Dr. Maxim Topaz

Health AI Researcher

Maxim Topaz

Building AI that helps nurses and doctors make better decisions — and auditing the scientific literature AI is reshaping.

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

TEDx Talk

Radical System Transformation

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. My recent work includes large-scale computational audits of scientific publishing, examining how AI-generated content is affecting the reliability of the biomedical evidence base. I share these ideas as a TEDx speaker and through keynotes worldwide.

Popular Insights

View all

March 2026

I'm a professor at Columbia University. I study AI in healthcare. I am also frequently asked to review academic papers that authors submitted to journals. Last week I scanned my inbox. Both Gmail and Outlook. Every email, 12 months. 882 peer review requests. From 123 different...

6,086 likes · 367 comments

March 2026

I got comments on a manuscript this week. And I found myself wondering: was the reviewer a person? The field has changed enough that I can no longer assume yes. A Nature survey of 1,600 academics across 111 countries found that more than 50% have used AI tools while peer review...

695 likes · 147 comments

April 2026

I want to tell you something I haven't said publicly before. I am a professor. I have published more than 200 papers. Writing has been central to my identity as a researcher for twenty years. And these days, I mostly don't do it myself. Not because I can't. The skill is there....

505 likes · 77 comments

Follow for daily insights on AI in healthcare

10,000+ followers on LinkedIn

Follow on LinkedIn

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.

AI & Scientific Integrity

Automated methods to detect fabricated citations and AI-generated content in the scientific literature, protecting the evidence base that clinical decisions depend on.

Columbia
Associate Professor
VNS Health
Senior Research Scientist
MEDINFO
Past President
NIH
AI Review Co-Chair

Available for Speaking

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

220+
Publications
$25M+
Research Funding
30+
Grants Awarded
Top 2%
Stanford Scientists