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Multi-year initiative begins with focus on ethical and effective use among students
ATLANTA—Advances in artificial intelligence are reshaping a range of fields, and public health is no exception. To help ensure its students are prepared to effectively and ethically use these rapidly advancing technologies, the Georgia State University School of Public Health has launched a multi-year initiative to support teaching and learning with AI.
The school’s AI Initiative includes trainings and workshops for faculty, as well as the development of policies, guidance and resources for course instruction.
“As AI becomes increasingly integrated into public health practice, our students will need to understand its potential and its limitations,” said Dean Rodney Lyn. “This initiative is about preparing future public health professionals to evaluate and apply these technologies responsibly, both in the classroom and in their careers.”
The AI Initiative builds on the work of a task force convened last year that brought faculty and staff together to explore the opportunities and challenges AI presents, from classroom applications to administrative workflows. Led by Clinical Professor Sarah McCool, who serves as the school’s Director of AI Strategy and Integration, the task force has conducted a preliminary assessment of best practices within and beyond Georgia State to inform the school’s AI strategy and to identify potential areas for future investment.
“Several of our faculty incorporate AI literacy in the courses they teach, and we know that students are using these tools,” McCool said. “This initiative builds on that foundation by creating a shared framework and practical resources that support the responsible, effective use of AI.”
The initiative will initially focus on large language models, and its work will be supported by four faculty champions. The faculty champions and task force members will participate in the American Association of Colleges and Universities Institute on AI, Pedagogy and the Curriculum. The seven-month program focuses on areas such as pedagogical and assessment approaches, academic integrity concerns, and the adoption of AI competencies and literacies as course or program learning outcomes.
In addition, the task force members and faculty champions will conduct a review of the school’s curriculum as it relates to AI. The first in a series of workshops for all School of Public Health faculty will be held in September.
“I am grateful to the faculty and staff who have engaged with the task force and shared their perspectives as we launch and sustain this initiative,” said Shannon Self-Brown, Distinguished University Professor and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. “Their collaboration is helping us create an approach that ensures students are well-prepared to use emerging technologies to improve the health of communities.”
School of Public Health Faculty Champions and AI Task Force Members
- Missale Ayele, Manager for Online Programs and Student Success
- April Ballard, Assistant Professor in the Department of Population Health Sciences
- Lisa Casanova, Associate Professor in the Department of Population Health Sciences
- Harry Heiman, Clinical Professor, Department of Health Policy and Behavioral Sciences
- Monique Johnson, Academic Assessment Specialist
- Adrienne King, Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Population Health Sciences
- Ruiyan Luo, Professor, Department of Population Health Sciences
- Sarah McCool,Clinical Professor, Department of Health Policy and Behavioral Sciences, and Director of AI Strategy and Integration
- Carlos A.O. Pavão, Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Health Policy and Behavioral Sciences
- Dennis Reidy, Associate Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Behavioral Sciences
- Gina Sample, Assistant Dean for Academic Effectiveness and Student Success
- Shannon Self-Brown, Distinguished University Professor, Department of Health Policy and Behavioral Sciences, and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs