Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming healthcare systems, communications, education, social services, and public health infrastructure. Yet, many public health professionals have received little training on how to ethically evaluate, responsibly use, or critically respond to AI tools that increasingly shape community health outcomes, public trust, and access to information. As AI becomes more integrated into public-facing systems, public health professionals need practical skills to navigate emerging ethical challenges while maintaining equity-centered, trauma-informed practices.
This interactive skill-building session introduces participants to a practical framework for trauma-informed AI ethics in public health practice. The training will explore real-world applications of AI in communications, program development, data analysis, healthcare access, education, and community engagement. Participants will examine key ethical concerns including algorithmic bias, misinformation, digital inequities, privacy concerns, accessibility barriers, and the disproportionate impacts AI systems can have on strategically undervalued communities.
The session emphasizes practical application rather than technical expertise. Participants will learn to critically assess AI-generated information, identify harms and biases, apply equity-centered decision-making frameworks, and develop safer communication practices when using AI tools in public health settings. The training will also provide guidance for strengthening public trust and maintaining human-centered approaches in increasingly digital environments.
Beyond understanding the ethical implications of AI, participants will be guided through a structured process to develop their own AI ethics framework. Through reflection and facilitated exercises, attendees will identify their values, define boundaries around AI use, establish criteria for when AI should and should not be used, and begin drafting ethical guidelines that can inform organizational policies and decision-making. Participants will leave with greater confidence in evaluating AI tools and a foundation for responsible AI governance within their workplaces and communities.
Instructional methodologies will include interactive discussion, case-study analysis, guided reflection, scenario-based learning, and individual framework development. Participants will engage with public health scenarios involving AI-generated messaging, ethical dilemmas, and community trust challenges.
Skill development will be measured through participant engagement in scenario analysis, application of ethical evaluation frameworks during group activities, and completion of a personalized AI ethics framework that demonstrates their ability to identify risks, apply trauma-informed principles, articulate values-based boundaries, and propose ethical public health responses. Participants will leave with practical tools, discussion frameworks, and a customizable ethics guide they can immediately apply within their organizations and communities.
This session supports best practices in public health by centering health equity, cultural humility, accessibility, ethical communication, and community trust. It aligns with Colorado’s Foundational Public Health Capabilities, including Health Equity and the Social Determinants of Health, Organizational Competencies, Communications, and Policy Development & Support. The training is especially relevant as public health professionals increasingly encounter AI technologies without sufficient ethical guidance, policy frameworks, or workforce preparation.
By fostering interdisciplinary dialogue and collaborative learning around emerging technologies, this session directly supports the conference theme, Stronger Together: Public Health in the Heart of the Rockies. It encourages participants to collectively build responsible, equitable, and community-centered approaches to AI that strengthen public health systems while protecting human dignity, trust, and accountability.
