As AI technology advances, deans from the University of Missouri School of Medicine, Sinclair School Nursing, College of Health Sciences and College of Veterinary Medicine say the public’s familiarity with AI may prove useful to their programs.
The deans hosted a lecture titled “AI at the Nexus: Reimagining Health in a Rapidly Changing World,” featuring keynote speaker Szczepan Baran, Chief Scientific Officer at VeriSIM Life. The lecture focused on developments in AI, its functions in healthcare and its uses in student learning.
MU College of Veterinary Medicine Dean Srinand Sreevatsan said he hopes AI-powered learning, such as simulations, can provide educational benefits to students.
“When they enter the hospital, it’s not a surprise to them — that they have seen something like that in a simulated environment, they can start working more confidently with the patient’s side,” Sreevatsan said.
Sreevatsan said it’s necessary to fully understand current AI technology before adopting it into educational spaces and healthcare settings.
MU Sinclair School of Nursing Dean Lori Popejoy said her school is also considering how AI can be implemented in Mizzou’s health care programs.
“We have to quickly figure out how we can stay a step ahead and on par with the evolution of artificial intelligence and how it’s going to be used in the healthcare systems,” Popejoy said.
Popejoy also addressed how AI could be used to assist the workload of health care workers, to increase productivity and improve patient experiences.
“The amount of input that a nurse or a physician or anybody has to actually take in on a moment-to-moment basis is huge,” Popejoy said. “Potentially, I could see where AI could help reduce some of that cognitive load, so you’ll have more space in your day to make critical decisions for patients and helping them plan the way forward for their own best care.”
