The University of Texas at Arlington is set to host the fifth annual Texas Health Informatics Alliance Conference, an event rapidly gaining prominence as a cornerstone for professionals and researchers at the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and health care. This year, the conference convenes under the thematic banner “ALL IN: Practice of Trustworthy and Responsible AI Operations in Health Care,” underscoring the pressing need for ethical stewardship and patient-centered innovation as AI technologies become increasingly integral to medical practice.
Scheduled for Friday, September 26, in the Bluebonnet Ballroom of the University Center, the conference aims to foster a robust dialogue on incorporating AI systems responsibly within the complexities of modern health care infrastructure. This emphasis on ethics and trustworthiness reflects a growing recognition across academia and industry that AI deployment in health care is not solely a technical challenge but also an ethical imperative requiring multilayered scrutiny and multidisciplinary collaboration.
The opening keynote is delivered by Wendy Chapman, associate dean for Health Informatics and chief learning health officer at UT Southwestern Medical Center. Her presentation, “Practice of Trustworthy and Responsible AI Operations in Health Care,” promises to address foundational principles essential for developing AI algorithms that prioritize transparency, accountability, and patient safety. Chapman’s expertise highlights how the integration of AI must be aligned with rigorous governance frameworks to prevent the amplification of biases and ensure equitable clinical outcomes.
Complementing the keynote is a presentation by Nora Cox, CEO of Texas e-Health Alliance, who will illuminate the legislative landscape shaping AI adoption following the 2025 session. Her talk, “AI and Informatics Legislation—Outcomes from the 2025 Session,” will delve into how evolving policy frameworks impact data privacy, interoperability standards, and the regulatory oversight of AI tools within health informatics ecosystems. This legislative insight provides crucial context for practitioners navigating the rapidly shifting legal terrain affecting AI innovation.
In a further exploration of the ethical dimensions, a panel on “Ethical Cybersecurity” will convene experts including Syed AbuMusab, assistant professor of philosophy at UTA. This dialogue will unpack the intersection of cybersecurity challenges and ethical considerations in protecting sensitive health data against breaches, misinformation, and adversarial AI attacks. The discussion emphasizes that safeguarding health information is not merely a technical problem but one requiring philosophical reflection on privacy rights and trust in digital health services.
The afternoon session continues with a keynote by Lisa Bazis, chief information security officer at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, who brings a security-centric perspective with “Best Practices for AI Security.” Her address is expected to cover advanced methodologies for safeguarding AI models from vulnerabilities such as data poisoning, model inversion, and adversarial perturbations, which could potentially compromise diagnostic accuracy or patient confidentiality if not adequately mitigated.
Concluding the event is the panel discussion “What’s Next for AI in Health Care?” featuring Sharon Blackerby, clinical assistant professor of nursing at UTA. This forward-looking conversation is poised to explore emerging trends such as federated learning for decentralized AI model training, real-time AI decision support systems in clinical workflows, and expanding the workforce’s AI literacy to optimize human-AI collaboration in patient care.
The conference’s collaborative spirit is strengthened by its co-sponsors, including the UT Health Science Center at Houston, Texas State University, Texas Woman’s University, UT Southwestern, and the University of North Texas. Such a coalition reflects the interdisciplinary nature of health informatics, bridging computer science, engineering, medicine, ethics, and law to address the multifaceted challenges presented by AI in health care.
The rise of AI within the health sector presents tremendous potential for transformative advancements such as predictive analytics, personalized medicine, automated imaging diagnostics, and operational efficiencies that can reduce costs while improving care quality. However, the event underscores that these benefits hinge on embedding trustworthiness and responsibility into every stage of AI system development and deployment—from design and validation to real-world implementation and continuous monitoring.
As an R-1 Carnegie classified institution, UT Arlington brings a research-intensive rigor to the conference, which is fitting given its role as a hub within the Texas Health Informatics Alliance and its commitment to fostering innovation in applied artificial intelligence. With over 42,700 students and a significant footprint in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, UTA is uniquely positioned to drive both the academic and practical conversations necessary to shape AI’s future in health care.
Beyond the conference itself, this convening reflects a broader trend within health informatics, where scholarship and practice increasingly align to address urgent societal challenges, including aging populations, rising chronic disease burdens, and disparities in health care access. By focusing on ethical AI operations, the event sets a standard for responsible innovation that other institutions are striving to emulate.
The Texas Health Informatics Alliance Conference is more than a forum for knowledge exchange; it is a catalyst for setting actionable agendas that balance technological possibility with societal responsibility. Through keynote lectures, legislative insights, philosophical debates, and security protocols, attendees will leave equipped with a nuanced appreciation of how AI can be harnessed safely and effectively to transform health care delivery in the coming decade.
For health professionals, computer scientists, policymakers, and ethicists, this conference serves as a vital conduit for fostering interdisciplinary collaboration—an essential ingredient if AI technologies are to fulfill their promise without exacerbating existing inequities or unintended harms. The convergence of diverse expertise at UTA on September 26 offers a glimpse into the future of health care, where technological sophistication must be matched with principled oversight.
Subject of Research: Artificial Intelligence Applications and Ethical Practices in Health Informatics
Article Title: Texas Health Informatics Alliance Conference Explores Trustworthy AI in Health Care
News Publication Date: September 26, 2025
Web References: Information available through the University of Texas at Arlington official communications; Texas Health Informatics Alliance conference webpage.
Keywords: Artificial intelligence, Computer science, Information science, Informatics, Bioinformatics, Health care, Health and medicine
