From 9 to 11 March, leading scientists and industry experts came together to discuss the latest developments in the computer-aided analysis of medical image data. The renowned conference, organised by the Regensburg Medical Image Computing (ReMIC) laboratory under the direction of Prof. Dr. Christoph Palm, offered a varied programme with specialist lectures, poster presentations and top-class keynotes.
With a record-breaking number of over 170 participants, the BVM confirmed its role as the most important national platform for the scientific exchange of the specialist community in Germany.
For over 30 years, the event has been dedicated to innovative methods for analysing medical image data and their applications in diagnostics, surgical planning and interventions. Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning methods have been playing a central role for some years now.
Promoting young talent and scientific excellence
A central concern of the BVM is the promotion of young scientists. The conference offers doctoral candidates and students an ideal platform to present their research results, receive valuable feedback and exchange ideas with experts. Particularly outstanding work was honoured with prizes, including the BVM Award for the best thesis in the field of medical image processing. This year, the award went to Dr Azade Farshad from the Technical University of Munich for her excellent dissertation under the supervision of Prof Dr Nassir Navab.
Prof. Dr Christoph Palm, organiser of the conference, emphasised the importance of the event: ‘The rapid development in medical image processing shows the enormous potential of technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning. The BVM offers an excellent platform to bring together research, industry and young scientists and to jointly develop innovative solutions for medicine.’
Prof Dr Oliver Steffens, Vice President for Research and International Affairs at OTH Regensburg, officially opened the conference. In his welcoming address, he emphasised: ‘OTH Regensburg is proud to be the first university of applied sciences to host this prestigious conference. Since the 1990s, BVM has stood for excellent interdisciplinary research and innovative developments in medical image processing - an area that is increasingly characterised by artificial intelligence. These topics are also of central importance at OTH Regensburg.’
The programme started on Sunday, 9 March, with the first tutorials. High-ranking keynote speakers, including Ivana Išgum (University of Amsterdam), David Hawkes (University College London) and Dirk Wilhelm (TU Munich), presented their research work.
Research and innovation at OTH Regensburg
OTH Regensburg has been involved in interdisciplinary research in the field of medical informatics for many years. Its close proximity to the University of Regensburg with its Faculty of Medicine and the University Hospital creates ideal conditions for innovative projects at the interface of medicine, computer science and engineering. Important milestones were the introduction of the Medical Informatics degree programme 18 years ago, the founding of the Regensburg Center of Biomedical Engineering 13 years ago and the Regensburg Center of Health Sciences and Technology seven years ago. Since 2019, the university has bundled its activities in the field of artificial intelligence in the Regensburg Centre for Artificial Intelligence - an area in which medical image processing also plays a central role.
By organising the BVM conference, OTH Regensburg is underlining its position as one of the leading universities of applied sciences in the field of medical image processing. The conference impressively demonstrates the close links between science, research and industry and provides important impetus for future developments in digital medicine.
