Future health care leaders must be equipped to make data-informed, ethical, and emotionally intelligent decisions in environments increasingly influenced by artificial intelligence (AI). A graduate-level health administration and policy course (HAP 621) taught by Associate Professor Renee Geschkein the fall 2025 semester taught students how to become those leaders.

Geschke assigned a new project where students evaluated decisions, engaged with AI tools, and proposed responsible strategies for implementation in health care settings. Students were challenged to analyze a realistic leadership scenario when AI is being implemented within a health care organization.

For the project, students chose or proposed an AI-related leadership scenario relevant to their professional interests. They then experimented with at least two AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, Tableau, Power BI) to analyze how AI impacts leadership communication, emotional intelligence, team engagement, key ethical and organizational considerations (e.g., bias, transparency, accountability, workforce trust), and how leaders can ensure ethical governance. Finally, students suggested actionable leadership strategies for responsible AI implementation in health care.

For example, an AI system flags a patient at high risk for readmission to the hospital. Staff are concerned about data accuracy and potential bias of the AI system. Students, as the hypothetical organizational leader, needed to address these concerns while balancing innovation and ethical oversight.

By the time the project was complete, students were better prepared to enter a rapidly evolving health care field.

"This assignment helped us think beyond everyday use and consider how AI is being integrated into clinical environments" said Jadon Thomas, a health informatics student with a concentration in management, who was enrolled in HAP 621. "Learning how these tools work and understanding how to use them effectively prepares health care workers like myself for a future in health informatics, where connecting clinical needs with technological capabilities will be needed."

Why learn AI now?

As Thomas, an oncology nurse for the DC VA Medical Center, pointed out, AI is moving from a transformative concept to a practical tool integrated into clinical systems.

"Just as the health care field transitioned from paper documentation to electronic medical records, we are now entering a new phase where AI will be integrated into these electronic medical records to improve clinical workflow and reduce burnout," said Thomas.

Geschke was inspired to create this project after observing her students' needs and industry demands. First, she noticed students were already encountering AI tools in informal and unstructured ways, butlacked the skills to use AI to its full potential. In addition, Geschke recognized that ignoring AI would place students at a disadvantage when entering the workforce. Rather than prohibiting AI use, Geschke designed a structured, transparent learning experience that explicitly teaches how and when AI can be used responsibly.

"Health care leaders will routinely interact with AI-enabled systems across operations, quality improvement, workforce management, and patient engagement.Developing AI literacy helps students recognize limitations, bias, and ethical concerns, ask better questions, and lead thoughtful organizational conversations about technology adoption," said Geschke. Her expertise focuses on health systems management, health policy, and curriculum development, with an emphasis on student-centered and experiential learning.

Thomas echoed the sentiment, saying, "Health care organizations are actively developing and adopting AI-driven tools, so gaining this knowledge now is essential for understanding how these technologies will shape our workflows, responsibilities, and expectations in the future."