30 Healthcare IT Influencers Worth a Follow in 2024

These health IT influencers are change-makers, innovators, and compassionate leaders seeking to prepare the industry for emerging trends and improve patient care.

By Jordan Scott and Teta Alim (Health Tech)

Introduction

What does it mean to transform healthcare? For some, it means centering patients in conversations about their care and interactions with the healthcare system. For others, it means using tools such as artificial intelligence to support clinical decision-making. Many in the field are also focused on improving access to care with virtual care solutions.

To celebrate the leaders, researchers, and advocates who are creating a better future for healthcare, HealthTech has compiled a list of 30 healthcare IT influencers driving innovation, equity, and change in the healthcare space. Follow these leaders for valuable insights into the quickly evolving worlds of AI, digital health, and patient care.

Did your blog, podcast, or account make our 2024 Health IT Influencer List? If so, be sure to share the news with your followers!

  1. Aashima Gupta

    Aashima Gupta is the global director of healthcare solutions for Google Cloud. In this role, she accelerates healthcare’s digital transformation through business solutions such as the cloud, artificial intelligence, and application programming interfaces. Gupta also sits on the boards of directors for several digital health companies. She posts about Google updates and cloud-enabled solutions.

  2. Dr. Aletha Maybank

    As chief health equity officer and senior vice president for the American Medical Association, Dr. Aletha Maybank ensures the AMA is focusing on health equity in all of its work. She also leads the AMA’s Center for Health Equity. Before joining the AMA, Maybank served as the deputy commissioner and founding director for the Center for Health Equity at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. She was interviewed by Oprah Winfrey in 2020 about the impacts of the pandemic on Black communities. Maybank has made appearances on NPR, MSNBC, and more. She posts about public health equity and access.

  3. Dr. Amaka Eneanya

    Dr. Amaka Eneanya is the first chief transformation officer at Emory Healthcare, where she is focused on creating systemwide strategies to improve clinician and patient experiences. In addition to bolstering patient experiences through increased care access and community engagement, she also collaborates with the system’s diversity, equity, and inclusion office to prioritize DEI in care delivery. Prior to joining Emory, Eneanya was head of strategy and operations for Fresenius Medical Care’s global medical office. She posts about digital transformation and the patient experience.

  4. Brendan Keeler

    Brendan Keeler is the interoperability and data liquidity practice lead at software development company HTD Health. He also serves as an adviser for several digital health companies including Flexpa, Vitalize Care, Revero, and Elion. He spent several years at Epic as an integration manager and integration product lead. Keeler is a health application programming interface expert and publishes an interoperability-focused newsletter called Health API Guy. He posts about healthcare interoperability.

  5. Dr. C.K. Wang

    Dr. C.K. Wang uses his experience as a board-certified oncologist in his role as the chief medical officer at COTA, a company focused on harnessing real-world data to support cancer research. Prior to heading COTA’s clinical and research operations, he was an oncology leader for IBM’s Watson Health, the medical director for USMD Health System, and a partner physician at Dallas Oncology Consultants. Wang regularly speaks at healthcare technology conferences and posts about healthcare data and oncology research.

  6. Christopher Kunney

    Not only is Christopher Kunney a health IT strategist and adviser for companies including Chilmark Research, ScaleHealth, and BIONABU, he is also the host of the Straight Outta Health IT podcast. The podcast includes discussions with healthcare leaders about changes and trends in the healthcare technology industry. Kunney posts about health IT and healthcare news.

  7. Chris Waugh

    For more than eight years, Chris Waugh has served as chief design and innovation officer for Sutter Health in San Francisco, where he applies his human-centered design expertise to the health system’s innovation strategy. Waugh regularly speaks at digital health events and posts about healthcare innovation, digital transformation, and leadership.

  8. Dr. Daniel Kraft

    Dr. Daniel Kraft has founded several digital health startups and companies over his career, including NextMed Health (previously known as Exponential Medicine), Digital.Health, RegenMed Systems, and IntelliMedicine. NextMed Health is a program that explores the potential of biomedical and healthcare technology developments. Kraft has been featured on CNN, TED Talks, National Geographic, and more. He posts about emerging digital health tools and trends.

  9. Dave deBronkart

    Dave deBronkart advocates for improved patient engagement, access, and experience through his blog, e-Patient Dave. After overcoming Stage 4 kidney cancer in 2007, deBronkart became a blogger, health policy adviser, and international keynote speaker, sharing his medical experience from the patient’s perspective in the hope of improving patient care. He is the author of several books, including "Let Patients Help: A Patient Engagement Handbook" and "The Birth of a Battle Cry: Gimme My Damn Data." He’s been featured in USA Today, TIME, The Boston Globe, and Forbes and on CNN, ABC News, and more. He posts about patient advocacy, interoperability, and digital health trends.

