From Inbox to OR: Generative AI and the Modern Academic Surgeon
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Published on: April 5, 2024
Krishna Unadkat1, Shelley S Noland2
1Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine, Phoenix, Arizona.
Objective:
Academic surgeons are increasingly expected to balance clinical care with teaching, mentorship, scholarship, documentation, and a growing number of administrative responsibilities. While these demands are central to academic medicine, they also create administrative and cognitive burdens that compete for time, attention, and patient connection.
Design:
This viewpoint examines emerging applications in surgical education, research, documentation, administrative workflow, and communication.
Setting:
Academic surgery.
Participants:
Academic surgeons.
Results:
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools have rapidly entered academic surgery, yet discussions often focus on replacement rather than practical integration. The greatest near-term value of AI may lie not in replacing surgical expertise, but in supporting the cognitive and workflow demands surrounding modern academic practice. It also highlights important considerations including hallucinations, bias, privacy, and the need for human oversight.
Conclusions:
Thoughtful implementation of generative AI may help reduce administrative burden and allow surgeons to redirect attention toward the human aspects of surgery, including teaching, mentorship, scholarship, and patient care.