Ioannis Koutroulis, MD, PhD, MBA, has been appointed the Interim Director of the GW Trustworthy AI Initiative (GW TAI), effective September 1st.
He takes over the position from Zoe Szajnfarber, who has led the initiative since its launch in 2024. Szajnfarber recently agreed to serve as Special Advisor to the GW President and Provost on Artificial Intelligence for an initial three-year term.
"I am extremely grateful to Dr. Szajnfarber for her astute leadership of GW TAI since its inception and her willingness to take a leading role in forging a broader AI strategy that aligns with the Strategic Framework,” said GW Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Edward J. Balleisen.
“Dr. Koutroulis's wide-ranging leadership experience and inventive deployment of AI tools make him an excellent fit to be the interim director of GW TAI, and I am pleased to welcome him to the role," Balleisen shared.
Dr. Koutroulis is a Professor of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine at the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS), where he also serves as an Associate Dean of Admissions for MD programs. Koutroulis has also represented SMHS in the effort to develop a cohesive, comprehensive, university-wide artificial intelligence (AI) strategy.
Just a few miles from campus at Children’s National Hospital, he is a physician and emergency medicine provider. On the national level, Koutroulis has worked with the Association of American Medical Colleges to lead efforts to create longitudinal AI curricula for medical students.
Koutroulis has been using AI technologies in his research since 2017, focusing on developing more effective methods to detect and treat sepsis in children.
He saw the potential in AI and its ability to work in the background, synthesizing critical information, like vital signs, lab findings, and medical history, whereas an emergency clinician may not have the ability or the time to do that synthesis as quickly or efficiently.
Koutroulis began collaborating with a company to develop an early-screening tool using machine learning and natural language processing. Koutroulis and the team are currently piloting the tool to determine whether it can help improve patient outcomes.
“AI does not replace the clinician but works alongside them as a companion, to help them identify this devastating condition as soon as possible, because starting treatment early improves outcomes,” he explained.
Koutroulis is enthusiastic about the innovation and discovery enabled by AI, but recognizes the risks associated with its application, especially in medical settings. His roles as a researcher, professor, and clinical provider offer unique insights into the design, implementation, and governance of AI, as well as effective training methods for students and practitioners in its application.
“Developing a technology or developing a tool requires some knowledge around technical aspects, but being on the provider side, you can see the utility of the tools and understand firsthand what the challenges are,” he said.
Koutroulis is excited about the interdisciplinary nature of GW TAI and the chance to further establish GW as a center for AI research.
“I like to build teams, I like to build programs, and the opportunity here to build truly interdisciplinary teams is very exciting. There’s so much potential and so much talent in the GW community, and GW TAI can help break down silos and help people work together in teams with diverse expertise that will actually give us the best outcomes,” he shared.
“It’s extremely important to bring the community together for the shared goal of advancing research around AI. I see this as an opportunity for GW to continue to serve as a hub for interdisciplinary, cross-institutional research that brings together academia, industry, and the government,” he concluded.