THE BIG UNLOCK PODCAST is a Healthcare Digital Transformation Podcast. Stay Updated on Healthcare’s Digital Transformation Trends. Featuring C-suite Leaders and Insights on Digital Health Innovation. Explore Emerging Healthcare Technologies with Rohit Mahajan and Ritu M. Uberoy.
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The Big Unlock · Michael Archuleta, Chief Information Officer, Mt. San Rafael Hospital and Clinics In this episode, Michael Archuleta, Chief Information Officer at Mount San Rafael Hospital, explores how technology can help rural health systems deliver high-quality, patient-centered care regardless of geography. He discusses the hospital’s transition to an AI-native Oracle Health platform and emphasizes that digital transformation should follow the patient journey, reduce clinician burden, improve interoperability, and enable better outcomes. Michael sees AI, ambient technology, remote patient
The Big Unlock · Alex Zhavoronkov, Founder, CEO and CBO, Insilico Medicine In this episode, Alex Zhavoronkov, Founder, CEO and CBO of Insilico Medicine, explores how generative AI is reshaping drug discovery and opening new possibilities in longevity research. He explains how AI can move pharmaceutical R&D from searching for promising molecules toward generating molecules with desired properties, while orchestrating specialized models and agents across the drug development lifecycle. Insilico combines AI models across biology, chemistry, and clinical development to move from target identificat
The Big Unlock · Zaw Thet, CEO and Co-Founder, Exer AI In this episode, Zaw Thet, CEO and Co-founder of Exer AI, explores how AI-powered computer vision can make human movement measurable and transform the delivery of musculoskeletal and movement health. He explains how Exer uses ordinary cameras and AI to assess movement across orthopedics, neurology, rehabilitation, telehealth, and at-home care, providing clinicians with objective insights while improving clinical efficiency and access. The conversation highlights how AI can improve patient outcomes and help clinicians deliver more personali
The Big Unlock · Dr. Angela Shippy, Senior Physician Executive and Clinical Innovation Lead, Amazon Web Services (AWS) In this episode, Dr. Angela Shippy, Senior Physician Executive and Clinical Innovation Lead at Amazon Web Services (AWS), shares how cloud and AI are reshaping healthcare by helping organizations move from experimentation to enterprise-scale transformation. She explains that successful AI adoption requires more than powerful models – it demands secure cloud infrastructure, responsible governance, workforce upskilling, and trusted partnerships. Dr. Shippy explains how leading h
The Big Unlock · Greg O’Neill, Director, Patient & Family Health Education, ChristianaCare In this episode, Greg O’Neill, Director of Patient & Family Health Education at ChristianaCare, explores why effective communication is one of the most overlooked drivers of better healthcare outcomes. Drawing on his experience as an ICU nurse and health system leader, Greg explains that health literacy is not simply about providing information, it is about ensuring patients truly understand their care and feel confident acting on it. Greg shares how ChristianaCare is embedding health literacy into patie
The Big Unlock · Umesh Rustogi, General Manager, HLS Dragon & Platform, Microsoft In this episode, Umesh Rustogi, General Manager, Healthcare & Life Sciences Dragon & Platform at Microsoft, explains that meaningful AI outcomes depend on combining unified multimodal data foundations with clinician-centered design to achieve healthcare’s quadruple aim: improving care quality, patient experience, operational efficiency, and workforce well-being. Addressing the severe nursing shortage and turnover driven by administrative burnout, Umesh details how Microsoft co-innovated with nine major health sys
The Big Unlock · Dr. Haider Warraich, Program Manager, Scalable Solutions, ARPA-H In this episode, Dr. Haider Warraich, Program Manager, Scalable Solutions at Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), explains why building trust, not just advancing technology, is key to unlocking the next generation of healthcare AI. Leading ARPA-H’s ADVOCATE program, he shares how the agency is accelerating the development of patient-facing, agentic AI designed to improve outcomes for people living with heart failure, while simultaneously building the regulatory and evaluation infrastructure need
The Big Unlock · Dr. Anne Snowdon, Scientific Director and CEO, SCAN Health and Chief Scientific Research Officer, HIMSS In this episode, Dr. Anne Snowdon, Scientific Director and CEO at SCAN Health and Chief Scientific Research Officer at HIMSS, explores why AI has the potential to transform healthcare, but only if health systems build the evidence, infrastructure, and workforce readiness to support it. She argues that while AI is generating tremendous excitement, most health systems are still in the early stages of adoption with many initiatives remaining in pilot phases. Dr. Snowdon explain
