Chief digital officers are an emerging role for hospital IT teams and taking on increasing importance as systems dive deep into digital transformation.
Digital executives oversee technology use across the organization, both patient and staff-facing. The digital leaders are responsible for boosting the patient experience, access to care and innovation within the health system.
Note: This list was developed to highlight chief digital officers from hospitals and health systems across the U.S. Contact Laura Dyrda at ldyrda@beckershealthcare.com with questions or comments. Click here to view nomination forms for future lists.
Tony Ambrozie. Senior Vice President and Chief Digital Officer, Baptist Health South Florida (Coral Gables, Fla.). In Mr. Ambrozie’s role at Baptist Health, he is responsible for all technologies, customer experience, clinical digital and data transformation efforts. Before Baptist Health, he was the senior vice president of technology and digital at the Walt Disney Company where he was responsible for a number of digital and core systems and technologies for Disney parks, consumer products, games and publishing.
Mike Anderes. President at Inception Health & Chief Innovation and Digital Officer for FMCW, Froedtert Health (Milwaukee). Mr. Anderes is part of Froedtert Health’s executive leadership as both the president of Inception Health and the chief innovation and digital officer for Froedtert. Prior to being in innovation and digital health, he led strategy and performance of the orthopedic, neuroscience and spine service lines across the health system. Before Froedtert, he was the director of strategy at Poudre Valley Health System, a Malcolm Baldridge award-winning organization in northern Colorado.
Tom Andriola. Vice Chancellor of IT and Data and Chief Digital Officer of UC Irvine (Calif.). Mr. Andriola oversees health IT for UC Irvine. He joined University of California Systems as CIO in 2013 and has a background as a business transformation leader for a billion-dollar enterprise. Mr. Andriola also serves as the managing chair for the California Tele-health Network, a nonprofit organization supporting underserved and safety-net clinics in the state. Mr. Andriola was also instrumental in launching UC Irvine's technology-driven institute for precision health in February.
Jared Antczak. Chief Digital Officer of Sanford Health (Sioux Falls, S.D.). Mr. Antczak has been the chief digital officer at Sanford Health since 2022. He is focused on transforming healthcare by making it more digitized. Mr. Antczak believes that this approach will be a major benefit for the rural communities that Sanford Health serves.
Ashish Atreja, MD. CIO and Chief Digital Officer of UC Davis Health (Sacramento, Calif.). Dr. Atreja is responsible for UC Davis Health's digital relationship expansion to connect with other hospitals and patients. He aims to bridge the gap between IT, academic research and innovation as the health system becomes a global hub for digital health. Dr. Atreja has previous experience as chief innovation officer for the department of medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, and he also spent time as associate program director for informatics fellowship at Cleveland Clinic.
Omer Awan. Chief Data and Digital Officer of Atrium Health (Charlotte, N.C.). Mr. Awan has been the chief data and digital officer at Atrium Health since 2020. He is an accomplished relationship builder and has demonstrated the ability to combine visionary, strategic and tactical information technology expertise to produce bottom-line results. Mr. Awan has a proven record of success in developing solutions that improve the efficiency of IT and business operations.
Kathy Azeez Narain. Chief Digital Officer at Hoag (Newport Beach, Calif.). In her role as chief digital officer, Ms. Azeez-Narain leads development of Hoag’s digital strategy and transformation. This includes utilizing digital tools to develop, design and enhance patient experience and moving patients from offline to online through their digital system. She has more than a decade of experience in product development and marketing within the financial services industry. She was previously at American Express where she held various leadership roles in digital products, marketing and data strategies.
Hal Baker, MD. Senior Vice President and Chief Digital and Information Officer of WellSpan Health (York, Pa.) Dr. Baker has been the chief digital and information officer at WellSpan Health since 2020. He oversees IT, innovation and analytics at the company. Dr. Baker has been with WellSpan in various roles since 1995.
