Session Details
Date & Time
Wednesday, September 16, 2026, 11:25 AM - 12:05 PM
Name
13. The Distributed CIO Model: How Health Systems Are Rethinking IT Leadership
Session Type
Panel
Speakers
- James Forrester, MS, Enterprise Chief Information Officer, University of Rochester, University of Rochester Medicine
- Lisa Nelson, PharmD, Associate Vice President, IT Applications, Chief Applications Officer and Co-Chief Information Officer, University of Rochester Medicine
- Robert Frieden, Chief Information Officer, Hutchinson Regional Healthcare System
Description
The traditional CIO role is stretching in more directions than ever — and some health systems are responding by distributing technology leadership across multiple executives. This panel examines what's driving the shift, how distributed models work in practice, and what gets harder when leadership is shared. Leaders share how they define accountability, avoid duplication, stay aligned on strategy, and build a cohesive IT culture when no single executive owns the whole portfolio.