The Big Unlock · Naomi Fried, PhD, Founder and CEO, PharmStars In this episode, Naomi Fried, PhD, Founder and CEO of PharmStars, shares how stronger collaboration between startups and pharmaceutical companies is accelerating healthcare innovation. Drawing on leadership roles at Biogen, Kaiser Permanente, Boston Children’s Hospital, consulting work with large pharma companies, and collaboration across the digital health ecosystem, she explains why the most successful innovations are built around customer needs rather than technology alone. Naomi discusses how PharmStars helps digital health sta
The Big Unlock · Dhruv Khullar, M.D., Associate Professor of Medicine and Population Health Sciences, Weill Cornell Medicine In this episode, Dr. Dhruv Khullar, Associate Professor of Medicine and Population Health Sciences at Weill Cornell Medicine, explores how technology, public trust, and the evolving role of physicians are reshaping healthcare. Drawing on his experience as both a practicing clinician and a leading commentator on health policy, he argues that medicine is no longer the singular authority on health. Physicians now share influence with social media, AI tools, direct-to-consum
The Big Unlock · Julie Demaree, VP, Chief Technology and Digital Innovation Officer, St. Mary’s Healthcare In this episode, Julie Demaree, Vice President and Chief Technology and Digital Innovation Officer at St. Mary’s Healthcare, shares a pragmatic approach to digital transformation in rural healthcare, where innovation is driven by operational realities rather than technology hype. A former physician assistant turned technology executive, Julie argues that successful innovation begins with culture, governance, and clinician engagement, not new tools. She discusses how St. Mary’s has improve
The Big Unlock · Marshall Glanzer, Chief Technology Officer, Town Square Health In this episode, Marshall Glanzer, Chief Technology Officer of Town Square Health, outlines a bold model for scaling fully capitated risk programs for Medicare recipients. Transitioning from food-delivery logistics at GrubHub, Marshall brings critical structural insights for digital health innovators seeking to scale clinical models without eroding patient trust. The core theme of the discussion centers on a counter-intuitive tech strategy: utilizing advanced digital infrastructure to intentionally deepen human rel
The Big Unlock · Ben Long, MD, Director of Hospital Medicine, Magnolia Regional Health Center and Weston Blakeslee, Ph.D., VP of Clinical Intelligence, DrFirst In this episode, Dr. Ben Long, Director of Hospital Medicine at Magnolia Regional Health Center and Weston Blakeslee, VP of Clinical Intelligence at DrFirst, break down a critical industry starting point – the reality that one in five new prescriptions is never filled and half of all refills are eventually abandoned. Sharing the results of their peer-reviewed study published in PLOS Digital Health, Dr. Long and Weston offer a grounded b
The Big Unlock · Omkar Kulkarni, VP, Chief Transformation & Innovation Officer, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) In this episode, Omkar Kulkarni, VP, Chief Transformation & Innovation Officer at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA), outlines the stark funding gap in pediatric innovation, which receives less than 1% of digital health investments despite children making up 20% of the population. To combat this, the CHLA-led KidsX consortium unites children’s hospitals nationwide to scale early-stage digital solutions through collaboration over competition. Omkar suggests that pediatrics
The Big Unlock · Podcast with Dr. Nele Jessel, Chief Medical Officer, athenahealth In this episode, Dr. Nele Jessel, Chief Medical Officer at athenahealth, explores the rapid shift in physician sentiment toward AI and why healthcare may finally be reaching a true inflection point in digital transformation. Dr. Jessel explains how decades of EHR-induced administrative burnout initially made clinicians wary of new technology. However, the arrival of ambient note generation changed the game almost overnight, removing immense cognitive load and restoring the intimate, face-to-face physician-patien
The Big Unlock · Sally Ann Frank, Global Lead – Health & Life Sciences, Microsoft for Startups In this episode, Sally Ann Frank, Global Lead for Health and Life Sciences at Microsoft for Startups, discusses how AI is moving beyond experimentation toward measurable enterprise impact. She emphasizes that the most successful startups differentiate themselves not just through technology innovation, but through evolving business models, strong customer discovery practices, and a coachable mindset grounded in strategic mentorship. Sally explores the challenge of “pilot purgatory,” noting that founde
