Teaching, learning, and patient care are evolving rapidly with the rise of artificial intelligence, attendees learned at UCSF’s second annual AI and Education Symposium.
Led by the Office of Education and Student Affairs in collaboration with the School of Medicine, the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost, and a cross-campus team, the daylong symposium supported by the Baum Family brought together a nationwide panel of educators, keynote speakers, and presentations from UCSF learners and trainees.
“AI is not merely a shift in technology,” said John Davis Rodríguez, vice chancellor of Education and Student Affairs, in his welcome address. “This is really an opportunity for deeper reflection on how we teach, learn, assess, and ultimately support the next generation of healthcare professionals.”
Davis Rodríguez noted that UCSF is uniquely positioned to lead in this space.
Building AI Readiness at UCSF
Ki Lai, UCSF’s Vice President and Enterprise Chief Data and AI Officer, echoed that sentiment. “AI has the opportunity to transform how we educate,” Lai said. He encouraged attendees to begin by building their own skills: “Focus on AI for your own capabilities and career development. Also, look at how AI is transforming how work is getting done.”
UCSF is already laying the groundwork for this transformation. The university recently launched ChatGPT in a secure environment that meets HIPAA and other data protection requirements, enabling safe exploration of generative AI in academic and clinical contexts.
In parallel, the SPARK AI program—Skills Pathway for AI Readiness and Knowledge—offers a structured training pathway for the UCSF community. Participants can build foundational understanding, develop proficiency, grow into leadership roles, and explore advanced applications of AI.
Early use cases are emerging across campus. Trainees and faculty are beginning to use secure AI tools to summarize complex clinical information, support learning, and explore new ways of engaging with educational content—always with human oversight at the center.
AI and the Future of Education & Healthcare
In the symposium’s main panel, UCSF Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Catherine Lucey emphasized that innovation must align with UCSF’s core mission.
“We want to make sure as we do this work, that the AI tools we choose to use embrace and enhance that excellence and don’t just increase the efficiency of the work that we do,” she said. “AI, as promising as it is, will never replace human connection and compassion.”
Jesse Burk-Rafel, MD, vice chair for research at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, highlighted the accelerating pace of change. “The pace of innovation is changing, but the pace of disruption is also changing,” he said. “Sometimes that’s outpacing our ability as educators to catch up. We feel reactive rather than proactive.”
Jonathan Chen, MD, PhD, director of medical education in AI at Stanford Medicine, pointed to the growing reliance on AI-powered tools in clinical practice. He cautioned that variability in AI-generated responses requires careful interpretation and critical thinking.
Cornelius James, MD, assistant professor at the University of Michigan, described a cultural shift in medicine. Rather than being valued primarily for encyclopedic knowledge, clinicians may increasingly be recognized for uniquely human strengths—judgment, communication, and empathy.
Kimberly Lomis, MD, vice president of medical education innovation at the American Medical Association, urged educators to reconsider long-standing approaches. “Every time we have a fear that AI is disrupting the way we teach or assess, we need to step back and ask: should we still be teaching this? And if so, are there different ways to get there?”
Raja-Elie Abdulnour, MD, assistant professor at Harvard Medical School and editor-in-chief of NEJM Clinician, added that the role of both publishers and learners is evolving. “On the readers side,” he said, “we need to become editors,” as AI increasingly curates information.
Speakers also emphasized the importance of responsible AI use, including addressing bias in algorithms, protecting patient privacy, and ensuring transparency in clinical decision-making tools. These considerations were framed as essential as AI becomes more integrated into healthcare and education.
UCSF’s AI Catalyst Fellows
Following the panel, this year’s UCSF AI Catalyst Fellows presented their projects. The faculty development program, also supported by the Baum Family, is designed to help educators integrate, evaluate, and supervise AI in academic settings.
The fellows are:
- Peter Washington, PhD, assistant professor in the Division of Clinical Informatics and Digital Transformation (DoC-IT), Department of Medicine
- Pierre Martin, MD, assistant professor of Neurology at the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences
- Rishi Kadakia, MD, assistant clinical professor of Pediatric Anesthesiology and Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesiology at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals
Each fellow dedicated time to advancing innovative projects at the intersection of AI and education, contributing to UCSF’s growing leadership in this field.
AI & Education Innovation Learner Showcase
The symposium also highlighted the creativity and initiative of UCSF learners. More than 40 proposals were submitted, with three finalists selected by the planning committee.
The judges-selected winner, Case Lens, is an AI-powered learning platform that reconnects trainees with their own prior patient cases to deepen clinical insight and retention. The project was presented by Lakshmi Subbaraj, MD, a clinical fellow in gastroenterology and clinical informatics, and Alex Krinsky Thomas, DO, a clinical informatics fellow and hospitalist at UCSF.
The audience-selected winner, Faro, presented by Tara Pande and Ravi Shankar Yadav, master’s students in UCSF’s AI and Computational Drug Discovery and Development (AICD3) program, is a personalized AI learning co-pilot designed to bridge knowledge gaps during live seminars
The third presentation was Loop Coach by Braxton Morrison, a third-year medical student, which uses AI-driven video feedback to accelerate neurosurgical skill development
Learners described both excitement and uncertainty about the future. As one attendee noted, AI is becoming part of how clinicians think and learn—not just a tool they use.
From Conversation to Action
Throughout the day, participants engaged in guided discussions, workshops, lightning presentations, and demonstrations, reflecting a shared commitment to experimentation and collaboration.
Key themes emerging from the symposium are expected to shape UCSF’s next steps, including integrating AI literacy into curricula, expanding faculty development, and piloting AI-supported tools in clinical education. Leaders emphasized that progress will require thoughtful implementation, continuous evaluation, and a willingness to adapt.
As AI continues to reshape education and healthcare, UCSF leaders made clear that the goal is not simply to adopt new technologies, but to reimagine how clinicians are trained and how care is delivered.
The symposium underscored a central message: the future of medicine may be powered by artificial intelligence—but it will continue to be defined by human judgment, compassion, and responsibility.
Watch the full event recording.