Agentic Systems 101: Beyond the Prompt

Presentation Type: Workshop
Not recorded for AMIA Now

Presentation Time: 08:00 AM - 10:00 AM

Abstract Keywords: Education and Training, Generative AI in Clinical Workflow: Ambient Listening, Chart Summarization, Automated Response with LLM, Leadership and Strategy, Workforce Automation, Communication, and Workflow Efficiency
Primary Track: Implementing Real-World Change, Digital Engagement, and Connected Health


As generative AI matures, effective deployment increasingly relies less on end-user prompting and more on thoughtful workflow integration. This evolution has given rise to two emerging paradigms: context engineering—strategically curating information within a model's context window—and agentic AI systems—tools capable of planning, reasoning, and autonomously completing multi-step tasks. Despite their growing importance, these concepts remain poorly understood by most healthcare professionals.

This interactive 2-hour workshop empowers informaticists with a foundational understanding of agentic AI systems, emphasizing strategic thinking over technical implementation. It is a thematic continuation of the Prompt Engineering 101 and Prompt Engineering 201 workshops presented by Drs. Vedak and Yao at AMIA CIC 2024 & 2025.

After this session, attendees will: (1) understand why context engineering has become the critical skill underlying effective AI deployment; (2) conceptualize agents as existing on a spectrum of autonomy and complexity; (3) recognize and apply key agentic design patterns to healthcare workflows; and (4) evaluate use cases for agentic transformation that include appropriate checkpoints with human oversight. Through didactic instruction and hands-on group activities, participants will develop practical frameworks for identifying AI agent opportunities within their organizations.

Speaker(s):
Shivam Vedak, MD, MBA
Stanford University School of Medicine

Dong-han Yao, MD
Stanford

Author(s):
Shivam Vedak, MD, MBA - Stanford University School of Medicine; Dong Yao, MD - N/A;

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