Explore the transformative power of AI in healthcare and life sciences. Join hosts Applonia Cornolius and David Samwel from Salesforce's Health and Life Sciences Division as they dive into the journeys of industry leaders, uncover groundbreaking AI use cases, and envision the future of AI shaping innovation, patient outcomes, and business growth. Whether you're an executive, researcher, or tech enthusiast, this podcast offers insights and inspiration for leveraging AI to revolutionize healthcare and life sciences.
NYU’s Tony Antinori on EHR Consolidation, 'AI as a Judge,' and the End of the EHR Arms Race
Hosts Applonia Cornolius and David Samwel interview Tony Antinori, AVP of IT for Clinical Affairs at NYU Langone Health, about standardizing EHRs and leveraging AI for healthcare innovation.
30 Mar 2026TRANSCRIPT
Rewiring the Enterprise: The CTO’s Playbook for Governance, FinOps, and HLS with Bob Heyl
He’s back! In our most anticipated follow-up yet, Bob Heyl (CTO & Interim CDO of CareFirst) joins AI Explained to reveal why the "Pilot Era" of AI has officially ended. Bob pulls back the curtain on the evolution of his A³ Framework—the powerful convergence of AI, Automation, and Analytics—and explains why "soft" time-saving metrics are no longer enough to satisfy the business.
In this deep-dive, we explore:
The Shift to Hard ROI: How CareFirst is tieing AI directly to SG&A savings, medical cost curves, and recurring revenue.
The 4 Agentic Archetypes: A breakdown of how AI is being deployed as an Assistant, Coworker, Coach, and pure Automation .
Governance at the "Bright Line": Managing the non-negotiable consistency of medical policy while embracing risk-based, live-learning releases .
The 3D Chess of FinOps: Navigating the "science" of cloud costs versus the "brute force" reality of consumption-based AI pricing in a heterogeneous stack.
Whether you are an IT leader fighting "POC hell" or a business partner looking to redesign workflows from the ground up, Bob provides a masterclass in making AI a "northstar" for enterprise transformation rather than just another science project.
2 Mar 2026TRANSCRIPT
Blending Fintech Speed with Clinical Precision - DaVita’s Blueprint for High-Stakes AI with Madhu Narasimhan
What happens when you drop a fintech heavyweight into the center of the kidney care world?
In this episode, David Samwel and Applonia Cornolius sit down with Madhu Narasimhan, CIO of DaVita Kidney Care, to discuss the intersection of high-velocity digital transformation and life-saving clinical precision. With a career spanning Kaiser Permanente and Wells Fargo, Madhu brings a unique "fintech lens" to healthcare—demanding frictionless user experiences in an industry where there is no "undo" button for patient care.
We dive deep into:
The "Renal Codex": How DaVita leverages 30+ years of longitudinal data to build a clean, proprietary corpus for AI.
Predictive Intervention: The AI model currently reducing hospitalization rates by 25% by predicting when home-dialysis patients are at risk of non-adherence.
Radical Transparency: Why every clinical AI model at DaVita requires a sign-off from the Chief Medical Officer and a "human in the loop".
The Future of Care: Madhu’s surprising take on why robotics and humanoid assistants are the next frontier for outpatient care.
Whether you’re a technologist, a healthcare leader, or an AI strategist, this conversation offers a masterclass in moving fast without breaking things—because in healthcare, you can’t "return" a transaction.
2 Feb 2026TRANSCRIPT
Medicine at the Speed of Life with Dr Romi Chopra
Dr. Romi Chopra elucidates his Digital Nervous System strategy, which leverages the Salesforce ecosystem and Slack workflows to achieve a 459% ROI, emphasizing the importance of precision in healthcare logistics in this interview.
19 Jan 2026TRANSCRIPT
Navigating the Digital Currents: AI, Compliance, and the Future of Canadian Healthcare with Derek Quesnel
In this episode of AI Explained: Healthcare and Life Sciences, we sit down with Derek Quesnel, a Salesforce alum and professor who is redefining how patient data moves. Derek breaks down why Canadian healthcare is a "conservative ocean" and how his team at Blue Ocean CRM helps organizations implement AI agents in as little as 4 to 8 weeks while maintaining strict compliance with PHIPA and PIPEDA. From the "server room to the boardroom," learn how AI is moving beyond the hype to provide tangible outcomes for patients and providers
8 Dec 2025
How Verifiable's Cracking the Credentialing Crisis: 98% Efficiency Gains & The Trust Framework
Brett Dooies of Verifiable shares insights on applying safety culture principles from nuclear energy to healthcare credentialing, achieving significant efficiency gains through AI and automation in an interview.
