Biography
Dr. Maxim Topaz is a tenured Associate Professor at Columbia University School of Nursing and a Senior Research Scientist at VNS Health. His career began as a combat medic in the Israel Defense Forces and a Registered Nurse, experiences that shaped his commitment to improving patient care through technology.
A Fulbright Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania and among the first nurse scientists to complete a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Topaz bridges the gap between clinical practice and cutting-edge AI. His research focuses on developing AI-based tools for patient prioritization and risk prediction, with particular emphasis on home healthcare and unbiased AI.
A TEDx speaker and opening keynote speaker at the AMIA Amplify Informatics Conference, Dr. Topaz delivers keynotes worldwide on AI in healthcare. He served as Past President of MEDINFO, the world's largest international health informatics conference, and co-chairs an NIH Scientific Review Section on AI. He is listed among Stanford University's top 2% of world-leading scientists in Health Informatics.
Speaking Topics
- AI in healthcare: current state, future directions, and practical applications
- Clinical decision support and AI-powered patient risk prediction
- AI in nursing education: preparing the next generation
- Fair and unbiased AI development in healthcare
- Home healthcare innovation and technology integration
Recent Keynotes
- AMIA Amplify Informatics Conference — Opening Keynote — Denver, 2026
- TEDxNightingale College — Salt Lake City, 2026
- UCLA Nursing Science & Innovation Conference — Los Angeles, 2026
- NLN 2025 Education Summit — Orlando, Florida
- University of Tokyo Nursing International Conference — Tokyo, Japan
- ICN & NLN Utstein Meeting — Helsinki, Finland
- University of Basel, 25th Anniversary — Basel, Switzerland
- ACENDIO 2025 — Rotterdam, Netherlands