September 16, 2025
1 World Trade Center, New York, NY

Strategic Partner

Supporting Partner

Newsweek's Digital Health Care Forum, scheduled for September 16, 2025 in NYC is an exclusive forum for health care leaders to share, strategize and sculpt a digital future. This event will gather executives from the nation’s top health systems, exploring the impacts—and challenges—of recent technological innovations. Through panel discussions, peer presentations and high-level networking opportunities, attendees will unpack the issues that matter to them: from IT integration, to cybersecurity, to AI governance.  

Speakers

Alexis Kayser

Health Care Editor

Newsweek

Tina Freese Decker

Board Chair, American Hospital Association

President & CEO, Corewell Health

Dr. Eric Alper

Chief Quality and Chief Clinical Informatics Officer

UMass Memorial Health

Ed Banos

President and CEO

University Health

Dr. Ashis Barad

Chief Technology and Digital Officer

Hospital for Special Surgery

Allon Bloch

Co-Founder and CEO

K Health

Peter Brereton

President and CEO

Tecsys

Dr. David Callender

President and CEO

Memorial Hermann Health System

Dr. Nabil Chehade

Chief Clinical Transformation, Innovation and Strategy Officer

The MetroHealth System

Aneesh Chopra

Chief Strategy Officer, Arcadia

Inaugural U.S. Chief Technology Officer

Dr. Jesse Chusid

Chair of Radiology, Senior Vice President for Imaging Service Line

Northwell Health

Peter Dierickx

CTO

Maria Middelares

Drew Goldstein

Co- Head of Healthcare

Palantir

Dr. Shawn Griffin

President and CEO

URAC

Delphine Groll

Co-Founder & COO

Nabla

James Hereford

President and CEO

Fairview Health Services

Kreg Koford

SVP of Real Estate and Operations

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Dr. Despina Kontos

Chief Research Information Officer and Vice-Chair of AI

Columbia University Irvine Medical Center

Dr. Lukas Kwietniewski

Senior Director of Health Care Analysis

Statista

Jason Lineen

Chief Strategy Officer

UVA Health

Dennis Murphy

President and CEO

IU Health

Simon Nazarian

Executive Vice President and Chief Digital/Technology Officer

City of Hope

Dr. Gregg Nicandri

Chief Medical Information Officer

University of Rochester Medical Center

Joe Petro

Corporate Vice President

Microsoft Health and Life Sciences

Brad Reimer

CIO

Sanford Health

Duncan Ross

Global Head of Research

Newsweek

Danny Sama

Chief Digital Executive and VP

Information Services, Northwestern Medicine

Dr. Lavonia Thomas

Chief Nursing Informatics and Innovation Officer

MD Anderson Cancer Center

Dr. Daniel Yang

Vice President, Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies

Kaiser Permanente

Baligh R. Yehia, MD
MPP, MSc, FACP

President

Jefferson Health  

Agenda

9:30 AM – 10:00 AM
Registration Opens, Light Breakfast & Networking
10:00 AM – 10:15 AM
Opening Remarks

Alexis Kayser, Health Care Editor, Newsweek

Tina Freese Decker, Board Chair, American Hospital Association, President & CEO, Corewell Health

10:15 AM – 10:45 AM
Breaking Down Silos: Achieving True IT Integration in Health Care

As hospitals and health systems navigate increasingly complex IT landscapes, integration remains elusive. This panel will explore the challenges health systems face when pursuing interoperability, and potential solutions for seamless data-sharing across platforms. Experts will discuss how to align IT investments with strategic priorities, so technology enhances care delivery rather than hindering it.

Moderator:

Alexis Kayser, Health Care Editor, Newsweek

Speakers:

Dennis Murphy, President and CEO, IU Health

Simon Nazarian, EVP, Chief Digital and Technology Officer, City of Hope

Danny Sama, Chief Digital Executive and VP, Information Services, Northwestern Medicine

10:45 AM – 11:00 AM
Inside the Hospital of the Future

Speaker:

Kreg Koford, SVP of Real Estate and Operations, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

11:00 AM – 11:15 AM
Networking Break
11:15 AM – 11:45 AM
The Business Case for Tech and Innovation

Hospitals are under significant financial pressure—so every dollar spent must deliver a measurable return. This panel will explore the financial calculus behind tech investments and reveal how digital transformation can drive efficiency and reduce costs. Experts from financially strong health systems will give advice for building a tech portfolio with an impressive ROI.

Moderator:

Alexis Kayser, Health Care Editor, Newsweek

Speakers:

Dr. David Callendar, CEO, Memorial Hermann Health System

James Hereford, President and CEO, Fairview Health Services

Brad Reimer, CIO, Sanford Health

11:45 AM – 12:00 PM
Fireside Chat: The Power of Patient-Centric Supply Chains

Moderator:

Kylie McCoy, Vice President, Brand Partnerships and Solutions, Newsweek

Speaker:

Peter Brereton, President and CEO, Tecsys

12:00 PM – 12:30 PM
CMIOs and CNIOs: The Missing Link in Change Management

Chief medical and nursing informatics officers play a critical role at their health systems, serving as a liaison between health care providers and the data they log and produce. Although most health systems struggle with change management, few have created a role to target the gap between IT and clinicians. In this presentation, CMIOs and CNIOs will explain their unique positions and share lessons they’ve learned from their vantage points.

