Research Excellence Dissertation Award

Awarded by Artificial Intelligence and Informatics Research Institute

Dr. Jeremy Balch is a general surgery resident and Ph.D. candidate in Biomedical Informatics at UFs College of Medicine, Department of Health Outcomes and Biomedical Informatics. His dissertation, RAG, SPLAT, SURPRISE: Artificial Intelligence Applications for Quality Improvement in Surgery, integrates natural language processing, computer vision, and information theory to enhance surgical decision-making and hospital efficiency. His work advances AI-driven clinical tools that improve surgical safety, reduce waste, and optimize care delivery. In his award nomination, it states that the award recognizes not only his scholarly accomplishments but also his dedication to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible through AI-driven discovery.