Programme aim
The aim of this programme is to equip healthcare professionals with AI literacy to enhance decisionmaking, develop essential skills, ensure ethical and responsible use, and align AI applications with policy and public health practices for improved patient and population outcome.
Check out the online brochure of the 12-week course here starting on 14 January 2026.
Join the Pilot
The programme will be piloted first and during this phase, the programme will be offered free of charge to a limited number of approximatly 40 participants. To ensure that the programme is tested across a diverse range of roles, settings, and countries, we kindly ask individuals interested in taking the pilot programme and the evaluation to complete a short survey by 1 January 2026. The information gathered will help us to select a representative group for the pilot and provide an opportunity to refine the programme, prior to wider rollout. Respondents will be informed by email if they are selected to participate in the pilot programme around the 7 January 2026.
Learning outcomes
On successful completion of this programme, participants will be able to:
- Understand the fundamentals of AI and its relevance to healthcare and public health.
- Identify and evaluate the potential applications and limitations of AI in clinical and public health contexts.
- Develop an awareness of the ethical, legal, and regulatory implications of AI in healthcare.
- Acquire skills to assess and critically appraise AIbased tools and technologies.
- The potential role of AI in the spread of mis/disinformation.
Programme structure
The programme is delivered over 12-weeks, with weekly live online sessions on Wednesday evenings 19:00 – 21:00 GMT (20:00 – 22:00 CET/GMT+1) commencing on 14 January 2026. A variety of discipline specific experts from academia and clinical settings will deliver the session.
Why is this course important?
- Enhanced Decision-Making: AI empowers healthcare providers with insights derived from large datasets, enabling more accurate diagnoses, personalized treatments, and efficient use of resources.
- Appropriate Skills: As healthcare systems increasingly adopt AI technologies, professionals equipped with AI literacy will be better positioned to lead and adapt to these innovations.
- Ethical and Responsible Use: By understanding AI’s potential and limitations, attendees can ensure its ethical deployment, safeguarding patient privacy and promoting equitable healthcare outcomes.
- Policy and Practice Alignment: Public health practitioners can leverage AI for informed policy-making, enhanced surveillance, and targeted interventions.
The team
Programme lead: Prof. Mary Rose Sweeney, Ph.D., BSc, Registered General Nurse, Senior Fellow of Advance HE
Mary Rose is the Executive Vice Dean for Education in the Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, RCSI. Mary Rose has been working in Health Systems/Public Health for over 25 years and is an experienced leader, lecturer, researcher and mentor. She is focused on developing innovative programmes to support leaders in healthcare and nurses, to grow and excel in challenging and changing health landscapes.
Co-Programme lead: Dr. Marcello Di Pumpo, MD, MSc, PhDc
Marcello is a Public Health Medical Doctor and is a Founding Member and Secretary for the Italian Society for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine (SIIAM). He has a Master’s degree in Machine Learning and Big Data for Precision Medicine and Biomedical Research. Marcello is currently pursuing a PhD in Basic Biomedical Science and Public Health. He is involved in the strategic implementation of Artificial Intelligence at various levels of the Italian Healthcare system.
Programme coordinator: Dr. Shuhua Yang, Ph.D., MSc., BSc
Shuhua is a postdoctoral researcher in the Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, RCSI. She holds a PhD in human nutrition. She has been involved in multiple research projects in healthy eating, dietary intake assessment, community health development, etc. Her work currently focuses on public health improvement, with a particular interest in supporting and developing educational programmes to equip healthcare professionals with the knowledge and skills needed for emerging challenges in healthcare practice.