Deborah DiSanzo is out after serving as general manager of IBM Watson Health since 2015, according to STAT News.
The circumstances of Ms. DiSanzo's departure are unclear, according to the report. Several past and current employees told STAT that John Kelly III, PhD, senior vice president for cognitive solutions and IBM Research, will become acting general manager. An IBM spokesperson confirmed Dr. Kelly's assumption of the role.
"John Kelly will continue leading Watson Health as we continue to grow and scale this successful business," the spokesperson said.
Ms. DiSanzo will reportedly join IBM Cognitive Solutions as part of its strategy team.
The shift in executive leadership comes as IBM faces declining revenues and challenges from other industry leaders in recent years. IBM Watson's flagship cancer software, which uses artificial intelligence to recommend patients' treatment courses, has drawn criticism from some physicians in the industry. Earlier this year, the health division announced it would be scaling back its efforts with hospitals and discussed plans to lay off a substantial number of employees.
IBM released its third-quarter 2018 earnings Oct. 16, which illustrated declining revenues from Watson and its other cognitive offerings.
Before joining Watson Health, Ms. DiSanzo led Philips Healthcare, a healthcare informatics company, and has held executive roles at Hewlett-Packard and Apollo Computer, according to her biography page on IBM Watson Health's website.
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