Students with varied academic backgrounds and experience are invited to apply to the AIBHS program. Individuals with foundational knowledge in biology or medicine, such as biology graduates or medical students, along with those skilled in computational fields like computer science, statistics or engineering, are well-positioned to excel.

The curriculum features 30 credit hours, including core and experiential learning courses, as well as electives. Some of the areas students will explore include fundamentals of AI and medicine, biostatistics, AI ethics and alignment, and clinical design and medical image analysis using AI. Students must also complete an oral exam, submit a passing capstone project or successfully defend a master’s thesis.

Program participants will learn the skills needed to successfully enter the workforce in several growing fields and industries. Upon graduation, they will be qualified for jobs as database architects, data scientists, technical writers, research scientists, health information technologists and more.

“All of these positions are growing very quickly in Florida, and they have higher-than-average salary ranges,” said Elizabeth Palmer, Ph.D., the assistant director for educational and training programs at the UF College of Medicine Office of Research. “This will be good for our workforce, because we’re positioning our graduates for success, which will have downstream beneficial effects to the statewide economy.”

The job outlook for positions in AI and biomedical sciences includes a mean annual salary of over $95,000 in Florida, with 7-35% faster-than-average projected national job growth, according to the most recent data available from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The AIBHS program can also serve as a foundational tool for medical professionals to better understand and incorporate data science into clinical practice.

In Jacksonville, a bustling city of more than 1 million residents on Florida’s First Coast, program organizers are working on collaborations with health and biotech companies in the area, ranging from medical imaging to wearable devices, electronic health records, health care management and more. By learning and making connections in both Gainesville and Jacksonville, program participants will have access to a vast bank of resources at UF’s established campus and bustling biotech startup industry, as well as the expanding urban setting of Jacksonville and extensive opportunities for industry collaboration.

“We’re building this rapport and also trying to understand where these companies see their industries going in the next five to 10 years so we can build a curriculum that is answering that call,” said Trey Womack, the associate director of research, education programs and industry engagement at the UF College of Medicine Office of Research.

The real advantage of UF’s AI in biomedical and health sciences program, Womack said, is that rather than solving hypothetical problems, the focus will be on making a tangible impact on the health industry.

“Graduates will be able to take what they are learning in the classroom and apply it to solve real-world problems,” he said. “UF has a long history of being an institution that’s all about innovation, so it’s a natural fit that we’re on the forefront of establishing one of the first programs of its kind.”