Dr. Maxim Topaz

Health AI Researcher

Maxim Topaz

Building AI that helps nurses and doctors make better decisions, so patients get better care.

PhD, RN, MA, FAAN, FIAHSI, FACMI  ·  Columbia University  ·  MEDINFO President 2025

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About

My journey began in the field as an Army medic and Registered Nurse, experiences that taught me what patients truly need. Today, I channel that frontline wisdom into building AI tools that help nurses and doctors make better decisions, faster.

As a Fulbright Fellow at UPenn and one of the first nurse scientists to complete a postdoc at Harvard Medical School, I've bridged the gap between clinical practice and cutting-edge technology.

Now at Columbia University and VNS Health, I lead a team developing AI that predicts which patients need help before a crisis happens, especially in home healthcare, where early intervention saves lives.

Latest Insights

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January 2025

I'm an associate editor at one of the top medical informatics journals. Last month, I sent 52 emails asking professors to review a scientific paper. Three said yes. That 6% response rate? That's the sound of scientific quality control breaking.

484 likes · 86 comments

January 2025

There's a career trajectory my mentors taught me years ago. Stage 1: Hustle and survive. Stage 2: Lead and thrive. Stage 3: Become the grumpy professor. 47 papers this year. 200 publications and 6,000 citations. The most productive year of my career wasn't about me working harder. It was about finally getting out of the way.

263 likes · 54 comments

November 2024

I want the AI bubble to burst. Not because I'm anti-AI. Because I care about patients. 90%+ of corporate AI pilots fail to deliver ROI. 80% of healthcare AI projects never escape pilot purgatory. Healthcare AI needs the same correction the dot-com crash gave the internet.

172 likes · 38 comments

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Research Focus

AI-Powered Clinical Decisions

Intelligent systems that analyze patient data and clinical notes to surface critical insights.

Predicting Patient Risk

Machine learning models that identify patients heading toward hospitalization or decline.

Home Healthcare Innovation

Tools that help visiting nurses prioritize their caseloads and catch problems early.

Fair & Unbiased AI

Rigorously testing AI tools across diverse patient populations to eliminate hidden biases.

Featured In

nature medicine npj Digital Medicine Medical Economics Columbia Nursing
Columbia
Associate Professor
VNS Health
Senior Research Scientist
MEDINFO
President 2025
NIH
AI Review Co-Chair

Available for Speaking

Keynotes and workshops on AI in healthcare, delivered to audiences worldwide.

200+
Publications
$25M+
Research Funding
30+
Grants Awarded
Top 2%
Stanford Scientists