Leading the Transformation: USU Faculty and Students Chart the Path for AI in Military Medicine

USU faculty and the School of Medicine Class of 2027 co-authored a roadmap for military medical education in an era of rapid digital transformation.

USU researchers and students are developing a roadmap to integrate artificial intelligence into military

medical education, ensuring future clinicians can effectively partner with AI-enabled tools in complex

operational environments. (U.S. Air Force graphic / Gregory Gerken. Air Force Research Laboratory)

February 6, 2026 by Hadiyah Brendel

As the speed of medical discovery continues to accelerate—with global medical knowledge now doubling every few months—the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) is ensuring its graduates are not just keeping pace, but leading.

A recent article in Military Medicine, titled "Transforming Military Healthcare Education and Training: AI Integration for Future Readiness," provides a definitive roadmap for this evolution. Led by Air Force Lt. Col. (Dr.) Justin Peacock, associate dean for Research, and Dr. Rebekah Cole, acting assistant dean for Academic Success, both in USU’s School of Medicine, the article provides a collaborative review of how to strategically integrate artificial intelligence (AI) literacy into the core of military medical education.

USU co-authors joining Peacock and Cole include Air Force Lt. Col. (Dr.) Joshua Duncan, Department of Preventive Medicine and Biostatistics, Dr. Anita Samuel, Department of Health Professions Education, and Class of 2027 School of Medicine students Air Force 2nd Lt. Brandon Jensen, and Army 2nd Lt. Brad Snively. Peacock also serves as faculty in the Department of Radiology, and Cole in the Departments of Military and Emergency Medicine and Health Professions Education.

Preparing for the AI-Driven Battlefield

The publication arrives at a pivotal time for the Military Health System (MHS). USU leaders anticipate future conflicts are expected to take place in increasingly complex, far-forward operational environments where AI-enabled tools will be essential for casualty care and decision support.

“The goal isn’t to make physicians AI experts,” the authors state, “but to train them to effectively use AI’s capabilities to improve patient care, diagnosis, and operational medicine.”

Cole emphasizes that the strategy requires a multi-layered approach. “This paper lays out a practical roadmap for how medical education can evolve—beginning with faculty development, expanding through student engagement, and strengthened by partnerships with industry—to responsibly integrate AI throughout the curriculum,” Cole says. “This approach supports competency-based medical education and ensures our students are prepared for the realities of modern healthcare delivery.” 

This approach aligns with USU’s broader mission to produce "future-ready" clinicians. The roadmap addresses the integration of AI from the first year of medical school through graduate medical education, focusing on ethical use, technical literacy, and practical application at the point of care.

The "Student-Centered" Revolution

What sets this transformation apart is the active role of USU students in shaping the curriculum. Jensen and Snively’s involvement underscores a university-wide shift toward co-creating educational tools that meet the needs of the next generation of military clinicians.

For Jensen, AI is already a daily reality in the classroom and the clinic. “I use AI every single day,” Jensen says. “It can make complex topics significantly easier to understand and frame difficult concepts in ways that are easier to remember. I also use AI to generate practice questions and flashcards, which has made my studying more efficient and personalized.”

Jensen’s experience extends beyond the library. During an internal medicine rotation, he used AI to broaden his clinical reasoning—an approach that helped identify an important diagnosis that might have otherwise been overlooked.

While Jensen brings a focus on diagnostic precision, Snively emphasizes the "behind-the-scenes" power of AI—specifically how it acts as a high-speed clinical assistant that handles the heavy lifting of data organization, allowing medical students and residents to focus more on the patient.

Snively highlighted AI's value in generating summary tables from complex data, crucial for quickly processing patient history during clerkships. AI also serves as a rapid clinical reference, instantly bridging knowledge gaps on the hospital floor. He argues that delegating "cognitive busywork" to AI allows clinicians to focus on communication and clinical judgment, promoting a "Human-Centered" shift. Snively advises peers to proactively seek research opportunities and mentorship, citing the Radiology Interest Group as an example.

A Roadmap for Tomorrow’s Clinicians

The MilMed article identifies several "force multipliers" that AI brings to the MHS:

• Reduced Cognitive Burden: Automating administrative tasks allows providers to focus on "high-touch" patient care.
• Operational Readiness: Training clinicians to use AI in austere environments ensures a high standard of care even when separated from traditional medical infrastructure.
• Personalized Learning: Tools allow students to tailor their education to their specific needs, creating a more versatile medical force.

The Path Ahead

The authors acknowledge barriers, specifically the "black box" nature of complex algorithms. This term describes systems that provide answers without revealing the underlying logic or evidence used to reach those decisions. This lack of transparency requires clinicians to maintain high AI literacy, verifying the AI’s output against established medical standards and maintaining a “human-in-the loop” approach.  

Despite these hurdles, the consensus is clear: integration is inevitable. Snively envisions a trusted, AI-enabled ecosystem to solve the problem of misinformation.

"One of the primary concerns with AI is its tendency to 'hallucinate' or present incorrect information as fact,” Snively says. “However, if we can combine the processing power of AI with the verified data in medical journals, it becomes a powerful tool to help clinicians quickly identify the things they might have missed."