Sam Houston State University’s (SHSU) new Medical AI Institute is underway with initiatives such as developing graduate certificates, according to Director Vinoth Sittaramane. The institute is centered around three objectives: education, research, and clinical care.

Objectives and Goals

Nested within each goal are more specific goals such as developing certificate programs, supporting innovation in areas such as diagnostics, and strengthening patient communication. Sittaramane said the belief is that technology should support people, especially patients, physicians, students, and communities in a way that is practical, ethical, and human-centered.

With regard to clinical care, Sittaramane sees tremendous potential for the technology to help patients take greater ownership of their health goals through better access to information, greater remote monitoring, improved preventative care tools, and more connection with health care systems.

Research and Workforce Development

On the research side, several AI tools are being approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in a shorter framework, Sittaramane said, and the Medical AI Institute could provide evidence-based information on the tools’ effectiveness. The institute is also working on workforce development, including AI literacy programs, and has already offered health care providers continuing medical education credits with its Practical and Ethical Applications of AI in Health Care program.

SHSU-COM is also preparing to launch its new master’s program this fall, pending final approval from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. The new master’s in applied biomedical sciences will feature four specialized tracks, one of which will be in medical/health care artificial intelligence.

Original reporting: Community Impact — Houston — read the source article.