CfA: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


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 March 31st 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.

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.