Southeast’s first graduate degree program focused on AI in medicine launched at UAB – News

UAB now enrolling students in the Master of Science degree in artificial intelligence in medicine.The University of Alabama at Birmingham is now offering a Master of Science degree in artificial intelligence in medicine following recent approval from the University of Alabama System Board of Trustees. The new graduate degree program through the UAB Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine is the first of its kind in the Southeast that is designed to provide a dynamic educational degree experience that equips students with the knowledge and skills required to excel in the evolving intersection of medicine and artificial intelligence.

“This is a unique degree program in the Birmingham medical community that will enable engineers, computer scientists and future clinical practitioners to adopt an integrated approach to improving human health that leverages artificial intelligence,” said Anupam Agarwal, M.D., senior vice president of Medicine and dean of the Heersink School of Medicine. “We are meeting the growing demand for professional education and technical expertise at the graduate level for training in artificial intelligence in medicine. Our goal is to provide graduate-level professionals with AI application skill sets from various backgrounds to adopt an integrated approach to improving human health and patient outcomes.” 

The M.S. degree in AIM, established collaboratively by the Marnix E. Heersink Institute for Biomedical Innovation and the Heersink School of Medicine, is designed to equip graduate students with the specialized technical skills necessary for managing extensive large medical datasets for AI development. This degree program focuses on the development of sophisticated AI-driven applications for medical imaging and signal processing, as well as the creation of large language models to aid in clinical decision-making. The curriculum is structured to provide essential technical training for students who have completed the Graduate Certificate in AI in Medicine.

“As part of graduate dissertation research, students will engage in cutting-edge research at UAB, collaborate with faculty experts and utilize state-of-the-art AI labs across UAB to gain a comprehensive understanding of AI’s practical applications in medicine,” said Sandeep Bodduluri, Ph.D., director of AI in the MHIBI and the M.S. degree in AIM program director. “Our mission is to produce graduates who are prepared for the workforce with graduate-level expertise in AI with specialized knowledge in medical applications.”

The M.S. degree in AIM will focus on comprehensive graduate training in four key areas including foundations, applications, integration and design of AI application through dissertation research. The integrated curriculum is developed in collaboration with the UAB schools of Engineering, Business and Health Professions and the College of Arts and Sciences.

Graduates will serve as critical accelerators in translation and adoption of medical AI technologies. The M.S. degree in AIM program combines academic rigor with real-world applications, offering students a strong foundation in AI while providing opportunities for practical experience in clinical settings.

“At UAB’s Heersink School of Medicine and the Heersink Institute for Biomedical Innovation, we recognize the immense responsibility that preeminent academic institutions have in shaping the future of AI in health care,” said Rubin Pillay, Ph.D., M.D., assistant dean in the Heersink School of Medicine and executive director in the Heersink Institute for Biomedical Innovation. “Our AI programs are committed to training a diverse group of designers and developers to create responsible, ethical solutions. We also empower users to make informed decisions about leveraging AI and ensure that individuals, whose data and care are managed by AI, can ask the right questions. Our suite of programming at MHIBI reflects our mission to democratize AI literacy and make AI accessible and beneficial for all.”

The graduate degree meets the needs of the growing population of health care-related technological companies in Birmingham and the state of Alabama, as well as UAB students who will join the Birmingham and Alabama health care workforce, including physicians and nurses. It will aid UAB students and faculty who plan to launch their own health care ventures and those in other clinically related fields who desire specific knowledge and technical skills in advanced AI techniques.

To apply for the new M.S. degree in AIM program, visit www.uab.edu/apply. For further details on the curriculum and degree objectives, please contact Bodduluri at sbodduluri@uabmc.edu.