As healthcare moves further into the digital age, with a greater focus on AI and other emerging technologies, health systems have been increasingly elevating tech leaders to chief executive roles.
Here are five former health system IT and digital executives who have been named CEOs:
1. Michelle Conger, the former chief strategy officer and (now president) of Peoria, Ill.-based OSF HealthCare and ex-CEO of OSF OnCall Digital Health, will transition to CEO in April.
2. Christopher Longhurst, MD, chief clinical and innovation officer of UC San Diego Health, has been named CEO of Seattle Children’s effective Jan. 5.
3. Eduardo Conrado, the former chief digital officer and chief strategy and innovation officer and now president of St. Louis-based Ascension, will take over as CEO on Jan. 1.
4. Michael Ash, MD, the former senior vice president and chief transformation officer who oversaw IT at Omaha-based Nebraska Medicine, ascended to CEO in July.
5. Suresh Gunasekaran, the former CIO of Dallas-based UT Southwestern Medical Center, was appointed president and CEO of San Francisco-based UCSF Health in 2022.
