EP14 Dr. Fran Riley, MD MSe
AI at the Bedside, From Wall Motion Detection to Innovation Systems
Guest: Dr. Fran Riley, MD, MSE — Clinical Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine, Stanford University
Release Date: 7/2/25
Episode Summary:
In this episode of the STAT AI Podcast, Drs. DJ Apakama and Ethan Abbott sit down with Dr. Fran Riley — a physician-engineer who bridges emergency medicine, computer science, and product development. From developing the first da Vinci robotic controllers to leading AI-powered image recognition research at Stanford, Fran offers a rare dual perspective on technology integration in frontline care.
The conversation begins with a deep dive into her work on training machine learning models to detect regional wall motion abnormalities in emergency cardiac ultrasound — an innovation that could dramatically improve identification of subtle STEMI-equivalents. The trio also explore the speed mismatch between startups and academic institutions, strategies for testing innovation within real-world constraints, and how to train the next generation of residents in AI-era medicine.
Plus: how Stanford’s “STEP” partnership model evaluates AI startups for ED research, and why Fran believes even a well-designed rabbit-ear filter on TikTok has lessons for healthcare imaging.
In This Episode, We Cover:
🧠 How Fran’s background in engineering and product management shapes her approach to AI in medicine.
🫀 Training deep learning models to detect regional wall motion abnormalities on ultrasound.
🧪 Why product design and EM have more in common than you think.
📉 Managing speed mismatches between AI startups and academic research.
🏥 Stanford's STEP program and the realities of health tech integration.
🧭 What AI education for residents should actually focus on — and what will matter most in 2030.
🌐 Building open-access innovation ecosystems with Stanford’s STEM-X conference.
🧘♀️ Why empathy, trust, and a patient’s Apple Watch will matter in the AI-powered ED.
Takeaway Quote:
“Innovation isn’t a niche. It’s a tool that can empower every part of emergency medicine.” — Fran Riley, MD, MSE
Connect with the Guests:
Follow STAT AI:
🌐 Website: stataipodcast.com
🐦 Twitter: @STATaipodcast
🎧 Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Prime Music
