The Transformation of Rural Health and the Role of Diagnostics Rural healthcare systems face unique challenges—from limited specialist access to higher disease burdens. With new federal momentum through the $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program, the landscape is shifting. This session explores how advances in AI-enabled lab management, point-of-care testing, and clinical decision support are reshaping diagnostics in underserved communities—improving early detection, informing clinical decisions, and driving more equitable outcomes across rural America.

This session will explore how self-collected specimens are transforming sexual health testing and screening for cervical cancer. The talk reviews laboratory validation and regulatory requirements, workflow considerations, and performance of self-collection for HPV and other STIs. It highlights evidence supporting accuracy, patient acceptability, and expanded access, while discussing operational challenges and quality assurance as collection shifts from clinic-based toward scalable, reliable home-based screening models.

In this presentation, the speaker will examine how emerging artificial intelligence technologies are redefining sepsis identification, refining risk stratification, and supporting clinical decision-making across acute and critical care settings. The session will focus on real-world applications of machine learning and large language models, emphasizing how these tools can complement clinician expertise, promote earlier intervention, and advance quality improvement efforts in high-acuity environments.