IMIA Representative
Lika Svanadze

The Georgian Society of Digital Medicine (GSDM) is a non-profit, interdisciplinary organization founded in 2025 with the mission to advance the integration of digital technologies in healthcare, medical education, and research across Georgia.

Vision:
To become a leading national platform that fosters innovation, collaboration, and capacity-building in digital health by connecting academia, clinicians, policymakers, and technologists.

Core Values:

The Georgian Society of Digital Medicine is founded on a set of core values that reflect its commitment to responsible and sustainable progress in the field. It promotes interdisciplinarity by fostering collaboration among professionals from medicine, public health, computer science, engineering, and ethics, recognizing that complex healthcare challenges require integrative approaches. The Society supports innovation as a key enabler of improved clinical workflows, educational strategies, and research methodologies, while acknowledging the need for careful evaluation and contextual adaptation of emerging technologies. GSDM also advocates for equitable access to digital health tools, with particular attention to reducing disparities in digital infrastructure and literacy. The Society emphasizes scientific rigor by encouraging high-quality, evidence-based research and methodological transparency. Ethical responsibility underpins all activities, with a focus on patient data protection, algorithmic fairness, and accountability in the deployment of digital systems in healthcare settings.

2. Objectives

  1. Promote research and development in medical informatics, digital health, AI in medicine, and biomedical data science.
  2. Support integration of digital technologies in clinical workflows, public health systems, and educational curricula.
  3. Provide training and resources for healthcare professionals, educators, and researchers.
  4. Foster collaboration between academia, healthcare institutions, industry, and international partners.
  5. Advocate for ethical and secure use of health data and AI in medical practice.

3. Organizational Structure

The Georgian Society of Digital Medicine is structured to promote collaborative leadership, strategic oversight, and effective coordination across its areas of activity. At the core of its governance is the General Assembly of Founders, which convenes at least once a year to evaluate progress, endorse strategic directions, and make key organizational decisions.

The Society is led by a Director, Dr. Lika Svanadze, who is responsible for the overall management, coordination of activities, external partnerships, and implementation of the Society’s mission. Supporting the Director is a Managing Board composed of four members, each entrusted with operational responsibility for one of the Society’s core departments. These members serve as departmental leads in the areas of research, education, digital infrastructure, and others, respectively (see below). In addition to overseeing departmental activities, they ensure alignment with the Society’s broader strategic goals and work collaboratively with the Director to promote interdisciplinary initiatives and effective coordination across domains.

In addition to the leadership team, the Society includes a diverse body of professional members who actively contribute to specific domains such as artificial intelligence in healthcare, medical informatics, biostatistics, and ethical frameworks for digital medicine. Members are encouraged to take ownership of projects, propose new initiatives, and participate in departmental activities aligned with their expertise.

Strategic guidance is further strengthened by an Advisory Council, composed of distinguished Georgian and international experts. The Council provides consultative input on scientific, technological, and policy matters, ensuring that the Society’s work remains aligned with international best practices. Notably, the Advisory Council includes Prof. Otto Rienhoff (Germany) and Prof. Alexander Truskinovsky (USA), whose expertise in biomedical informatics and systems science brings significant added value to the Society’s global outlook and strategic development.

There are the following directions/departments:

1.      Department of Artificial Intelligence, Data Science and Biostatistics in Medicine

Scope: AI applications in diagnostics and prediction, medical imaging analysis, biostatistics, and machine learning model development.

Responsible Person: Assistant Prof. Lika Svanadze

 

2.      Department of Digital Medical Education and Simulation

Scope: Development and integration of virtual learning platforms, simulation-based training, AR/VR tools, and AI tutors in medical education.

Responsible Person: Associate Prof. Maia Bitskinashvili

 

  1. Department of Translational Medicine and Biomedical Research

Scope: Bridging basic biomedical research with clinical applications using digital technologies; development of computational modeling, and digital tools for translational research and personalized medicine.
Responsible Person: Prof. Dimitri Kordzaia

 

4.      Department of Computational Pathology and Imaging Analytics

Scope: Digital pathology, histological and cytological image analysis, AI-based diagnostics, whole-slide imaging, radiology–pathology integration, and development of computational tools for medical image interpretation.

Responsible Person: Prof. Mikheil Jangavadze, Assistant Prof. Keti Tsomaia

5.      Department of eHealth, Ethics, Data Privacy, and Policy

Scope: Health system digitization, Health data protection, digital ethics, legal frameworks, policy recommendations, and governance of AI in healthcare.

Responsible Person: Associate Prof. Nato Pitskhelauri

 

4. Membership and Collaboration

Membership is open to:

  • Healthcare professionals
  • Researchers and data scientists
  • Students in medicine, public health, informatics, and computer science
  • Policy makers
  • Technology industry partners

 

5. Legal and Institutional Status

The Society is established as a non-profit legal entity in accordance with the Georgian Civil Code. It functions under a registered charter and is eligible to participate in national and international grant competitions, collaborative research, and policy advisory processes.

All financial proceeds from services or projects are exclusively directed to achieving the Society’s mission and are not distributed among founders or executive personnel.