvement, training modules on medical AI regulatory compliance under the European Union's AI Act, and consultation services for implementing wearable monitoring systems in clinical research. This ensures SMAILE remains at the forefront of healthcare innovation by rapidly translating research advances into accessible capabilities.
Our commitment extends beyond making SMAILE a service provider to positioning it as a genuine innovation accelerator. By developing methodologies, tools, and educational programs specifically designed for practical implementation rather than just academic demonstration, we help clinical researchers and healthcare organizations overcome technical barriers that would otherwise prevent the adoption of innovation. This service-driven approach, ”making advanced capabilities accessible, understandable, and implementable- defines our contribution to Karolinska Institutet's mission of improving human health through research and education.
