The founder and Chief Medical Officer, Ignacio H. Medrano, shares a personal anecdote used as an analogy for a common question he gets asked in his field of healthcare Artificial Intelligence (AI): “What AI course should I take?” The story begins with a friend of Medrano’s, Nuria Gago. Gago, a successful author, consulted Medrano when one of her characters was dealing with Alzheimer’s, and sought his expertise.
Paralleling this, Medrano takes prominent figures like Michael Jordan and Elon Musk, questioning what courses they’d recommend for basketball and business, respectively. Just as Gago asked Medrano for advice on a specific matter of interest, these figures would likely propose that individuals actively engage in their field of interest rather than seeking a course on it to start off.
Medrano’s point made evident in such analogies is that he often gets asked for recommendations on AI healthcare courses, and while he might suggest one or two out of courtesy, he personally believes that the best way to learn is to dive in and get hands-on experience. He proposes starting projects as that’s where genuine learning happens. Highlighting the importance of engagement in the learning process, Medrano takes a slightly skeptical stance on courses, dubbing them as something that’s good for easing one’s conscience and procrastinating. His underlying belief is that hands-on learning yields better results than theoretical learning.
Despite his opinion, Medrano voices a bit of approval towards short-term courses that lasts just a few hours. He believes they can provide a good context for a subject, helping people figure out whether they’re interested in it, and how to get started. To him and his friend Nuria Gago, the answer to “What course should I take?” is to find out by doing something in the field of interest more than just taking a course to learn about it. Dive deep and start a project instead.
