As AI-powered tools become more integrated into academic institutions, librarians play an essential role in supporting students and faculty through this evolving landscape. At PCOM, Heidi Nance, MLIS, director for resources management and the PA library, has been guiding researchers as they explore these innovations—particularly through Scopus AI, a powerful tool designed to streamline research and surface meaningful connections between topics.
PCOM’s AI Governance Council, chaired by professor and chief library services officer Hsin-liang (Oliver) Chen, PhD, brings together voices from across the College to guide best practices for responsible usage of AI. The library team plays a central role in this work, curating resources, developing guidelines and ensuring that AI tools like Scopus AI both enhance learning and support ethical research.
More than just a search engine, Scopus AI is a sophisticated research assistant that synthesizes verified information, providing structured summaries, key references and contextual connections between topics.
“Scopus AI is a tool where you can log in, ask a question, and get a synthesized report–bulleted summaries, links to references and primary sources,” Nance said. “It’s trained on reliable, vetted research data, so it doesn’t generate information out of thin air—it distills and organizes what’s already available.”
For medical students, researchers and other healthcare professionals, this means they can spend less time sifting through vast amounts of literature and more time engaging with the most relevant, high-quality sources.
“As a synthesis and starting point, this tool is tremendous,” said Nance. “It helps researchers formulate questions, make connections and jumpstart their work.”
One of the most powerful aspects of AI in research is its ability to reveal unexpected connections between topics, allowing students and faculty to think beyond their initial queries.
“AI helps you think about adjacent questions,” Nance said. “When I asked about the persistence of fetal cells, it led me to maternal protective behaviors, which then connected to paternal protective behaviors. Medicine begins to intertwine with psychology, behavior and family dynamics, all because AI helps synthesize and surface connections we might not have the time to explore manually.”
Rather than replacing critical thinking, AI tools like Scopus AI act as a catalyst for deeper inquiry.
“It’s not doing the work for you; it’s helping you get to the deeper questions you might have arrived at if you had more capacity,” Nance said. “It allows researchers to start further ahead in the process rather than beginning with tedious, manual searches.”
As AI continues to evolve, its role in medical education and research will grow—but so will the need for critical engagement with these tools.
“AI is an incredibly useful tool, but it’s just that—a tool,” Nance emphasized. “The fear of AI often stems from generative AI, where the accuracy of synthesis depends on many factors. That’s why critical thinking and verification still matter.”
Looking ahead, AI-powered tools won’t replace librarians, educators or researchers—but they will enhance efficiency, discovery and accessibility in ways that weren’t possible before.
“AI will allow us to do more. It automates certain tasks, which means we can focus on higher-level research, curation and deeper inquiry,” Nance said.
For students and faculty in osteopathic medicine, this means embracing AI as a supplement, not a substitute for rigorous research. With tools like Scopus AI, future physicians and researchers can work smarter—using AI to enhance their learning, deepen their inquiries and expand the horizons of medical discovery.
Established in 1899, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) has trained thousands of highly competent, caring physicians, health practitioners and behavioral scientists who practice a “whole person” approach to care—treating people, not just symptoms. PCOM, a private, not-for-profit accredited institution of higher education, operates three campuses (PCOM, PCOM Georgia and PCOM South Georgia) and offers doctoral degrees in clinical psychology, educational psychology, osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, physical therapy, and school psychology. The college also offers graduate degrees in applied behavior analysis, applied positive psychology, biomedical sciences, forensic medicine, medical laboratory science, mental health counseling, physician assistant studies, and school psychology. PCOM students learn the importance of health promotion, research, education and service to the community. Through its community-based Healthcare Centers, PCOM provides care to medically underserved populations. For more information, visit pcom.edu or call 215-871-6100.
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