Keynote Speaker – UCLA Annual NSI Conference
The UCLA Nursing Science & Innovation Conference features keynote speakers whose work is shaping the future of nursing science, evidence-based practice, and innovation in an AI-enabled health care environment. These distinguished leaders bring national and international perspectives on how nursing intelligence, research, and ethical leadership are driving meaningful change across clinical practice, education, health systems, and health policy.
Join nurses, educators, researchers, and leaders from diverse practice settings to engage with keynote speakers and timely conversations shaping a nurse-led future in the age of AI.
Additional keynote speakers will be announced
Dr. Maxim (Max) Topaz, PhD, RN, FAAN, FIAHSI, FACMI, is an Associate Professor of Nursing and Data Science at Columbia University and a Senior Research Scientist at VNS Health, the nation’s largest not-for-profit home health care provider. A pioneer in applying natural language processing to nursing documentation, his research leverages artificial intelligence, text mining, and automated speech and video processing to improve health care delivery and clinical decision-making.
Dr. Topaz has secured more than $25 million in federal research funding and published over 200 peer-reviewed articles focused on AI-driven solutions that predict patient deterioration from nursing notes, enhance clinical workflows, and reduce documentation burden for frontline nurses. His current work centers on developing practical AI applications designed to address nurses’ daily challenges in practice.
With clinical experience in internal medicine and urgent care, a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania, and postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Topaz uniquely bridges nursing practice, research, and emerging technologies. His leadership and contributions to health policy, innovation, and informatics have earned him fellowships in the American Academy of Nursing, the International Academy of Health Sciences Informatics, and the American College of Medical Informatics.