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Ethics in AI

Who We Are

A self-assembled group of voluntary participants interested in AI-related research, clinical applications, policies, initiatives, and issues at UT Southwestern Medical Center. 

  • Darlene King, M.D.
    Assistant Professor, Psychiatry
    Co-Chair, Ethics in AI Interest Group

  • Prapti Mody, Ph.D.
    Director of Graduate Education Initiatives, Graduate School
    Co-founder & Co-Chair, Ethics in AI Interest Group

  • Elizabeth Heitman, Ph.D.
    Professor, Program in Ethics
    Co-founder & Core committee, Ethics in AI Interest Group

  • Robert Toto, M.D.
    Associate Dean. Translational Science
    Co-founder & Core committee, Ethics in AI Interest Group

  • Sarah Rebstock, M.D., Ph.D.
    Associate Professor, Anesthesiology and Pain Management
    Core committee, Ethics in AI Interest Group

  • Lauren Sankary, M.A., J.D.
    Clinical Ethicist, Clements University Hospital
    Associate Professor, Neurological Surgery
    Core committee, Ethics in AI Interest Group

  • Drew Alexander, M.D.
    Assistant Dean, Community Affairs UTSW Medical School
    Core committee, Ethics in AI Interest Group

Goals

  • Create resources and curate events to bridge gaps in the realm of ethics in AI at UTSW.
  • Be a resource for UTSW leadership to assist with ethical AI efforts as needed.

What We Do

  • Facilitate open-ended discussions about the ethics of AI design, inherent biases, and downstream effects at UTSW and from UTSW to stakeholders like patients or employees. 
  • Facilitate knowledge dissemination from institutional governance, leadership, and regulatory entities to UTSW employees, students, trainees, clinicians, and researchers. 
  • Facilitate programmatic inclusion of ethics in AI in graduate and medical education.
  • Host periodic events to educate UTSW personnel about AI and its ethical implications in different contexts.

EVENTS

2027

AI Spotlight Series!

Our Group is back to host a series of 4 virtual spotlights in 2027, one each in March, June, September, and December (exact dates TBD).

Core idea: Each spotlight will feature a short presentation followed by a moderated interactive live discussion (30 minutes each segment). Presenters will describe an internal AI use case, followed by moderated discussion of responsible use, ethical issues, barriers, governance, and practical needs.

Do you and your team work on an AI application? Have you developed one in-house? Would you like to showcase it and get some peer feedback about it? We are now accepting applications to present from the UTSW community. Click the button below to apply and submit your idea that deserves a spotlight!

Ethical use of AI in Scientific Writing Nanocourse

This nanocourse is designed to help researchers make informed decisions about using AI while preparing scientific manuscripts and other scholarly work. Through brief introductions to AI and journal publication standards, hands-on exploration of AI tools in class, and discussion of realistic case studies, participants will examine how AI should be responsibly used, when AI assistance should be disclosed, how AI-generated claims and citations must be verified, and why human authors remain accountable for the final work. The course emphasizes confidentiality when using unpublished data and will highlight practical ways to preserve transparency and research integrity. Participants are required to have a scientific manuscript or grant proposal in progress and must be willing to bring it to class. 

Dates: March 11 & 12, 2027
Time: 1 to 5 PM both days
Location: G9.250A (UTSW South campus)

Registration link will be available from November 15 to December 31, 2026, on the 2027 nanocourses webpage.

2026

Ethics in AI for Scientific Writing Nanocourse

This nanocourse was designed for participants were interested in improving their knowledge and understanding of AI basics and current ethical best practices for AI. At the end of this course, participants were able to identify ethical quandaries and leave with a best practices outlook for responsible AI design, launch, and use. 

2025

Ethics in AI symposium

Date: October 8, 2025

Total attendees: 130, total registrants: 248

Schedule of talks:

TIME EVENT SPEAKERS/ MODERATORS
9 a.m. Transformative potential of AI and associated risks Eric Peterson
  Defining AI Darlene King
  Ethical Contexts Elizabeth Heitman
9:25 a.m. Panel discussion: Current AI landscape and ethical quandaries via a case study

David Markus
Kaylee Suarez
John Sadler
10:20 a.m. Panel wrap-up and key takeaways Lauren Sankary
10:30 a.m. Ethical considerations with UTSW Enterprise tools Brian Evans
Tammye Garrett
10:45 a.m. Ethical implications for AI and data Hari Vennelakanti
Sourav Patnaik
11 a.m. Ethical ramifications of AI-generated imagery and communications Will Bryant
Alex Lyda
11:25 a.m. Ethical context for AI tools in clinical research Michael Dohopolski
Kristen Matlock
11:40 a.m. Ethical considerations of AI in medical education Andrew Jamieson
11:55 a.m. AI tools and research misconduct Sarah Comerford
12:30 p.m. Open discussion: guiding principles for applications of AI within Health Systems Darlene King
Prapti Mody

You can register and take this as a continuing education course here. All modules from the symposium were recorded and converted to online learning via the UTSW Office of Continuing Education.
Special thanks to one of our presenters, Will Bryant, who edited the video recordings!

History

  • In 2023, the following members met for the first time to discuss the topic and exchange their views: Robert Toto, M.D., Gaudenz Danuser, Ph.D., Elizabeth Heitman, Ph.D., Thomas Dalton, Ph.D., Daniel Scott, M.D., Satwik Rajaram, Ph.D., and  Prapti Mody, Ph.D.
  • In May 2024, these core members invited other interested parties and hosted a discussion forum on ethics in AI. 
  • The group reconvened in August with a smaller attendance and brainstormed meeting frequency, discussion topics, and logistics.
  • Dr. Darlene King took over leadership for this group in 2025 along with Dr. Prapti Mody.
    In February 2025, we discussed UTSW’s AI oversight committee & AI Taskforce groups. We also heard from Dr. Andrew Jamieson & Dr. Elizabeth Heitman about their experiences of reviewing research proposals involving AI as members of the IRB (Institutional Review Board). A core committee was formed.
  • October 2025: the group organized and hosted a highly successful virtual symposium that has been converted to a continuing education online learning course for 3 credits (details above).
  • February 2026: nanocourse on Ethics in AI for Scientific Writing

Latest update: Core committee meets once a month to plan and organize more Ethics in AI events for the UTSW community. 

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