The Mount Sinai Health System has announced that all medical and graduate students, along with faculty and staff at its Icahn School of Medicine, will gain access to OpenAI’s ChatGPT Edu, a private and secure educational platform.

Importance of the Initiative

The ChatGPT Edu platform is designed to enhance evidence-based practices and provide expert guidance for patient-centered care. It is not intended to replace medical care or make clinical decisions.

This initiative aims to help medical students and researchers develop their AI judgment and skills.

Implementation Plan

Initially, access will be granted to medical students and those in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. Over time, the program will expand to include various cohorts.

Paul Lawrence, the dean for scholarly and research technologies at the Icahn School, stated, “In the next several months, we will focus on evaluating the student experience and how the tool supports curricular success.”

Compliance and Ethical Use

According to Mount Sinai, OpenAI’s education platform includes built-in safeguards to ensure compliance with regulations.

Leah Belsky, OpenAI’s vice president and general manager of education, emphasized the necessity for students to learn how to use AI effectively in an increasingly AI-driven workforce, particularly in medical education.

Faculty members will also explore the platform’s potential for curriculum development and scholarly work.

Dr. David Thomas, dean for medical education at the Icahn School, highlighted the importance of developing ethical foundations for future healthcare professionals as AI becomes more integrated into medicine.

Broader Context

Mount Sinai has previously established a Center for AI and Human Health to promote collaboration in AI development for healthcare delivery. Additionally, they launched a center focused on AI-enabled pediatrics.

Other health systems, like OSF Healthcare, are also training their staff to be AI-ready, providing mandatory education for all employees to enhance healthcare delivery.

Official Statements

Dr. Thomas stated, “With robust safeguards in place—including full HIPAA compliance—our deployment of ChatGPT Edu allows students to engage critically with generative AI.”

Dr. Dennis Charney, president for Academic Affairs at Mount Sinai, added, “Students aren’t using AI to make medical decisions, but to sharpen their thinking and become more confident, critical thinkers.”

This initiative aims to enhance learning while maintaining the essential human relationships at the core of medicine.

Andrea Fox is the senior editor of Healthcare IT News.
Email: afox@himss.org
Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS Media publication.