With Prof. Schmidtke’s affiliation, the DFKI addresses a field of AI research that has not yet been systematically embedded in the healthcare system: the consistent consideration of sex- and gender-specific differences in prevention, diagnostics, therapy, and care. The DFKI Laboratory Lübeck pursues a unique approach by establishing gender and women’s health as a structural guiding principle across the entire AI innovation pathway – from database and modelling to evaluation, up to the application, healthcare delivery, and regulatory contexts.
Despite growing evidence of gender differences, these aspects are still insufficiently reflected in data-driven AI systems. The aim of this research is to gradually reduce the gender data gap. AI-based systems can support this process by systematically identifying and quantifying gender-specific biases in existing – often male-dominated – medical datasets; however, it does not replace the need for gender-sensitive data collection and study design.
At the research department AGT, headed by Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Marcin Grzegorzek, Prof. Schmidtke works on the development and evaluation of AI-based assistive systems that systematically integrate gender-sensitive data structures, algorithmic fairness, and patient-centered decision support. AI applications shall be designed to adequately reflect women’s healthcare needs across the entire life course and contribute to reducing existing inequalities in healthcare provision.
With this approach, the DFKI Laboratory Lübeck positions itself as a nationally visible reference location for AI in gender and women’s health, strengthening the bridge between university medicine, non-university AI research, and health and innovation policy.
About Prof. Claudia Schmidtke
Prof. Schmidtke is spokesperson of the University Heart Center Lübeck (UHZL) at the University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein (UKSH) and Professor of Cardiac Surgery. As a health economist and recognized expert in gender-sensitive medicine, she combines clinical expertise, health services research, and health policy experience with applied AI research. From 2017 to 2021, she served as the Federal Government Commissioner for Patient Affairs and was a member of the German Bundestag. She currently serves as Deputy Chair of the Arbitration Board pursuant to section 134 paragraph 1 of the SGB V, the German Social Code Book V (DiGA Arbitration Board).