AI Futures in West Michigan: Talent, Research, and the GVSU-Van Andel Institute Partnership
Wednesday, September 16, 2026
10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Health Campus, Robert C. Pew Grand Rapids Campus
Alumni, Community, Faculty, Staff, Students
Join us on Wednesday, September 16 (10 AM to 3 PM, DeVos Center for Interprofessional Health, downtown Grand Rapids) for a full-day event connecting workforce decisions to research discovery in West Michigan's fast-moving AI landscape.
In the morning session, Hire or Reskill?, the audience becomes the hiring panel. AI is transforming healthcare, research, and biomedical organizations faster than many teams can hire for it, so who should employers hire, and who should they reskill? You'll review realistic candidate profiles and vote live. Industry leaders then reveal how they would make the same call, unpacking the skills, gaps, and judgment calls shaping hiring in the AI era. Afterward, explore a showcase of AI-in-healthcare projects developed by GVSU students, including clinical data tools, predictive models, and biomedical research applications, with outstanding projects eligible for recognition from industry panelists and program leaders.
Panelists include: Dr. Tim Triche and Dr. Erica Gobrogge (Van Andel Institute), Dr. Surender Rajasekaran (Corewell Health), Natalie Walther (HealthWest), and Gautam Subedi (NxGen MDx).
In the afternoon, stay for lunch and a continued showcase of student and Van Andel Institute research posters, then join us for a major moment: the launch of the new AI Research and Innovation Institute (AIRAI) and PhD collaboration between GVSU's College of Computing and the Van Andel Institute, bringing two of West Michigan's leading institutions together to advance AI research and innovation. Faculty from both institutions will share their work in fast-paced lightning talks, offering a window into the ideas shaping AI's next chapter, from healthcare to data science to the future of human–machine collaboration.
Location Information
Daniel and Pamella DeVos Center for Interprofessional Health (DCIH), Room 102/104
Grand Rapids, Michigan (MI) 49503
Download parking map for the Health Campus
Contact Information
Suhila Sawesi, Ph.D.
Graduate Program Director, Health Informatics & Bioinformatics
Associate Professor, Department of Information Sciences & Technologies
Email:Â [email protected]
Hosting Department, Organization, or Business
College of Computing
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This event was added to the calendar by Samir Iqbal (iqbalsa@gvsu.edu) on Thursday, August 13, 2026 and was last updated on Wednesday, August 19, 2026 at 9:26 a.m.