Universities launch “AI in healthcare” graduate degrees

The tagline for the artificial intelligence revolution in healthcare might well be “we don’t know what we don’t know.” How will AI influence patient care? Provider experiences? Administrative decision-making? Research and development of new therapies? Cybersecurity?  

How can we implement AI tools equitably, ethically, and responsibly to achieve desired outcomes without reinforcing biases? And who’s going to be responsible for making sure we’re consistently and collaboratively moving in the right direction? 

Many of these questions are being answered on a trial-and-error basis as organizations implement AI tools across various parts of the enterprise, sometimes in a very piecemeal process. But building the plane as we fly it will only take us so far, especially as new generations of digitally native patients and care providers bring their changing expectations into equation. 

To see success over the next several years with AI tools, the industry needs a more structured, shared approach to understanding the role of AI in healthcare and infusing the right skillsets into the workforce to maximize the value of these technologies. 

As a result, a number of colleges and universities are taking a leading role in launching healthcare-specific AI graduate programs, including master’s degrees and doctorate options that focus on the intersection between AI and clinical care. 

For example, in 2023, the University of Texas at San Antonio and UT Health San Antonio, launched the first dual degree in medicine and AI, allowing students to earn their MDs alongside an MS in artificial intelligence.  

“Our program actually empowers the physicians to lead the conversation on how AI can be used for healthcare, whether it’s clinical diagnostics, whether it’s disease prognosis, personalized treatments, or treatment planning,” Dhireesha Kudithipudi, a professor in electrical and computer engineering who helped develop the curriculum, told Fortune at the time. 

Other universities have followed down similar paths. Harvard Medical School now offers an Artificial Intelligence in Medicine (AIM) PhD track within its Department of Biomedical Informatics, which merges programming and model building with clinical rotations at affiliated hospitals to add a real-world perspective to their work. 

And Florida State University’s (FSU) College of Nursing recently announced a first-of-its kind Masters of Science in Nursing (MSN) program with a concentration in AI to foster scientific and clinical leadership among nurses. 

 “AI is rapidly expanding into every facet of our lives, and health care is no exception,” said Jing Wang, dean of the FSU College of Nursing. “We are seeing hospitals and clinics begin to implement artificial intelligence, and our master’s program will create a new generation of nursing professionals ready to navigate and leverage these innovative skills and knowledge.” 

FSU is offering the program online, allowing geographically diverse students to participate in the MSN, as well as the school’s new PhD option.  

A growing number of other universities are also bulking up on education that specifically explores the relationships between AI and healthcare. The University of Alabama at Birmingham offers an MS in Artificial Intelligence in Medicine through the Heersink School of Medicine, either online or in-person, while the University of Louisville has a similar program available completely online.  

At the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, students can enroll in a PhD in Biomedical Sciences that includes a multidisciplinary training area around AI and emerging technologies. And Northeastern University in Boston has created an AI Applications for Health Sciences graduate certificate designed for professionals who want to understand more about how AI can enhance their areas of expertise in healthcare. 

These and many other programs across the higher education landscape will hopefully provide valuable insights into the way clinicians and healthcare administrators can and should interact with artificial intelligence in the care setting and beyond.  

By bringing more formalized AI education to budding providers and professionals earlier in their careers, we may be able to create a workforce that has the knowledge and experience to guide the development of the AI ecosystem in the right direction, now and in the future. 

Jennifer Bresnick is a journalist and freelance content creator with a decade of experience in the health IT industry.  Her work has focused on leveraging innovative technology tools to create value, improve health equity, and achieve the promises of the learning health system.  She can be reached at jennifer@inklesscreative.com.