[PHILOS-L] FINAL REMINDER - CfA "Interpreting Medical Images" - Sheffield 17-18th September
Lorenzo Sartori
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Call for Abstracts
“Interpreting Medical Images (IMI): epistemological, methodological, and hermeneutical perspectives” (Sheffield, 17-18th September 2026)
Medical images—such as X-rays, MRIs, CT scans, ultrasounds, and increasingly AI-generated or AI-assisted visualizations—play a central role in contemporary medical knowledge and practice. These images are not merely neutral representations of bodily states; rather, they require complex acts of interpretation shaped by theoretical assumptions, technological mediation, professional expertise, and contextual judgment. The growing use of artificial intelligence in medical imaging further complicates traditional accounts of observation, interpretation, and epistemic authority.
This two-day conference at the University of Sheffield wants to bring together philosophers of science, philosophers of medicine, and scholars from related fields to examine the interpretation of medical images by human experts and/or AI systems. The aim is to foster sustained philosophical discussion on how medical images are produced, interpreted, validated, and integrated into clinical reasoning and decision-making.
We invite contributions addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:
Epistemology of medical imaging
Evidence, uncertainty, and diagnostic reasoning
Expertise, trust, and epistemic authority
The epistemic status of AI-assisted interpretations of medical images
Methodological issues
Image production, processing, and standardization
Training, validation, and benchmarking of experts and AI systems
Human–AI interaction in diagnostic practices
Hermeneutical perspectives
Interpretation, meaning, and context in medical images
The role of background knowledge, narratives, and clinical situations
Visual hermeneutics and the mediation of perception
Normative and conceptual questions
Responsibility and accountability in AI-supported diagnoses
Bias, opacity, and explainability
Implications for medical practice and philosophy of science
BONUS for participants: Creative workshop “Thinking with Images”
During the two-day conference, participants are invited to an interactive workshop of 1.5 hours on visual perception, where we will explore alternative ways of relating to and analyzing (medical) imagery. The workshop is organized by members of the Stimulus Project, an interdisciplinary collective based in Amsterdam that investigates the impact of art experiences in medical environments. Alessandra Laitempergher and Noa Roei will lead us through different creative exercises and Itamar Gilboa will present his artworks, including sculptures and images based on MRI and functional MRI scans.
Submission Guidelines
- Candidates wishing to present are invited to submit an abstract of no more than 2000 characters (bibliography excluded).
- Abstracts should be submitted via a Google Form which can be filled in at this link: https://forms.gle/Dzbb1VedMZMpQo4UA
- The submission deadline is April 15th 2026. The results of the selection process will be communicated to the candidates in May 2026.
Practical Information
Dates: 17th-18th September 2026
Participation: In-person only
Fees: No registration fee
Funding: Partial reimbursement for travel and accommodation expenses will be provided to PhD students and early career academics who do not have available funding from their institutions.
Conference website: link to the page.
Keynote Speakers
The conference will feature keynote lectures by two scientific experts in the field of medical imaging and the use of AI:
Dr. Neda Azarmehr (University of Sheffield)
Prof. Jim Wild (University of Sheffield)
Each keynote lecture will open one of the two days of the conference and are intended to foster dialogue between scientific expertise in the development and use of imaging technologies and philosophical perspectives on these issues.
For any question about the submission and the conference, please contact the organisers at cfa.imi....@gmail.com
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