Kevin Yauy: “Being Able to Speak to Both Worlds”
On February 13, Kevin Yauy, a medical geneticist and artificial intelligence specialist at Montpellier University Hospital andUM a NextGen Leaders in Health award for his DocSimulator training program. This award recognizes ten talented individuals who are working to shape the future of our healthcare system. We set up our camera on the steps of the School of Medicine to discuss his career path, which is as dedicated to patients with rare diseases as it is to his healthcare students. Let’s meet him!
Name?
, Kevin Yauy.
Email:
I am a medical geneticist, a Ph.D. in artificial intelligence, and the head of the Biogenerative Health Laboratory at the Montpellier University Hospital (CHU) in Erios. I help people use artificial intelligence to resolve diagnostic dead ends, especially for those with rare diseases, which is my core area of expertise as a geneticist.
NextGen Award Winner
This award, presented by French Care and Le Figaro, highlights ten French figures working to improve our healthcare system. It recognizes the career of a physician-researcher who pursued a dual track in medicine and science from an early age. Above all, for me, it represents a tribute to our wonderful ecosystem in Montpellier, which includes the University Hospital, the University, and the Metropolitan Area.
DocSimulator?
It is an online platform that allows students to practice with virtual patients generated using generative artificial intelligence. Today, we need to train more and more medical students and provide them with better training, all while maintaining the same number of faculty members. To achieve this, we approached the University of Montpellier, which provided us with funding through the I-Site program and the Montpellier Innovation Booster (BIM). This program enabled us to build—together with the University Hospital, the University, and in partnership with the company Compute I/O—a platform that launched in 2022.
To date, the platform has been validated by two randomized clinical trials that have demonstrated its ability to train our students to develop better clinical skills, as well as the AI’s ability to accurately assess a student just as a teacher would.
SeqOnes Genomics?
I completed a CIFRE science thesis in collaboration with the 3IA Institute in Grenoble and SeqOnes Genomics, which is our very own Montpellier gem. I had the opportunity to learn about machine learning and AI, as well as everything related to the business world. It was a real asset for me because, thanks to this experience, I came to understand that to bring about change, we need a true public-private partnership. This experience has enabled me to successfully bridge the gap between these two worlds.
Telomere or motherboard?
Why choose when you can have both? AI will help us, as humans, become better humans so we can improve patient care—especially for patients with rare diseases.
Science Ac or Star Ac?
I’d say Science Ac over Star Ac! (laughs) Science Ac’ was a program where we, as high school students, had the opportunity to visit research labs and discover what the world of research is like (“The Science Ac’ Enthusiasts,” Le Monde, 2007). To learn how to pitch in English in front of a group of researchers who were much more experienced. And then I learned to overcome my self-censorship. I grew up in an environment where I didn’t necessarily have role models—people who had gone on to pursue advanced degrees or attend prestigious schools—and this program really allowed me to encounter that world and realize that it was possible.
Dr. Yauy, Mister…?
Probably “Mr. Musician.” “Mr. Guitarist.” We were just talking about Star’Ac a moment ago—actually, it’s not that far off. I sometimes play the guitar and make electronic music. I think that art and creativity can be found in research, but they can also be found in other forms of creation, particularly music.