PHHP launches undergraduate artificial intelligence certificate

The certificate will help undergraduate students apply knowledge in artificial intelligence to future careers.

By Jill Pease

A new nine-credit certificate offered by the University of Florida College of Public Health and Health Professions will help undergraduate students apply knowledge in artificial intelligence to future careers in public health and health sciences.

The certificate is part of a university-wide initiative to provide opportunities for all undergraduate students to learn about AI and how it impacts their fields of study. PHHP’s Certificate in Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare and Public Health teaches students to evaluate AI applications in health contexts, appraise the ethical use of AI technologies in health decisions, explore the advantages of AI in addressing health outcomes and learn the foundations of information visualization.

The college expects the first cohort of students to complete the certificate in spring 2023.

AI is already prevalent in health care and population health and it is important that students be prepared to use AI technology effectively in their future careers, whether that is making treatment decisions for a patient or predicting the next pandemic, said George Hack, Ph.D., the college’s associate dean for educational affairs.

“Our students will need to understand how these tools work, where there are ethical concerns in their use, and understand how these tools generate findings and predictions,” Hack said. “That way they can assess what AI data is valuable for them to use as evidence in their decision-making, whether that be for the health of the patient or interventions in a population.”