American College of Healthcare Sciences Launches ACE Initiative: AI for Community Engagement
Portland, OR – November 12, 2024 – American College of Healthcare Sciences (ACHS) is excited to announce the launch of its ACE Initiative, AI for Community Engagement (ACE): Advancing Communication, Teaching, and Learning. This innovative program is designed to leverage AI tools to directly enhance the student experience, foster community engagement through individualized and adaptive outreach, and position ACHS at the forefront of using AI to support integrative health and wellness outcomes and graduate professional pathways.
The ACHS ACE Initiative represents a significant investment in the future of integrative health education, focusing on three core areas:
- Enhancing Student Learning Experiences: Through the integration of AI, ACHS aims to provide personalized learning experiences that cater to the unique needs of each student. AI-driven tools offer real-time feedback, individualized tutoring, adaptive learning pathways, and enhanced accessibility, ensuring that all students can achieve their educational goals effectively and efficiently while informed by ACHS’s mission, vision, and the expertise of our staff and faculty.
- Building Community: The ACE Initiative will foster a stronger sense of community among students, faculty, and alumni. AI-powered platforms can promote communication, collaboration, and networking opportunities, creating an even more vibrant and supportive online learning environment. Virtual community events, workshops, and webinars will be enhanced with AI capabilities, providing enriched, interactive experiences.
- Supporting Integrative Health and Wellness Outcomes: ACHS is committed to staying at the cutting edge of how AI can support professional pathways in integrative health and wellness. The ACE Initiative will explore how AI can be used to advance research, enhance clinical practice, and improve patient outcomes. By integrating AI into the curriculum and practical applications, ACHS ensures that its graduates are well-equipped to lead in the evolving landscape of health and wellness.
- Enhancing and Expanding Services: The ACE Initiative will work to enhance and expand the services offered to ACHS students and alumni. AI-powered career services can provide personalized job recommendations, resume optimization, and interview preparation, helping students and graduates navigate their professional journeys more effectively. Additionally, AI-driven tools can be employed to improve student support services, such as 24/7 virtual assistance, personalized guidance, and proactive outreach to ensure student success. The initiative will also explore how AI can enhance the delivery of continuing education and professional development opportunities, enabling ACHS to better serve the lifelong learning needs of its community.
“At ACHS, we have been early adopters since our inception – from teaching emerging modalities to adopting technology, offering fully online classes since 1999. The ACE Initiative is a transformative step for ACHS. By embracing AI rather than seeking to police its use, we will enhance our educational offerings and, more importantly, ensure that our students and graduates are prepared to excel in the rapidly evolving field of integrative health. This initiative exemplifies our commitment to innovation, sustainability, and excellence, driving values for our strategic initiatives. Leaders such as Paul LeBlanc of Southern New Hampshire University have underscored the importance of actively considering how AI is impacting our industries and planning for the future with a growth mindset that doesn’t just consider whether it will replace our work but rather how will it enhance our work and amplify our unique strengths as individuals,” shares ACHS President Tracey Abell.
The ACE Initiative is planned as a year-long discovery project exploring how AI is being integrated into health and wellness and how learners and practitioners can responsibly and holistically integrate AI into their lives and work. ACHS’s hope with this initiative is to partner with other professional organizations and AI practitioners to explore the broader implications of and opportunities with AI in integrative health and wellness.
ACHS Chief Academic Officer Dr. Tiffany Rodriguez and Tracey Abell will present the early impacts of this initiative at the WASC Senior College & University Commission (WSCUC) Academic Resource Conference in April 2025, with their session, AI in Action: An Integrative Approach to Transforming Institutional Success.
About ACHS:
The American College of Healthcare Sciences (ACHS), located in Portland, Oregon, is an accredited college specializing in online integrative health and wellness education. Founded in 1978, ACHS offers a range of certificate, diploma, and degree programs in aromatherapy, herbal medicine, functional nutrition, and other complementary alternative medicine disciplines. ACHS is dedicated to providing an inclusive, experiential learning environment that promotes sustainable and healthy futures for all. For questions about this press release or to schedule an interview, please contact Tracey Abell at [email protected].
