PiV Retreat 8 at Røvær: A Gathering for Regional Innovation and Collaboration
The tradition continues. The Bergen and Stavanger groups of the PiV project have once again met to discuss their ongoing work and plans.
From April 23rd to 25th, members of the Patologi i Vest (PiV) project from Bergen and Stavanger came together for the 8th PiV project meeting—this time a retreat on the scenic island of Røvær, just off the coast of Haugesund. Hosted at Røvær Kulturhotell, known for its peaceful surroundings and warm hospitality, the retreat created a perfect setting for discussions, planning sessions, and informal conversations among colleagues.
This time, the focus was on preparations and planning for the implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) in our region. Emma Rewcastle presented her ongoing work on standards for immunhistochemistry. We had a long and intensive discussion about how to validate and verify AI tools when implementing them in diagnostic pipeline. We managed to finalize draft protocols! These will form part of the upcoming PhD project by Jennifer Antonythasan and are intended to prepare the AI tool for clinical practice across all four pathology departments in the Western region of Norway. Also part of Jennifer's PhD project, we tested the questionnaire designed to gather insights into the expectations of pathologists, engineers, and screeners in the face of the introduction of AI.
A highlight of every project meeting is the popular “Fast forward” session, where team members present updates on their ongoing work and future plans. How lucky we are to work with such a dedicated, skilled, and collaborative group of researchers!
The Stavanger team had prepared some fun quizzes for the Wednesday afternoon activity, including a general knowledge quiz, a song quiz and an emoji song quiz. Even though teamates got a bit frustated when some emojis did not match the original songs, it was truly fun and memorable experience! The Bergen team had prepared a game of Ligretto as a Thursday afternoon activity, and the Stavanger team managed to win the battle.
Before departing, the kind staff at Røvær Kulturhotell packed lunches for the journey home—sending us back to our respective departments with full stomachs and renewed motivation.