Miller School of Medicine Students Bridge a Critical Health Literacy Gap with Innovation
Summary
- Four Miller School students have developed an AI-driven health education platform designed to make medical information personal, accessible and engaging.
- The students who worked on the app are children of U.S. immigrants who saw how people for whom English is not their native language can struggle with health care communications.
- With support from a $100,000 investment through the University of Miami’s USTAAR Accelerator program, Care Tales moved quickly from concept to implementation.
At the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, a group of medical students is tackling one of health care’s most stubborn challenges: helping patients better understand the care they receive.
The team — Dhananjay Narayanan, Michael Boutros, Elise Katsnelson and Arjun Ghodasara — has developed an AI-driven health education platform, Care Tales, designed to make medical information personal, accessible and engaging. Their goal is ambitious: to give every patient, regardless of language or literacy level, the ability to take home accurate, easy-to-digest content.
“We all grew up seeing how difficult it can be for our loved ones, especially those who speak other languages, to navigate the health care system,” said Katsnelson. “That same gap followed us into medical school, where we saw patients struggling to understand their diagnoses and next steps. We wanted to turn that insight into innovation and help people everywhere feel more informed and empowered about their health.”
The students, all children of immigrants, bonded over watching loved ones struggle to interpret lab results, prescriptions and even a physician’s after-visit summary. What started off as a discussion between classmates has quickly evolved into an innovative digital platform.
“Care Tales is designed with the interactivity of Duolingo and the credibility of a medical textbook,” Narayanan explained, saying the web and mobile app platforms deliver personalized, game-like micro-lessons, supported by an AI chatbot for around-the-clock engagement.
Miami an Ideal Test Case
Care Tales has quickly moved from concept to implementation. After receiving a $100,000 investment through the University of Miami’s USTAAR Accelerator and showcasing its innovation at eMerge Americas, the team is now partnering with health care systems across the country. The tool is already being used in clinics throughout Miami-Dade County, including at the UM pediatric mobile clinic, where medical student Alex Debure led its adoption with the help of the group’s lead designer, Pramiti Dubey.
“Miami is a perfect place to use something like this,” said Boutros. “You have so many cultures, so many languages and patients who want to take control of their health but don’t always have the tools or resources.”
To reach those communities, the team is constantly innovating their product to provide tailored solutions for different populations. For example, a patient visiting a mobile health fair might leave with a personalized, bilingual digital summary explaining their lab results and recommended next steps, written at an accessible reading level. They also learn how to navigate the health care system, helping bridge the access gap and empowering them to take the next steps in their care.
“We’re making sure patients get information that’s medically accurate, culturally relevant, and in their preferred format and language,” Katsnelson explained.
A One-Stop Shop for Patient Education
While the app is still in its early stages, the group’s progress has been remarkable given the students’ demanding schedules in the dual-degree M.D./M.B.A. program. Between exams, anatomy labs, clinical rotations and research commitments, they’ve built a business, worked with mentors, and partnered with health care systems who see the potential in bringing AI tools directly into patient care.
The long-term vision is to create a nationally utilized, digital “one-stop shop” for patient health education. The team envisions a day when every patient leaving a clinic, hospital or telemedicine appointment can instantly access clinically accurate visit summaries, powered by artificial intelligence and paired with engaging, game-like lessons. Understanding their health will feel effortless, empowering and even fun, rather than confusing or intimidating.
“Right now, people are obtaining vast amounts of misinformation online,” Ghodasara said. “We want to flip that, to create a tool that patients and physicians both trust.”
Technology as a Health Care Tool
The students’ startup also highlights a new generation of physicians who see technology not as separate from medicine, but as a tool to make health care more human, accessible and connected. In fact, the team often works alongside software developers Alek Bronsky and Pavel Stepanov, both computer science students at UM, to bring ideas to life. The Miller School has encouraged this kind of cross-disciplinary innovation, with students increasingly exploring how artificial intelligence can augment care, improve communication and reduce gaps.
For the Care Tales team, the motivation remains deeply personal.
“It’s about empowerment,” said Narayanan. “When patients understand their health, they’re more engaged, more likely to follow through with treatment and ultimately healthier.”
The students say they plan to continue refining the app and expanding partnerships across the country, where early feedback has been promising. Patients have responded positively to the clear, conversational explanations and to seeing the creative educational content represented in the interface.
“We want this to grow alongside our medical careers,” Boutros said. “If it can help even a fraction of the people who feel lost in our health care system, it’s worth it.”
Tags: AI, artificial intelligence, Department of Medical Education, innovation, medical education, medical students, startup, student research, technology