  10. Deepthi Bathina

    With a strong background in business leadership in the IT and healthcare industries, Deepthi Bathina founded RhythmX AI, a generative artificial intelligence-native health company focused on hyperpersonalized care. She has led the company as its CEO since 2022. In addition, Bathina is chair of the board of the Kerry Murphy Healey Center for Health Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Babson College, where she received her MBA. She is also former chief product officer at Humana, where she oversaw product design, development, and delivery for segments including chronic condition management, behavioral health, and social determinants of health. She is a regular speaker at healthcare technology conferences and posts about AI.

  11. Dr. Gabe Charbonneau

    Dr. Gabe Charbonneau is a rural family physician at Providence and a co-founder of Medicine Forward, an organization working to unite doctors and healthcare change leaders to recenter the physician-patient relationship. He is also the founder of fightburnout.org, which is focused on reducing the stigma around clinician burnout. He posts about leadership and health IT.

  12. Jane Sarasohn-Kahn

    As a health economist, strategist, and adviser for think tanks including the Center for Connected Medicine, Jane Sarasohn-Kahn regularly comments on digital health, health IT, and health policy. She founded Health Populi, a health blog, in 2007 and has worked with health technology startups, consumer goods companies, and more to advance the adoption of digital health tools and solutions. She is the author of several books and posts about digital health, health economics, and policy.

  13. Jill Seidman

    Jill Seidman is an entrepreneur in residence for pediatric digital health at Startup Health, a company that invests in health technology startups. Before joining Startup Health, she served as a director at Johnson & Johnson’s Innovation Center, where she worked with medtech startups on business development and partnerships. She has also been a partner at the venture capital firm Health Velocity Capital, which invests in health IT and healthcare services companies. Seidman posts about health technology and innovation.

  14. Dr. John Halamka

    President of Mayo Clinic Platform, Dr. John Halamka leads a team that is focused on bringing virtual and digital care technologies to the forefront of the Mayo Clinic’s offerings. He is an emergency medicine physician and has decades of experience with healthcare IT implementation and digital health innovation. Halamka regularly speaks at healthcare technology events and posts about AI, digital health, and interoperability.

  15. Katie McMillan

    Katie McMillan founded and leads the health IT education platform Well Made Health. She is a faculty member at the Duke University School of Medicine, where she created and now teaches an Introduction to Digital Health course. McMillan has also served as an adviser for health technology companies including WebMD and the digital health startup Queerly Health. She posts about digital health tools, education, and policy.

  16. Dr. Kimberly Manning

    Dr. Kimberly Manning is a clinician-educator at Grady Health System, one of the largest public hospitals in the United States. In addition to working as a general internist and pediatrician, she is a professor of medicine and associate vice chair of diversity, equity, and inclusion for the Department of Medicine at Emory University School of Medicine. Manning hosts the Flip the Script podcast, which focuses on storytelling in medicine and features narratives from healthcare professionals and patients. She posts about health equity and public health.

  17. Dr. Lucia Savage

    With a focus on data privacy, security, and interoperability, Dr. Lucia Savage is the chief privacy officer at Omada Health, which offers virtual chronic care management for diabetes, hypertension, and behavioral health. Before joining Omada Health, she served as chief privacy officer for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. Savage posts about health IT, data privacy, and interoperability.

  18. Dr. Makary

    A surgeon at Johns Hopkins University and the New York Times best-selling author of "Unaccountable" and "The Price We Pay," Dr. Makary advocates for greater transparency in the healthcare system and reducing costs for patients. He has appeared on CNN, Fox News, and NBC’s TODAY show and is a member of the National Academy of Medicine. Dr. Makary posts about healthcare transparency and policy.

  19. Nate Fox

    Nate Fox is the chief technology officer at Ruby, a company that offers AI-powered virtual care services. Prior to joining Ruby, he served as chief technology officer for Amazon Halo, a wearable health and wellness device. Fox has also held technology and engineering roles at Jawbone and Fitbit, contributing to innovations in health and fitness tracking. He posts about digital health, wearables, and AI.

  20. Niam Yaraghi

    As an assistant professor at the University of Miami’s Herbert Business School, Niam Yaraghi researches and teaches about the economics of healthcare IT, digital health, and patient engagement. He is a nonresident fellow at the Brookings Institution’s Center for Technology Innovation, where he focuses on digital health and the policy implications of emerging health technologies. Yaraghi posts about healthcare IT and policy.

