Geisel Launches Inaugural AI Club to Explore Emerging Technologies in Healthcare
Students across programs at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth gathered on February 25th for the inaugural meeting of the new AI Club, an interdisciplinary student organization focused on exploring the role of artificial intelligence in healthcare, research, and data science.
Held from 5:30–6:30 p.m. in Kellogg Hall, the first meeting drew more than 20 students representing a range of programs including the MS, MPH, MD, and PhD programs. The event marked the official launch of the club and provided an opportunity for students to discuss future activities, collaborations, and educational opportunities centered on artificial intelligence.
To kick off, members participated in a club logo contest and used the generative AI model of their choice to design a logo for the organization. The winning design received a prize and the activity sparked conversation about creative uses of AI tools while setting the tone for the club’s collaborative and hands-on approach.
The club grew out of an AI Reading Group initiated by faculty in the Department of Biomedical Data Science during the fall quarter. The reading group focused on reviewing current literature on the use of artificial intelligence in health data science. As interest grew, students began discussing how the initiative could expand into a broader club that would welcome participants from across Geisel’s academic programs.
At the same time, a group of MD students had been exploring the idea of launching a similar organization with faculty member Thomas Thesen, PhD. The two efforts ultimately merged to form the new AI Club, creating a single interdisciplinary space for students interested in artificial intelligence and healthcare innovation.
“There has been a lot of conversation between students and faculty about the use of AI on our assignments, and after attending the first AI Reading Group meeting, we realized that there was a real interest in additional training around the use of AI in data science and coding,” said Isabelle Kressy, MS in Health Data Science class of 2026. “This is especially important as we center around healthcare and research, where privacy and accuracy must be prioritized. One of our main motivations for starting this club was to learn how we can ethically use AI in our careers and stay up to date on the newest advancements. This would give us and our fellow students the necessary skillset to excel in the current data science and health technology industry.”
The club aims to educate members about current AI trends and best practices, provide practical experience through workshops and seminars, and create opportunities for students to learn from professionals working at the intersection of artificial intelligence and healthcare.
“I joined the club as a board member to help create a space where students would learn how to use current tech stacks with AI and large language models to complement and streamline their work,” said Gauri Bhandarwar, MS in Health Data Science class of 2026. “I also wanted the club to be a space where we discuss new techniques and methods in this rapidly evolving landscape.”
The inaugural meeting included brainstorming about future programming, including potential guest speakers, hands-on workshops led by students and faculty, and opportunities to connect with researchers across Geisel who are incorporating AI into their work.
“I was particularly interested in joining the club as a board member because I kept having fascinating conversations with my peers and faculty about how we each use AI in our daily lives, whether that be in class, for projects outside of class, resume editing, and more,” said Evelyn Page, MS in Epidemiology class of 2026. “On top of daily use, there has been so much conversation and brainstorming about how we can leverage AI in healthcare, data science, and epidemiology. Overall, I wanted to join the AI club to continue to hear these discussions and hear unique perspectives on how different disciplines use AI in their daily work and future directions for AI use.”
By bringing together students from multiple disciplines, organizers hope the club will foster collaboration and help prepare future health professionals to thoughtfully integrate artificial intelligence into research and clinical practice.
Written by: Mia Soucy
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