Advancing Osteopathic Medical Research With AI Tools
March 17, 2025
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.
Scopus AI: Transforming the Research Process
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.”
Shaping Tomorrow: Osteopathic Research in the Age of AI
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.”
“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.
About Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
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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