Moderator:

Aman Kidwai, Workplaces Editor, Newsweek

Speakers:

Dr. Shawn Griffin, President and CEO, URAC

Dr. Gregg Nicandri, CMIO, University of Rochester Medical Center

Dr. Lavonia Thomas, Chief Nursing Informatics and Innovation Officer, MD Anderson

12:30 PM – 12:45 PM
State of the Industry – research presentation

Speakers:

Duncan Ross, Global Head of Research, Newsweek

Dr. Lukas Kwietniewski, Director of Health Care Analysis, Statista

12:45 PM – 1:30 PM
Lunch
1:30 PM – 1:45 PM
Fireside Chat with Palantir

From Pilots to Production: Operational AI That Actually Works

Moderator:

Kylie McCoy, Vice President, Brand Partnerships and Solutions, Newsweek

Speaker:

Drew Goldstein, Co- Head of Healthcare, Palantir

1:45 PM – 2:15 PM
The Next Era of Virtual and Home-Based Care

Virtual care was once an add-on for health systems—but now, it’s a strategic imperative. This panel will explore advancements in telehealth, hospital-at-home and remote patient monitoring from some of the best in the game. Leaders will also discuss the regulatory hurdles that executives should be aware of.

Moderator:

Alexis Kayser, Health Care Editor, Newsweek

Speakers:

Ed Banos, President and CEO, University Health

Dr. Nabil Chehade, Chief Clinical Transformation, Innovation and Strategy Officer, The MetroHealth System

Dr. Jesse Chusid, Chair of Radiology, Senior Vice President for Imaging Service Line, Northwell Health

2:15 PM – 2:30 PM
Case Study: Building a Digital Hub

Speaker:

Dr. Eric Alper, Chief Quality and Chief Clinical Informatics Officer, UMass Memorial Health

2:30 PM – 3:00 PM
AI: Fact, Fiction and Future

This panel will review AI advancements and best use cases, drawing from the experiences of leading health systems. It will also address the challenges of AI implementation and the most realistic possibilities for the future. Attendees should leave feeling like they can differentiate hype from reality, and like they’re “up-to-speed" on their peers’ AI strategies.

Moderator:

Gabriel Snyder, Editorial Director, Newsweek Nexus

Speakers:

Dr. Ashis Barad, Chief Digital and Technology Officer, Hospital for Special Surgery

Dr. Despina Kontos, Chief Research Information Officer, Columbia University Irvine Medical Center

Jason Lineen, Chief Strategy Officer, UVA Health

Joe Petro, Corporate VP, Microsoft Health and Life Sciences

3:00 PM – 3:15 PM
Networking Break
3:15 PM – 3:45 PM
Pacing Innovation: Balancing Governance, Risk and Progress

Health tech is moving fast, but health systems have a lot to consider before they keep pace. This panel will discuss how to vet, implement and scale new technologies without disrupting care teams or straining budgets. Leaders will also define “healthy risk” and explain how they approach it at their own systems.

Moderator:

Alexis Kayser, Health Care Editor, Newsweek

Speakers:

Aneesh Chopra, Chief Strategy Officer, Arcadia / First U.S. Chief Technology Officer under the Obama Administration

Dr. Daniel Yang, VP of AI and Emerging Technologies, Kaiser Permanente

Dr. Baligh Yehia, President, Jefferson Health

3:45 PM – 4:15 PM
CEO Circle Spotlight: Fostering Trust in the Digital Age

Trust has always been paramount to quality health care, but it is more important than ever as hospitals introduce new technology. Across the industry, stakeholders are recognizing that collaboration is key to successful data utilization and AI implementation. Individual organizations also must maintain transparency with patients and employees while piloting unfamiliar tools (some of which carry unknown risks).

This panel--featuring speakers from Newsweek's CEO Circle member organizations--will explore how hospitals and solutions providers can build trust with patients, health care professionals and one another in an era of increased data sharing and AI augmentation.

Moderator:

Alexis Kayser, Health Care Editor, Newsweek

Panelists: 

Allon Bloch, Co-Founder and CEO, K Health

Peter Dierickx, Chief Technology Officer, Maria Middelares

Delphine Groll, Co-Founder and COO, Nabla

4:15 PM – 4:20 PM
5 Things We've Learned and Closing Remarks
4:20 PM – 5:15 PM
Networking Reception

Hosted by Tecsys

Attendees Include:

The event takes place at Newsweek Headquarters 1 World Trade Center, 72nd Floor, New York, NY 10007

Questions? Message us at events@newsweek.com