Over the summer, students from the MSc in Applied Digital Health took part in the AI-Ethics Schmidt Colloquium at Reuben College, an interdisciplinary event bringing together researchers and students to explore the opportunities and challenges of artificial intelligence.
Jointly organised by Reuben College and the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, the event was supported by Reuben College’s Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning and Values & Society themes, alongside the Schmidt AI Programme and the MSc in Applied Digital Health. Attendees heard talks from Schmidt Fellows and researchers working across AI and ethics, with opportunities for discussion and networking throughout the day.
The colloquium reflected the interdisciplinary nature of the MSc in Applied Digital Health, where technical advances in AI are considered alongside questions of ethics, implementation, policy and real-world impact.
Throughout the MSc, students are encouraged to engage with complex digital health challenges through collaborative, creative and applied learning. One example came after the colloquium, when students worked together to transform ideas explored during the programme into a series of creative projects that showcased their learning.
Working together, students produced a range of creative outputs inspired by concepts explored during the programme. For example, some students wrote and performed a parody of the song ‘Hotel California’, using original lyrics to explain concepts around small language models (SLMs). The project challenged them to translate technical knowledge into an engaging and accessible format, using humour, storytelling and performance to communicate complex ideas. A recording of the parody music video is available to watch online.
Another group reimagined the television programme ‘Love Is Blind’ to explain the strengths and characteristics of different large language model (LLM) architectures. By presenting technical comparisons through a familiar entertainment format, students demonstrated how creativity can make complex AI concepts more engaging and accessible. A recording of the presentation performance is also available to watch online.
The project was developed as part of the programme's ‘AI for Efficient Healthcare Systems’ module led by Associate Professor Lei Clifton and Professor David Clifton, where students are encouraged to explore technical AI concepts through creative formative assignments.
The assignment encouraged students to consolidate their understanding of AI by applying it creatively, while working collaboratively to develop ideas, refine their communication and learn from one another. Whether through music, parody or performance, the projects reflected the creativity, enthusiasm and collaborative spirit that characterised the cohort’s learning experience.
Associate Professor Lei Clifton commented: ‘I was totally blown away by what they produced [as part of the module]...I believe students learn better and engage more when there is a creative element in our teaching. I enjoy learning and teaching creatively myself, not only in research, but also in life. I recently painted watercolour with our students in an art session by our Department, which was thoroughly enjoyable.’
These projects reflect one of the distinctive features of the MSc in Applied Digital Health: combining technical rigour with creative approaches that help students deepen their understanding and communicate complex ideas to diverse audiences. Alongside developing expertise in digital health, students build communication, collaboration and problem-solving skills needed to explain AI concepts in clear, engaging and accessible ways.
Student representative Rahmah Badran shared: ‘The formative assignments throughout the MSc helped us become mini-experts in different topics that we can share with our classmates. This one was especially rewarding because each project responded to a question posed by another group. Writing and refining the lyrics let us revisit those ideas in a creative way, and the video reflects how our different interests and perspectives come together to create something far richer than any of us could have achieved alone.’
Reflecting on the project, Associate Professor Lei Clifton shared, ‘My special thanks to our wonderful students, communications team and ADH faculty. They have made the ADH MSc such a special programme!’
The one-year MSc in Applied Digital Health welcomes students from diverse professional backgrounds, including medicine, public health, computer science, engineering and the social sciences. The programme equips them with the knowledge and practical skills to evaluate, develop and implement digital health technologies that improve health outcomes in real-world settings.
Teaching spans artificial intelligence, implementation science, behavioural science, health economics and user-centred design. Through lectures, seminars, workshops and real-world case studies, students develop the interdisciplinary perspective needed to become future leaders in digital health.