Grant supports new UNT Health Fort Worth elective on AI in medical education
The rapid emergence of artificial intelligence is sweeping through every sector of society, including health care. Faculty at the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine at UNT Health Fort Worth have received a grant from the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine, or AACOM, to develop ways to implement advanced health informatics, AI and augmented intelligence into medical school curricula.
Led by primary investigator Dr. Janet Lieto, FACOFP, CMD, CPPS, an associate professor of medical education and director of health systems science, innovation and leadership, TCOM is one of only four research teams across the nation to receive the $5,000 grant that runs through July 2027. The co-investigators on the grant are Nelumdini Samaranayake, Ph.D., Amany Hassan, Ph.D., and Lin Nelson, M.B.A.
“We are thrilled to be supported by AACOM through this grant, which allows health systems science content to advance understanding of how AI and augmented intelligence will be part of our TCOM students’ osteopathic careers,” Lieto said.
The research centers on the question of how an advanced curriculum — including engagement with health care innovators and AI experts — affects a medical student’s perceived self-efficacy in practical, ethical and clinical applications of AI, as well as their confidence in executing AI-related tasks.
The new elective, title “Health Informatics, AI, AuI in Medical Education,” will be offered during the 2025-26 academic year to third- and fourth-year TCOM students. The four-week intensive class is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of informatics and AI applications in health care.
One of the primary goals is to address real-world clinical decision-making challenges in real-world medical practices, preparing students to effectively use AI technologies, enhance patient care, adapt to health care advancements and make ethical and practical decisions.
The curriculum features expert guest speakers to share real-life experiences and recent developments in AI. The elective also guides students to design clinically relevant scenarios based on their rotation experiences, which will serve as teaching tools for first and second-year students, fostering a culture of peer learning, collaboration and knowledge sharing.
The research team will analyze the results over the next three years and plans to present their findings at AACOM’s Educating Leaders Annual Conference in 2028.
This initiative builds on a previous study conducted by the same team in 2024. That research, also funded by AACOM, explored the integration of health informatics, AI and augmented intelligence with simulation-based learning in TCOM’s undergraduate medical curriculum. The new elective is based on the findings from that work.
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