September 16, 2026
SIU’s Ryan Bioethicist lecture focuses on using artificial intelligence in health care
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Dr. Sai Balasubramanian, a healthcare strategy executive and technology leader, will talk about the utilization of artificial intelligence (AI) in health care when he delivers the 2026 John and Marsha Ryan Bioethicist in Residence lecture at the SIU Simmons Law School on Monday, Sept. 21.
Balasubramanian, who works at the intersection of healthcare, AI digital innovation and policy, will present “AI in Healthcare: The Abundance Paradox” at 5:30 p.m. in the Hiram H. Lesar Law Building Auditorium, following a 5 p.m. reception in the law school’s formal lounge. The hybrid lecture is free and open to the public; pre-registration is encouraged but not required. The lecture will also be available online via Microsoft Teams.
“Since its inception, this program has brought to our community some of the leading thinkers at the nexus of law, health, and ethics,” said Hannah Brenner Johnson, SIU Simmons Law School dean. “The Ryan Bioethicist in Residence and related lecture enables the law school to be responsive to issues that are most pressing. Dr. Balasubramanian’s focus on AI and healthcare promises to do just that. Few issues will shape the future of healthcare like AI, and few people are as well positioned to guide that conversation as Dr. Balasubramanian.”
SIU alumna
Balasubramanian earned his law degree from the SIU Simmons Law School in 2017 and his M.D. in 2021 from the SIU School of Medicine as part of the M.D./J.D. dual degree program, graduating at the top of his classes with distinguished honors.
“I am incredibly excited to be returning to SIU Law,” he said. “It was a fundamental pillar in shaping my foundation and where I had the privilege of learning from and connecting with incredible mentors, thinkers, and professionals. It is a true honor to be back, and an even greater privilege to have the opportunity to give back to this remarkable institution and community.”
Balasubramanian primarily focuses on “responsible AI governance and building systems that can enable better access to care and improved outcomes, while strengthening the humanism that is a key aspect of healthcare.”
His career path was “driven by a recognition that some of healthcare’s most consequential challenges sit at the intersection of medicine, policy, technology and organizational strategy.”
“There is a tremendous need for professionals who can bridge these disciplines and translate clinical realities into effective strategies, policies, and systems that shape how healthcare is delivered,” Balasubramanian said. “My interest has always been in bringing these perspectives together to help navigate complexity, drive meaningful change, and ultimately improve the healthcare system.”
AI’s potential in healthcare
Artificial intelligence “has the potential to unlock extraordinary benefits in healthcare, ushering in a new paradigm of abundance for knowledge, access, and discovery. Yet, alongside these opportunities, there may be unintended costs and tradeoffs that we must thoughtfully navigate,” Balasubramanian said. “That complexity represents the paradox: realizing AI's transformative promise while remaining attentive to the risks that may accompany it.”
Balasubramanian is a regular contributor to Forbes, where he has authored more than 400 articles reaching over 3 million readers. His work draws upon his clinical, legal, strategy, and technology backgrounds to examine how emerging technologies are transforming healthcare.
“AI is no longer a technology on the horizon; it is already embedded throughout every aspect of society,” he said. “Therefore, the question is not whether it should be embraced, but rather, how to do so thoughtfully while maintaining human judgement and guardrails.”
Longstanding lecture series
This is the law school’s 19th bioethicist-in-residence lecture, and the 17th since John C. and Dr. Marsha G. Ryan endowed the visiting lecture series. Founded in 2006, the John and Marsha Ryan Bioethicist-in-Residence program supports an annual residence and lecture by a law or medicine ethics scholar for the SIU schools of law and medicine.
Marsha Ryan said she sees a role for AI to play in healthcare, particularly from millions of X-rays and pathology slides that, for example, “should make AI a valuable and reliable adjunct to the practice of medicine.”
She noted there are questions regarding ethical implications in using AI and how to manage and protect against “downsides while maximizing the beneficial effects. It's a wonderfully timely discussion we are about to have, and we are grateful that Dr. Balasubramanian will be bringing his abundant wisdom to the topic.”
Marsha Ryan earned her law degree from the SIU Simmons Law School in 1987 and is an assistant professor at the SIU School of Medicine and adjunct faculty member teaching bioethics at the law school. She practiced general and breast surgery in Carbondale for 36 years until her retirement in 2017. John Ryan, a member of the law school’s inaugural class, is a longstanding attorney at Feirich, Green, Mager, Ryan in Carbondale.
Editor’s note: Sai Balasubramanian is pronounced Sigh-Krish-Na Bala- Soo-Bra-Mahn (like Khan)- Ian.