- by Dhiren Shivji, Clinical AI Fellow at T-Pro
A reflection on why the future of AI in healthcare needs clinicians working across both the NHS and industry.
When I joined T-Pro's Clinical AI Fellowship, I wasn't looking to leave clinical practice.
I wanted to understand something much bigger.
How does AI actually make its way from an idea into something that safely improves care for thousands of patients?
Like many clinicians, I'd spent years seeing technology arrive in clinical practice with varying levels of success. Some solutions solved real problems. Others created new ones. I realised that if clinicians wanted better technology, we couldn't simply be end users, we needed to help build it.
That is exactly why programmes like the NHS Fellowship in Clinical AI and T-Pro's Clinicians First initiative exist: to create clinicians who can bridge the gap between frontline care and digital innovation.
What surprised me most
Before joining industry I assumed product development mostly involved software engineers. I couldn't have been more wrong.
Every week has involved working alongside:
- AI engineers
- Clinical Safety Officer
- Product managers
- Designers
- Marketing
- Sales
- Customer Success
- NHS implementation teams
- Executive leadership
Building healthcare AI isn't simply about writing algorithms.
It's about balancing clinical need, safety, usability, regulation, implementation, procurement and evidence all at the same time.
Seeing the whole lifecycle
One of the biggest differences between working purely clinically and working inside industry is seeing the complete lifecycle of innovation.
Instead of only experiencing the finished product, I've been involved in:
✔️ Understanding real clinical problems
✔️ Reviewing literature and evidence
✔️ Competitor analysis
✔️ Defining product strategy
✔️ Clinical safety reviews
✔️ AI governance
✔️ Human factors
✔️ NHS implementation
✔️ Clinician education
✔️ Measuring real-world impact after deployment
It has completely changed how I think about digital transformation. The note generated by AI isn't the finish line. It's where the real work begins.
Keeping one foot in clinical practice
One of the strengths of the fellowship is continuing to work clinically. Every clinic becomes a source of learning. Questions that arise during patient care become product discussions. Workflow frustrations become innovation opportunities. Ideas can be taken back into product teams and explored with engineers within days rather than simply becoming another conversation in the staff room. That continuous feedback loop is incredibly powerful.
Beyond AI Scribes
Many people associate healthcare AI with ambient documentation.
That is only one small part of the picture. During the fellowship I've worked across:
It reinforced something important. Technology alone does not transform healthcare. People do.
Why clinician voices matter
One lesson has stood out above everything else. The best healthcare technology isn't built for clinicians. It's built with clinicians. When frontline staff help shape products from the beginning, solutions are more likely to fit real workflows, improve adoption and ultimately benefit patients. That is exactly what programmes like Clinicians First are trying to achieve.
Not simply creating AI experts.
Creating clinicians who understand both healthcare and how innovation happens.
Looking ahead
Healthcare needs more clinicians willing to step beyond traditional career pathways.
Some will remain entirely within the NHS. Some will work in research. Some will move into digital leadership. Others may spend time in industry before returning to frontline care. These aren't competing career paths.
They're complementary.
The future of healthcare will depend on people who can move confidently between clinical practice, innovation and implementation.
To the next cohort
If you're considering applying for either the NHS Fellowship in Clinical AI or an industry fellowship, my advice is simple.
Closing
At T-Pro, we often talk about being Clinicians First.
After just a few months in the fellowship, I now understand what that really means. It isn't about clinicians becoming software developers. It's about ensuring the people who understand healthcare best remain at the centre of designing its future.