  21. Dr. Nicole Washington

    Dr. Nicole Washington is a board-certified psychiatrist and founder of Elocin Psychiatric Services, a telepsychiatry practice focused on serving professional women and communities of color. She is also a health IT consultant and speaker who regularly discusses telehealth, mental health, and health equity. Washington posts about telehealth and mental health.

  22. Dr. Patty Mechael

    Dr. Patty Mechael is the co-founder and executive vice president of the HealthEnabled nonprofit organization, which aims to integrate digital health into national health systems to improve access to care in low- and middle-income countries. She is also the co-founder and executive vice president of the Digital Health Society and the author of the book "The MomConnect Story." Mechael posts about global health and digital health equity.

  23. Prashant Natarajan

    Prashant Natarajan is the vice president of strategy and products at H2O.ai, a company that develops AI and machine learning solutions for the healthcare industry. He is the co-author of the book "Demystifying AI for the Enterprise" and a frequent speaker at health IT and AI conferences. Natarajan posts about AI and digital transformation in healthcare.

  24. Regina Holliday

    Regina Holliday is a patient rights advocate and artist who founded The Walking Gallery of Healthcare, a movement that uses art to represent patients’ healthcare stories. She began advocating for patient rights after her husband’s death from kidney cancer in 2009, focusing on patient access to medical records and better communication between patients and providers. Holliday posts about patient advocacy and healthcare policy.

  25. Dr. Rhea Boyd

    Dr. Rhea Boyd is a pediatrician and public health advocate who addresses the impact of racism and inequities in healthcare on patients and communities of color. She is the founder of The Conversation, a project that provides trusted information about COVID-19 vaccines to Black and Latino communities. Boyd posts about health equity and public health.

  26. Robin Roberts

    As a news anchor on ABC’s Good Morning America, Robin Roberts covers a variety of health-related topics, including cancer and mental health awareness. Roberts has been open about her own health struggles, including her battle with breast cancer and a rare blood disorder called myelodysplastic syndrome. She posts about health awareness and advocacy.

  27. Sahil Patel

    Sahil Patel is the head of digital health partnerships at Google, where he works on integrating Google’s health technology and AI solutions into healthcare systems. Patel has a background in digital health innovation and has previously worked at several health technology startups. He posts about digital health, AI, and health innovation.

  28. Dr. Samant Virk

    Dr. Samant Virk is a physician and the founder of MediSprout, a telehealth platform designed to improve patient-provider communication and care coordination. He advocates for the expansion of telehealth services and the integration of digital health tools into clinical practice. Virk posts about telehealth and digital health innovation.

  29. Shereese Maynard

    Shereese Maynard is a health IT strategist and consultant who advises healthcare organizations on digital transformation, data governance, and health equity. She is the founder of the community Health Tech Women and has served as an adviser for several health technology startups. Maynard posts about digital health and health equity.

  30. Susannah Fox

    Susannah Fox is a researcher and adviser who specializes in the intersection of health and technology. She served as the chief technology officer for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and was previously the associate director of the Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project, where she led research on the social impact of the internet. Fox posts about digital health, health IT, and patient engagement.

Popular Posts

Here are some popular posts from digital health influencers:

  • Dr. Atul Gawande: Discusses the impact of COVID-19 on the healthcare system and the importance of vaccination in his article "We Can Solve the COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout Disaster."
  • Dr. Eric Topol: Shares insights on the latest advancements in artificial intelligence and its applications in healthcare in his blog post "The Future of AI in Medicine."
  • Jane Sarasohn-Kahn: Analyzes the role of digital health tools in improving patient engagement and outcomes in her post "The Power of Digital Health to Empower Patients."
  • Dr. John Halamka: Provides an overview of the challenges and opportunities in healthcare interoperability in his article "Achieving True Interoperability in Healthcare."
  • Katie McMillan: Explores the importance of digital health education and the future of telemedicine in her post "Preparing for the Digital Health Revolution."
  • Dr. Kimberly Manning: Highlights the importance of addressing health disparities and promoting health equity in her article "Closing the Gap: Health Equity in the Digital Age."
  • Dr. Makary: Calls for greater transparency and accountability in healthcare in his article "The Price We Pay: Reimagining Healthcare."
  • Dr. Rhea Boyd: Discusses the impact of systemic racism on health outcomes and the need for health equity in her post "Health Equity in the Time of COVID-19."
  • Susannah Fox: Examines the role of digital health tools in patient engagement and the future of healthcare innovation in her article "The Digital Health Movement: Empowering Patients and Providers."

To learn more about digital health influencers and their work, you can follow them on social media, read their blog posts, or listen to their podcasts.

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