Thomas Barnett. Chief Information and Digital Officer at Baptist Memorial Health Care (Memphis, Tenn.). Mr. Barnett became the chief information and digital officer at Baptist Memorial Health Care in May 2020. Before then, he was the CIO at the University of Rochester (N.Y.) Medical Center. He has 20 years of experience in IT, including leadership roles at Detroit-based Henry Ford Health System and Evanston, Ill.-based NorthShore University HealthSystem.
Sameer Badlani, MD. Executive Vice President and Chief Digital Officer at Fairview (Minneapolis). Dr. Badlani leads digital innovation for a system of 34,000 employees and 10 care facilities. He was previously the chief health information officer and system vice president of enterprise data management and analytics at Sutter Health in Sacramento, Calif. He was also chief health information officer at Intermountain Healthcare in Salt Lake City and chief medical information officer at UChicago Medicine.
San Banerjee. Chief Digital Officer and Vice President of Digital Experience at Texas Health Resources (Arlington). As Texas Health Resources' chief digital officer, Mr. Banerjee leads the consumer digital and digital health experience for the health system, its subsidiaries and joint ventures. He has more than 20 years of experience in digital transformation and information systems delivery. Prior to Texas Health Resources, he served as Louisville, Ky.-based insurer Humana's head of consumer digital solutions. Mr. Banerjee has previously worked for Barclays Bank, SunGard Financial Systems, Infosys and Goldman Sachs.
Denise Basow, MD. Senior Vice President and Chief Digital Officer of Ochsner Health (New Orleans). Dr. Basow has been the senior vice president and chief digital officer at Ochsner Health since 2022. She leads Ochsner's IT strategy and the growth of digital health programs, building new digital businesses and expanding clinical businesses. Before joining Ochsner, Dr. Basow was the president and CEO for clinical effectiveness at Wolters Kluwer, an information and software leader.
Hank Capps, MD. Executive Vice President and Chief Information and Digital Officer at Wellstar Health System (Marietta, Ga.). In 2021, Dr. Capps led the launch of Wellstar's Catalyst center, a first-of-its-kind global digital health and innovation center created and operated within a health system to holistically address healthcare disruption. Dr. Capps joined Wellstar after more than 18 years with Novant Health in Winston-Salem, N.C., where he most recently served as senior vice president and chief digital health and engagement officer.
Albert Chan, MD. Chief Digital Health Officer of Sutter Health (Sacramento, Calif.). Dr. Chan has been the chief digital health officer at Sutter Health since 2015. He is responsible for the design and direct transformation of the system's digital health services. Dr. Chan has been the executive sponsor of AI-powered implementations at Sutter to improve patient care and experience.
Rohit Chandra. Chief Digital Officer at Cleveland Clinic. Mr. Chandra became the chief digital officer at Cleveland Clinic in February 2022. He is responsible for overseeing the IT division and leading digital innovation throughout the Clinic’s global health system. Mr. Chandra was previously at Sunshine Products, a technology startup in Palo Alto, Calif., where he served as vice president of engineering.
Suja Chandrasekaran, Senior Executive Vice President, Chief Information and Digital Officer, CommonSpirit Health (Chicago). As the chief information and digital officer, Ms. Chandrasekaran leads technology systems to connect CommonSpirit Health’s hospitals and care sites in addition to their employees and physicians. Previously, she served as chief of information and digital technology at Kimberly-Clark Corporation. She also recently joined the board of directors for Agendia, a company focused on precision oncology for breast cancer.
Bradley Crotty, MD. Chief Digital Engagement Officer at Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin (Milwaukee). Dr. Crotty is the chief digital engagement officer at the Froedtert & Medical College of Wisconsin Health System and leads their digital network that covers 3 acute care hospitals and over 40 health centers. He oversees patient-facing informatics work and the integration of digital therapeutics into the care stream. He is also the chief medical officer for Inception Health, which was formed in 2016 by Froedtert to accelerate digital health transformation.
Alistair Erskine, MD. Chief Digital Health Officer of Mass General Brigham (Boston). Dr. Erskine oversees the integration of technology, data and informatics. He has experience leading Partners HealthCare's eCare division with over 400 applications and clinical staff. Prior to his role at Mass General Brigham, he was CIO of Danville, Pa.-based Geisinger.