The Big Unlock · Andrew Porter, CEO, Wayne General Hospital In this episode, Andrew Porter, CEO of Wayne General Hospital, shares how a community-based health system is navigating the dual pressures of financial sustainability and rural healthcare delivery. Drawing on his unique “three-legged stool” perspective as a clinician, administrator, and academic, Andrew highlights the necessity of staying nimble in a rapidly evolving market. Wayne General is taking a pragmatic approach to AI by focusing on real problems instead of technology hype. Andrew details the successful implementation of ambien
The Big Unlock · Bharat Sutariya, MD, Senior Vice President and Chief Health Officer, Oracle Health In this episode, Dr. Bharat Sutariya, Senior Vice President and Chief Health Officer at Oracle Health, discusses the radical transformation of healthcare through AI-native digital platforms. As an emergency physician with over 25 years of experience, including leadership roles at Cerner and Deloitte, Dr. Sutariya provides a unique perspective on moving past the “burden” of legacy EHR systems. The core of the conversation centers on Oracle’s bold bet: moving away from the industry-standard “bolt-
The Big Unlock · Linda Stevenson, Chief Operations & Information Officer, Fisher-Titus Health In this episode, Linda Stevenson, Chief Operations & Information Officer at Fisher-Titus Health, shares how rural health systems are driving innovation under significant resource constraints. Leading a 100-bed community hospital with a lean IT team, she highlights the realities of “doing more with less”—from workforce shortages to the critical need for interoperability in coordinating care beyond organizational walls. Linda challenges the industry’s fixation on AI as a standalone strategy, advocating
The Big Unlock · Dr. Ruchi Garg, Chief Medical Officer, Fairview Park Hospital In this episode, Dr. Ruchi Garg, Chief Medical Officer at Fairview Park Hospital, shares how frontline clinicians are shaping the responsible adoption of AI in real-world care settings. Dr. Garg highlights how COVID accelerated digital adoption, from telehealth to remote patient monitoring, demonstrating that care can be both accessible and efficient when technology is thoughtfully applied. Dr. Garg underscores that AI’s true value lies in reducing administrative burden, particularly in areas like documentation and
The Big Unlock · Ed Lee, MD, MPH, Chief Medical Officer, Nabla In this episode, Dr. Ed Lee, Chief Medical Officer at Nabla, shares how AI is moving beyond hype to reshape real-world care delivery. Drawing on his experience at Kaiser Permanente, he emphasizes that the true goal of technology is not efficiency alone, but restoring the human connection in healthcare. Dr. Lee explores why change management, not the technology itself, is the hardest part of AI adoption, and why clinician involvement from day one is non-negotiable. He challenges the early narrative around time savings, arguing that
The Big Unlock · Roy Schoenberg, M.D., CEO, Aileen and Founder and Executive Director, Amwell In this episode, Dr. Roy Schoenberg, CEO of Aileen and Founder and Executive Director of Amwell, reflects on the evolution of telehealth and shares a bold vision for AI’s role in reshaping care delivery. He argues that telehealth has largely been used as a substitute channel for traditional visits, whereas its true potential lies in redistributing expertise and democratizing access to care at scale. Dr. Schoenberg sees AI becoming the primary entry point to healthcare, guiding patient journeys through
The Big Unlock · Michael Hasselberg, PhD, RN, Chief Transformation and Digital Officer, Nebraska Medicine In this episode, Dr. Michael Hasselberg, Chief Transformation and Digital Officer at Nebraska Medicine, makes a compelling case that sustainable digital transformation in healthcare requires more than technology, it demands the right organizational structure. By unifying IT, innovation, and strategy under a single transformation office, health systems can move from isolated pilots to enterprise-wide impact. Drawing from his journey across telehealth, mobile apps, VR, and AI, Dr. Hasselberg
The Big Unlock · Dr. Stephen K. Klasko, Executive in Residence, General Catalyst & Board Chair, DocGo, Teleflex In this episode, Dr. Stephen K. Klasko, former CEO of Jefferson Health, Executive in Residence at General Catalyst, Board Chair at DocGo, Teleflex, and one of healthcare’s most provocative voices, challenges the industry to rethink its fundamental assumptions and move toward a more sustainable, patient-centered future. He argues that despite years of discussion around value-based care and digital transformation, true disruption has been limited because stakeholders remain unwilling t
The Big Unlock · Dr. Eric Stecker, Co-founder and Chief Medical Officer, Insight Health In this episode, Dr. Eric Stecker, Co-founder and Chief Medical Officer at Insight Health, explores how autonomous AI agents are reshaping cardiovascular care and population health in the United States. Dr. Stecker draws a critical distinction between autonomous action and autonomous decision-making, arguing that AI can deliver enormous clinical value today by acting autonomously on well-established care protocols, without waiting for fully autonomous diagnostic AI. He highlights that preventable conditions
