As hospitals and health systems further embed AI into healthcare delivery, they are increasingly appointing chief AI officers or equivalent senior executives with dedicated responsibility for AI governance, implementation and oversight.
The growing presence of these roles reflects the industry’s recognition that AI may pose risks to patient safety, professional liability and regulatory compliance, and thus warrants cross-functional leadership at the highest levels.
Here is a look at healthcare organizations with dedicated AI leadership:
- Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago named Rajiv Kolagani as its chief data and AI officer.
- Baptist Health System (Louisville, Ky.) named Brett Oliver, MD, as its chief medical information and AI officer.
- BJC Health System and WashU Medicine (St. Louis) appointed two leaders to oversee AI initiatives. Philip R.O. Payne, PhD, was named the inaugural chief health AI officer of WashU Medicine and BJC. Deborah O’Dell, was named chief data & analytics officer at BJC.
- Bon Secours Mercy Health (Cincinnati) named Dylan Clark as its new chief analytics and artificial intelligence officer in Feb. 16.
- Cedars-Sinai (Los Angeles) appointed Mouneer Odeh as its inaugural chief artificial intelligence officer at the end of 2024.
- Children’s National Hospital (Washington, D.C.) named Alda Mizaku as vice president and chief data and AI officer.
- City of Hope (Duarte, Calif.) named Nasim Eftekhari system vice president and chief AI and analytics officer.
- Cleveland Clinic appointed Ben Shahshahani, PhD, as its first vice president and chief artificial intelligence officer in August 2024.
- Denver (Colo.) Health named Daniel Kortsch, MD, as its associate chief of AI and digital health.
- Hackensack Meridian Health (Edison, N.J.) named David Arnold as its senior vice president and chief AI and data officer.
- Kaiser Permanente (Oakland, Calif.) has Daniel Yang, MD, serving as vice president of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies.
- Mayo Clinic (Rochester, Minn.) appointed Micky Tripathi, PhD, as its chief AI implementation officer.
- Mayo Clinic Arizona (Phoenix) named Bhavik Patel, MD, as chief AI officer.
- Mercy (St. Louis) named Byron Yount, PhD, as chief data and artificial intelligence officer and vice president of transformation operations.
- UCI Health (Orange, Calif.) named Deepti Pandita, MD, as its chief medical informatics and AI officer.
- UCLA Health (Los Angeles) named Paul J. Lukac, MD, as its chief AI officer.
- UC San Diego Health named Karandeep Singh, MD, as its inaugural chief health artificial intelligence officer.
- UCSF Health (San Francisco) named Sara Murray, MD, as chief health AI officer.
- University of Utah Health (Salt Lake City) appointed Kensaku Kawamoto, MD, PhD, as its first chief health AI transformation officer.
- UT Southwestern Medical Center (Dallas) named Warren D’Souza, PhD, as its inaugural chief artificial intelligence officer.
- VCU Health (Richmond, Va.) named Alok Chaudhary as vice president and chief data and artificial intelligence officer.
Editor’s note: This article was updated Aug. 5. To be considered for inclusion in this list, email ndiaz@beckershealthcare.com.
At the Becker's 11th Annual IT + Revenue Cycle Conference: The Future of AI & Digital Health, taking place September 14–17 in Chicago, healthcare executives and digital leaders from across the country will come together to explore how AI, interoperability, cybersecurity, and revenue cycle innovation are transforming care delivery, strengthening financial performance, and driving the next era of digital health. Apply for complimentary registration now.
