IIn his first course at Harvard Medical School this fall, Cayton E. “Katie” Rothenberg ’23 wasn’t taught anatomy or biochemistry.
Instead, she learned how to become a physician-scientist in a world that is beginning to rely on artificial intelligence for research and medical care.
The month-long introductory course on AI in Healthcare is mandatory for all students in HMS' Health Sciences and Technology track (inter-institutional MD and PhD). program between Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology focused on translational medicine and engineering.
But this class is the first of its kind to be offered at a medical school, and is just one way HMS is adapting to the changing healthcare environment and the growing role of AI in healthcare.
“We need to evolve.”
HMS Medical Education Dean Bernard S. Chang '93 is one of several senior administrators pushing to incorporate AI into the school's training curriculum.
According to Chan, AI is being introduced in three broad categories.
The first is as an educational tool. Chang points to HMS's flipped classroom model (where students study content on their own, practice examples in class, and then take quizzes on that content) as an example of how AI is already benefiting. ) was pointed out.
“The AI can receive all of the hundreds of responses each day, and the pilot tool allows faculty to determine the level of granularity they want to get feedback from,” Chan said.
Students and faculty across the university are already incorporating AI into the classroom.
Computer Science 50 2023: “Introduction to Computer Science” has integrated artificial intelligence through the “CS50 bot” that finds bugs and provides feedback on projects. Earlier this year, Economics 50A: “Using Big Data to Solve Economic and Social Problems” introduced a similar chatbot called “ec50.ai” to answer student questions.
In August, the university began offering Harvard students access to OpenAI's ChatGPT Edu as part of a broader effort to explore the use of AI in education and research.
Chang said HMS is also working on developing an AI “tutor bot” and aims to release the software publicly by 2025.
According to Chan, the second two categories are those that prepare for the MD and MD-Ph.D. Explain to students how AI will impact future clinics and labs.
“As the medical world changes around us, we must evolve to respond and best prepare our students,” said Chan.
Professor Chan highlighted AI's ability to automate the daily tasks of clinicians, and said this will allow medical schools to focus on teaching intangible skills as doctors and “apply more difficult and sophisticated analyzes to information. He emphasized that more time can be spent on “methods”.
“It's not just knowledge”
In response to the growing presence of AI in healthcare and education, HMS has adjusted its course offerings.
The school piloted HT 16: “Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare I” in August and September of the HMS fall semester, and its counterpart HT 18: “Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare II” It will be held in May.
The course, currently required for the 30 HST students who enroll in the approximately 160 medical classes each year, is taught by Colin Schultz, MIT's HST program director.
“The content covered AI, machine learning, and LLM, with a particular focus on how AI is already emerging in the medical field,” said Chan.
Chang also emphasized that the class strives to be an interactive introduction to AI and engages students through a project-based model.
“We're trying to teach skills as well as knowledge,” Chan said. “Part of that is, yes, teaching about how AI works, how AI exists in healthcare, and how AI could revolutionize healthcare. As a group, here are some questions to try. Write a paper in your group and get feedback.
Chan praised HMS Dean George Q. Daley ’82 for driving the adoption of AI and credited his “investments” in making HMS “a world leader in AI, educational programs, and research enterprises.” I praised it.
For Rotenberg, the AI course provides two main outcomes for students.
The first is understanding new tools and methods at the forefront of medicine. “So that when you become a doctor in the future, you see new research, new papers that come across your desk, new diagnostic tools,” says Rothenberg, “and to ask questions.” It's about whether it's really reliable technology. ”
In the course, Natalie E. Fulton, a first-year medical student in the HST program, learned how AI tools can make better predictions than doctors and how they can help risk stratify specific patients. He said he was able to understand how things could be improved.
“Understanding how to use it in a clinical setting is the biggest thing I took away from this class,” Fulton said.
A second goal of the course, according to Rothenberg, is to provide students with the knowledge necessary to conduct research involving AI.
“You don't have to be someone who does all the AI coding, but the goal of this class is to give you a solid understanding of what kinds of AI tools you'll use. ,” Rotenberg said.
“You can then collaborate with another researcher who has more computational knowledge to solve those challenges,” she added.
Although the course is currently required for only some HMS classes, Chan said he expects more students to participate in the course, including those in more traditional pathway programs. said.
“I think the rest of the medical students will definitely benefit from the formal introduction of AI,” Chan added.
“We took a deliberate lead.”
The introduction of AI into medical courses marks one shift in a broader cultural and programmatic shift at medical schools.
Chan said HMS offers students “another opportunity to dig deeper.”
The Department of Biomedical Informatics has begun offering a PhD in Artificial Intelligence in Medicine. The program includes coursework in medical AI, collaboration with AI researchers, and clinical rotations at HMS-affiliated hospitals.
The Office of External Education also offers an intensive continuing education course called “AI in Clinical Medicine,” designed to provide additional training in new medical technologies to physicians already licensed in other institutions. I'm here.
Last year, Daly also established the Dean's Innovation Award for the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Education, Research, and Administration, which awards selected projects with grants of up to $100,000 in areas such as education, greater diversity, and healthy aging. Provided.
“The recipients of the grants are educational leaders who teach medical students who are taking on a variety of projects,” said Professor Chan. “So we intentionally got ahead of the curve on this, and we’re very happy with that.”
Chan said the integration of AI in healthcare is following the same trajectory as the rise of Google.
“I remember patients saying, 'Oh, I hope you never become that doctor who uses Google.' And can you imagine them saying that now?” Chan said. said.
“In a few years, most patients will have a strong desire to see a doctor who is using the latest technology to aid diagnosis and treatment, and that will be AI,” he added.
—Staff writer Veronica H. Paulus can be reached at veronica.paulus@thecrimson.com. X Follow her at @VeronicaHPaulus.
—Staff writer Akshaya Ravi can be reached at akshaya.ravi@thecrimson.com. X Follow her at @akshayaravi22.
