By Connor Lālea Hampton, March 3, 2026
Student Health Services at Cal Poly Pomona will not use Artificial Intelligence to care for patients but will use it in limited administrative contexts.
“Currently, Student Health Services does not use AI software for any clinical functions, including documentation during patient visits, and we do not have plans to implement it for clinical care,” said Kevin Malone, associate director for Student Health Services, in an email to The Poly Post. “Due to HIPAA requirements and IT security standards, we do not use AI tools in any capacity that involves protected health information.”
There are no current plans to add AI tools to this workflow, according to Malone. It will be used for drafting policies and operating procedures. It is not used in direct patient care, medical decision-making or clinical documentation.
Surrounding California universities like the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of Southern California have adopted AI as a tool for health care. This includes universities in the California State University system, such as the University of California, Irvine.
“I think (CPP) should use (AI), especially if the other big UCs and private schools are using it, and it seems to be helpful for them,” said chemical engineering student Sia Bhardwaj.
Approximately 65% of hospitals in the U.S. reported using AI software, according to a study published in Health Affairs. Hospitals with more resources were more likely to report using AI while evaluating AI for bias.
ChatGPT Edu has been available to students, faculty and staff at CPP for free ever since the California State University system paid $17 million to OpenAI. Although used in health care, students have raised some concerns.
“I do feel like AI is a tool that is just widely spreading everywhere right now, and it’s either get with it or get behind,” said Sonya Tarnovsky, a civil engineering student.
Tarnovsky said she feels like using AI as a tool in health can be a time saver but understands the concerns because humans are still learning how to use it.
AI shouldn’t be heavily relied on, according to Tarnovsky, although it could be a helpful tool for speed. Tarnovsky said her biggest concern would be if the university were to start using AI to make decisions.
“I’m kind of happy to hear that we’re not using it to make student health decisions,” Tarnovsky said. “Especially if there are students that go to the health services here on campus because they either can’t afford to go to other options or it’s just inconvenient for them.”
The Student Health Center serves more than 12,000 visits per year, according to CPP news. Typically, these visits include X-rays, minor surgical procedures, STI or STD testing and vaccines.
Bhardwaj said she feels there’s more AI being accepted or used by companies than someone might realize. While privacy is a concern, she said the doctors at Student Health Services should do what they think is best to treat students. If the university were to feel using AI would give students the best outcome, then she would stand by that decision.
“At the end of the day, if it’s better for us efficiency wise and accessibility wise, I think we should definitely integrate it, but if we can go without it, then that’s fine too,” Bhardwaj said.
According to Malone, the second-greatest mission of the Student Health Center, after serving the health needs of the student body, is to teach students to be advocates for their personal health.
“As a campus, I feel it’s important to push the notion we care about our environments, we care about our students, and implementing AI too heavily kind of contradicts that,” Tarnovsky said.
Feature image courtesy of Connor Lālea Hampton