Jerry Fox. Senior Vice President and Chief Information and Digital Officer of BJC HealthCare (St. Louis, Mo.). Mr. Fox has been in his current role at BJC HealthCare since 2017. He is responsible for IT, biomedical engineering and digital solutions at the health system, which supports 31,000 employees across 15 hospitals and related ambulatory clinics. Mr. Fox has more than 35 years in leading IT initiatives that add business value and has earned a reputation for being an ethical leader that promotes collaboration and trust organizationwide.
Rémy Evard. Chief Digital Officer and Head of Technology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (New York City). Mr. Evard, who brings more than 30 years experience in technology leadership, oversees the design and execution of the center's digital strategy. He is also in charge of the digital informatics and technology solutions department, which includes more than 1,000 employees.
Jeffrey Ferranti, MD. Senior Vice President and Chief Digital Officer of Duke University Health System (Durham, N.C.). Prior to serving as chief digital officer, Mr. Ferranti was CIO, vice president for medical informatics and leader of Duke Health Technology Solutions. He also helped the health system roll out the enterprise deployment of Epic's EHR system and provided strategic oversight of the health system's technology.
Randy Gaboriault. Senior Vice President and Chief Digital and Information Officer, ChristianaCare (Newark, Del.). Mr. Gaboriault is the senior vice president and chief digital and information officer at ChristianaCare. He is also board chair for the Delaware Health Information Network and board director and treasurer for the nonprofit Tech Impact. He was inducted into the CIO Hall of Fame in 2019 and led the IT department’s efforts that helped win ChristianaCare a federal, multimillion-dollar Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation Award.
Deborah Gash. Senior Vice President and Chief Digital Officer of Saint Luke's Health System (Kansas City, Mo.). Ms. Gash has over 24 years of experience at Saint Luke's. She joined the system as a project manager in 1998 and served in a variety of leadership roles before being appointed to her current ones in 2018.
Mark Hulse. Chief Digital Officer of City of Hope (Duarte, Calif.). Mr. Hulse has been the chief digital officer at City of Hope since December 2017. In that role, he is responsible for leading digital solution development, solving business challenges and leading digital initiatives and solutions for clinical, research, operations and administrative objectives. Before City of Hope, he served in IT leadership roles at the Moffitt Cancer Center for over six years.
David Jaffray, PhD. Senior Vice President, Chief Technology and Digital Officer of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (Houston). Dr. Jaffray is the MD Anderson Cancer Center's inaugural chief technology and digital officer, bringing more than two decades of scientific expertise to the role. After being recruited to the center in 2019, he also leads efforts to advance data integration, governance and security across MD Anderson’s Houston campuses and its national network.
Patty Lavely. Vice President and Chief Information and Digital Officer of the Health Care District of Palm Beach County (West Palm Beach, Fla.). Ms. Lavely has more than 25 years of experience in the healthcare IT industry and is the vice president and chief information and digital officer for the Health Care District of Palm Beach County. She previously served as interim CIO for the district where she assessed the cybersecurity program and provided leadership and assistance for the IT team. She is a fellow with the American College of Healthcare Executives and is a CHIME certified healthcare CIO.
John Lock. Chief Digital Transformation Officer at MedStar Health (Columbia, Md.). Mr. Lock became the chief digital transformation officer at MedStar Health in 2017 and assists with navigation across strategy, marketing, and technology innovation. MedStar Health is a nonprofit healthcare organization that operates more than 120 entities, including ten hospitals in the Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area. He received his bachelors of science from Georgetown University in international commerce and finance.
Christopher Longhurst, MD. Chief Medical Officer and Chief Digital Officer of UC San Diego Health (San Diego). Dr. Longhurst has been in his current role at UC San Diego Health since 2021. He provides leadership to the medical staff and ensures that standards and protocols are followed to give the patient the best care possible. Dr. Longhurst is also the associate dean and a clinical professor of medicine and pediatrics at UC San Diego School of Medicine
Benjamin Maisano. Chief Digital and Innovation Officer of Atlantic Health System (Morristown, N.J.). Mr. Maisano has been in his current role since December 2020. At Atlantic Health System, he oversees digital strategy and works with clinical and operational partners to improve digital engagements. He also leads the system’s venture studio which evaluates and builds strategic partnerships and investments with startups, vendors and other technology collaborators.
