Division of Health Affairs AI Task Force charts path for responsible innovation

As artificial intelligence continues to transform health care, education and research, Wayne State University's Division of Health Affairs (DHA) has taken an important step toward ensuring the technology is adopted thoughtfully, ethically and strategically.

Over six months, the Division of Health Affairs Artificial Intelligence Task Force brought together faculty, staff and academic leaders from across the division to explore how AI can support teaching, learning, research, clinical practice and operations. Charged by Senior Vice President for Health Affairs Dr. Bernard J. Costello, the task force developed a comprehensive report designed to guide AI exploration, evaluation and implementation across the division.

"The task force did some incredible work," Costello said. "They managed to take a very broad topic and distill it into objectives specifically for the health sciences while also making sure we integrate with all of the other work happening across the university."

The task force's work included extensive engagement with stakeholders from across DHA's schools and colleges. Members surveyed students, faculty and staff; collected examples of current AI use; examined opportunities and concerns; and identified areas where the division can lead responsible AI adoption.

The resulting report outlines the following vision:

The Division of Health Affairs will integrate AI across programs and operations to enhance learning, support sound clinical judgment, improve coordination, and uphold responsible practice in service of the well-being of the communities we serve.

At the center of the report is a commitment to ensuring AI enhances - rather than replaces - human expertise, judgment and compassion.

"We need to make sure that it's a humanistic approach to this technology," Costello said. "It's about people and care and purpose and mission."

To support that vision, the task force identified five core values that will guide future AI efforts:

• Put People First by maintaining a human-centered approach to AI adoption.
• Prioritize Preparation by equipping students, faculty and staff for an AI-enabled future.
• Protect Integrity through ethical, transparent and accountable use of AI technologies.
• Partner with Purpose by fostering collaboration and shared learning across disciplines.
• Think Critically, Act Practically by focusing on meaningful, evidence-based applications.
  

The framework also identifies several strategic priorities for the coming year. Recommendations include developing an AI literacy competency for health sciences programs; assessing AI learning needs among faculty, staff, and students; establishing stronger cross-unit collaboration on AI initiatives; identifying opportunities to improve community health outcomes through AI; and conducting a comprehensive inventory of AI tools and projects already underway across DHA.

The task force's findings show that AI is already making an impact throughout the division. Faculty and staff shared use examples ranging from AI-supported curriculum development and personalized student learning tools to research initiatives that use artificial intelligence to improve disease detection and clinical workflows. Students reported using a wide range of AI tools for research, writing, studying, coding and presentations, and expressed a desire for additional training.

Costello emphasized that AI should be viewed as a tool that allows health professionals and educators to focus more deeply on the work that matters most.

"In practical terms, AI empowers us to listen better, care better, teach better and mentor better," he said. "It lets us run faster at certain tasks, but the human element remains essential."

Among the ideas emerging from the task force's work is the creation of a regular forum where faculty and staff can share AI use cases from across the university.

"Some of us are actively exploring ways to incorporate AI into our work, while others may be more tentative or skeptical, which is understandable," said Robert Ploutz-Snyder, professor of nursing and associate dean for research, and the committee member who recommended the meetings. "My hope is that by recruiting faculty with all levels of AI knowledge and experience to share their experiences as occasional presenters, we can raise our collective awareness and allow faculty who are curious about the potential uses of AI to begin their journey into applications a little less alone."

The report emphasizes that the Division of Health Affairs will not pursue AI in isolation but will align closely with broader university initiatives, including collaboration with the Division of Digital Strategy and Operational Excellence.

"We have an opportunity to work collaboratively with those groups while also leaning into the very specific nuances of health care and health sciences," Costello said. "Our students, faculty and clinical partners are already working in environments where AI is becoming part of everyday practice, and we want to make sure we're leveraging the technology responsibly."

As implementation begins, the task force framework will help ensure that AI serves as a tool to expand opportunities for patient care and discovery, as well as prepare Wayne State graduates for a rapidly evolving health care landscape.

"AI is a tool for speed," Costello said. "But we also need to lean heavily into AI as a disciplined instrument for better care, better education, better work and better service. That humanistic piece has to remain at the center of the conversation."