Patient Partner Panel

The Patient Partner Panel is a group of 10 patient volunteers who joined a co-learning community in fall 2024. These dedicated volunteers were recruited from Stanford Health Care’s Patient and Family Partnership Program. The group brings together diverse perspectives in terms of health conditions, disability status, race/ethnicity, age, professional background, and experience as a caregiver or patient. Some have had long careers in computer science, while others are learning about AI for the first time and bringing other valuable experiences to the table.

The Patient Partner Panel received in-person training in AI fundamentals and is offered ongoing opportunities to supplement their learning by participating in events focused on AI at Stanford. They also participate in 4-person focus groups every couple of months to assess a specific AI use case. They are compensated for their time.

To begin a use case assessment, the ethics team provides focus group members with a plain-English explainer of the AI tool, including what is known about the function of the tool, why its proposers think it will be valuable, what is known about its performance, and how it might affect patients’ and hospital staff members’ experience. With the help of a HEAL-AI moderator, patients then think aloud together on a Zoom focus group call about potential ethical issues that could arise and their preferences for resolving them. After the ethics team drafts its report, all Patient Partner Panel members have the opportunity to review it and suggest revisions