Novlet Mattis. Senior Vice President and Chief Digital and Information Officer at Orlando (Fla.) Health. Ms. Mattis provides leadership in information technology, clinical engineering and digital innovation. She oversees a budget of more than $300 million and a team of nearly 740 staff members. She also led the implementation of Epic's EHR platform at Orlando Health.
Nader Mherabi. Chief Digital and Information Officer, Executive Vice President and Vice Dean of NYU Langone Health (New York, N.Y.). Mr. Mherabi has been in his current role at NYU Langone Health since 2020. He leads the health system's digital transformation initiatives to empower clinicians with data and analytics to provide better patient care. Mr. Mherabi is responsible for all the system's IT activities.
Jane Moran. Chief Information and Digital Officer at Mass General Brigham (Boston). Ms. Moran joined Mass General Brigham as the first chief information and digital officer at the end of 2021 to oversee a 2,000-member digital department. She has previous experience as CIO of Unilever, a consumer products company, where she launched a data analytics platform focused on consumer engagement and loyalty. At Mass General, she is focused on the system's EHR.
Aaron Miri. Senior Vice President and Chief Digital and Information Officer of Baptist Health (Jacksonville, Fla.). In addition to his role at Baptist Health, Mr. Miri is the co-chair of Health and Human Services, federal Health IT Advisory Committee. He is also an adviser to the National Academy of Medicine.
Nassar Nizami. Executive Vice President and Chief Information and Digital Officer at Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health (Philadelphia). Mr. Nizami oversees Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health's information technology plan, digital transformation, cybersecurity and enterprise data analytics. He prioritizes advancing healthcare, research and education using technology.
Kash Patel. Executive Vice President and Chief Digital Information Officer of Hackensack Meridian Health (Edison, N.J.). Mr. Patel has been the executive vice president and chief digital information officer at Hackensack Meridian Health since 2021. He is a technology leader, business focused, outcomes driven and a strategic thinker. Before joining Hackensack meridian in 2021, Mr. Patel was vice president and chief digital technology officer of Penn Medicine in Philadelphia. He also spent time as vice president of population health and analytics, IT at Mount Sinai in New York City.
Nick Patel, MD. Chief Digital Officer and Vice Chair of Clinical Affairs of Prisma Health (Columbia, S.C.). Dr. Patel has been the chief digital officer at Prisma Health since 2018. He is committed to helping provide healthcare that is second to none by using healthcare technology in the office, hospital and home. Before becoming the chief digital officer, Dr. Patel was an internal medicine physician at the system for 17 years.
Janell Pittman. Chief Marketing and Digital Strategy Officer of MercyOne (Clive, Iowa). Ms. Pittman has been the chief marketing and digital strategy officer at MercyOne since 2017. She led unifying brand development as well as implemented a culture transformation at the health system. Before her current role, Ms. Pittman was the vice president of marketing and communications at MercyOne.
Shafiq Rab, MD. Chief Digital Officer and Chief Information Officer of Tufts Medicine (Burlington, Mass.). Dr. Rab has been the chief digital officer and chief information officer at Tufts Medicine since 2020. He is responsible for leading the organization’s digital transformation efforts. Dr. Rab also oversees the system-wide digital and information technology organization that supports care across academic, community, home health and virtual settings.
Nick Reddy. Executive Vice President and Chief Digital Officer, Baylor Scott & White Health (Dallas). Mr. Reddy became the chief digital officer at Baylor in 2016 and is responsible for driving digital innovation at the organization. Prior, he joined the information services leadership team as the senior vice president of investments before expanding his role in October 2013 after Scott and White Health combined with Baylor Healthcare. He manages the functions of multiple IS departments including strategy, finance and strategic investments.
