Joe Depa has been named the inaugural chief data and analytics officer of Atlanta-based Emory Healthcare.
In his new role, Mr. Depa will focus on using data and artificial intelligence to improve patient outcomes and ease clinician burnout. He will also oversee data and analytics for Emory University.
"As healthcare pivots to address patient access, workforce shortages and ballooning expenses, AI, machine learning and large language models have the potential to help, but only if guided by the right expertise," Alistair Erskine, MD, chief information and digital officer for Emory Healthcare and vice president of digital health for Emory University, said in a Sept. 12 news release. "Joe's experience in and out of healthcare, combined with his purpose-driven mission to alleviate human suffering, makes him the ideal inaugural leader for this critical role."
Mr. Depa was previously global lead for data and AI strategy and consulting at IT company Accenture, where he worked for nearly 13 years.
Emory joins other big health systems that have named their first data or analytics chiefs in recent weeks. Cleveland Clinic hired a chief analytics officer, while Durham, N.C.-based Duke Health appointed a chief data scientist.