Edmondo Robinson, MD. Senior Vice President and Chief Digital Officer of Moffitt Cancer Center (Tampa, Fla.). In his role, Dr. Robinson leads the center for digital health, which creates and tests new services, programs, partnerships and technologies that leverage digital innovations. He is also an associate professor at University of South Florida's Morsani College of Medicine in Tampa and an adjunct senior fellow at the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Prior to his role at Moffitt, Dr. Robinson was the chief transformation officer and senior vice president of consumerism at ChristianaCare.
Tressa Springmann. Senior Vice President and Chief Information and Digital Officer of LifeBridge Health (Baltimore). Ms. Springmann directs information services and telecommunications management at LifeBridge Health and its subsidiaries. She oversees health information management and participates in strategic planning and operations of the information systems and telecommunication. She has spent six years with LifeBridge, serving as CIO since 2012, and she is chairman of the technology committee for Maryland's state health information exchange. She is a past president of Maryland HIMSS and serves on the healthcare management program advisory board for Towson (Md.) University.
Eric Smith. Chief Digital Officer of Memorial Hermann (Houston). Mr. Smith has been the chief digital officer at Memorial Hermann since 2020. His responsibilities include leading digital, data and analytics strategy for the company. Mr. Smith also focuses on providing insight-driven experiences to patients and physicians for improved services.
Jeffrey Sturman. Senior Vice President and Chief Digital Officer of Memorial Healthcare System (Hollywood, Fla.). Mr. Sturman has been the senior vice president and chief digital officer at Memorial Healthcare System since 2018. He has experience in planning, management and facilitation of large system implementation projects, digital transformation, organizational change, operational impacts and overall governance. Prior to his current role, Mr. Sturman served as the vice president of information technology at the company.
Jason Szczuka, JD. Chief Digital Officer, Bon Secours Mercy Health (Cincinnati). Mr. Szczuka oversees analytics, information and technology, and digital strategy. Before joining Bon Secours Mercy Health, he was the chief digital officer at Cigna and led a digital team that supported a transition from a traditional health plan administrator to a global health services company. He earned his Juris Doctor degree from Southwestern University School of Law and is a member of the State Bar of California.
Sara Vaezy. Chief Digital Officer at Providence (Renton, Wash.). Ms. Vaezy is responsible for the digital strategy and partnerships for Providence, a 51-hospital health system. She has a background working with technology companies, commercialization and digital business development. Ms. Vaezy worked for healthcare management consulting firm The Chartis Group prior to joining Providence.
Prat Vemana. Senior Vice President and Chief Digital Officer of Kaiser Permanente (Oakland, Calif.). Mr. Vemana is the senior vice president and chief digital officer of Kaiser Permanente. He leads the ongoing development and execution of their digital vision and strategy and collaborates with internal health plan, hospital and medical group teams. Before joining Kaiser in 2019, he was the chief product and experience officer at The Home Depot, where he was responsible for consumer-centric vision and strategy.
Joel Vengco. Senior Vice President and Chief Information and Digital Officer of Hartford (Conn.) HealthCare. Mr. Vengco became became the senior vice president and chief information and digital officer at Hartford HealthCare in February after spending time overseeing IT for Baystate Health as chief information and digital officer. While at Baystate, he was responsible for the technology strategy and operations, and oversaw IT for the Pioneer Valley Accountable Care Organization. Mr. Vengco also co-founded the Pioneer Valley Information Exchange.
Patrick Woodard, MD. Chief Digital Officer of Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare (Memphis, Tenn.). Dr. Woodard has been the chief digital officer at Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare since 2021. He leads digital transformation initiatives for the company on both the patient and provider sides, designed to create a system for inclusion of all patients and situations.
Angela Yochem. Executive Vice President and Chief Transformation and Digital Officer of Novant Health (Charlotte, N.C.). Ms. Yochem joined Novant in 2018, originally as executive vice president and chief digital and technology officer. She took her current position in 2020. Ms. Yochem also serves as COO of Novant Health Enterprises, Novant's business division. Before coming to Novant, she was executive vice president and CIO of Rent-A-Center.