24 Nov 2025TRANSCRIPT
Dreamforce Releases: Agenforce get's some BIG upgrades
Industry experts examine the latest Agentforce upgrades following Dreamforce, focusing on tools that prioritize trust, compliance, and scalability for Healthcare and Life Sciences organizations.
17 Oct 2025TRANSCRIPT
Ellery Fisher - How McKesson CIO is turning a 17-Day Process into 3 Minutes with AI & CRM
Ellery Fisher, SVP and CIO at McKesson Medical-Surgical, explores modernizing the healthcare supply chain through a unified approach to technology leadership and data organization, in this interview.
26 Sept 2025TRANSCRIPT
From Transactional to Continuous Care: Spring Health's human-centric AI Journey
Gijo Mathew, Chief Product Officer at Spring Health, discusses building ethical AI for mental healthcare and transforming transactional care into continuous service in an interview with David Samwel and Appolonia Cornolius.
12 Sept 2025TRANSCRIPT
The Mouth-Body Connection: How PDS Health utilizes AI to connect with their patients
David Baker, Chief Information and Digital Officer at PDS Health, explains how AI drives holistic patient care by connecting the mouth-body connection and transforming IT into an innovation engine.
5 Aug 2025TRANSCRIPT
The Hard Truth About AI in Pharma - With Dave Rosner
Dave Rosner, Global Life Sciences Customer Engagement Leader, discusses the overlooked realities of AI in the pharmaceutical industry, including solving business problems and shifting to decision-driven outcomes, in an interview.
12 Jun 2025TRANSCRIPT
Frank Defesche Breaks Down the AI Revolution in Pharma (and What Comes Next)
Frank Defesche, SVP at Salesforce, discusses the AI revolution within the pharmaceutical industry, focusing on AI agents and CRM, and shares insights on engagement models and data strategy in this interview.
22 May 2025TRANSCRIPT
Updesh Dosanjh on Reimagining Drug Safety: Why AI Is No Longer Optional
Host Updesh Dosanjh, Global Lead for Pharmacovigilance Technology Solutions at IQVIA, discusses how AI is essential for reimagining drug safety and shifting to proactive management.
2 May 2025TRANSCRIPT
How UChicago Medicine Is Reskilling for the AI Era—with CMO Andy Chang
Host [Host Name] interviews Chief Marketing Officer Andy Chang of UChicago Medicine about reskilling healthcare teams for an AI-driven future and modernizing patient engagement.
22 Apr 2025TRANSCRIPT
Inside “Health Chain”: How Baptist Health and Salesforce Built the Future of Healthcare Supply Chains with AI
George Godfrey, Chief Supply Chain Officer at Baptist Health South Florida, discusses how AI and Salesforce transformed their healthcare supply chain with the "Health Chain" solution, reducing backorder resolution times significantly.
2 Apr 2025TRANSCRIPT
Don’t Fear the Regulator: Marilyn McDonald on Turning Constraints into AI Strategy
In this episode of AI Trailblazers, we sit down with Marilyn McDonald (https://www.linkedin.com/in/marilynmcdonald/)—product leader, Moderna alum, and co-founder of Yokai Labs (https://www.linkedin.com/company/yokailab/)—to unpack how the best AI strategies in healthcare are often born from tight regulatory constraints.
Key takeaways:
✅ How Moderna scaled its COVID response
✅ Why compliance isn’t a blocker—it’s a design opportunity
✅ How to build AI that solves “the stuff that sucks”
✅ The magic wand test: why every AI project should start with a real human problem
Marilyn brings a rare blend of product discipline, AI insight, and real-world healthcare experience. If you work at the intersection of innovation and regulation, this episode is for you.
🔗 Learn more about Marilyn’s work:🎧 Podcast: Practical Product Management (https://www.practicalproductmanagementpodcast.com/)💼 LinkedIn: Marilyn McDonald (https://www.linkedin.com/in/marilynmcdonald/)🌐 Company: Yokai Labs (https://www.linkedin.com/company/yokailab/)
Episode Chapters:
00:00 – Intro: AI, Product Thinking & Regulated Innovation
02:05 – Scaling Moderna’s COVID Response
06:50 – Starting with the Problem (The Magic Wand Test)
10:30 – Don’t Fear the Regulator: Turning Constraints into Strategy
14:45 – AI and Product Design: Solving the Stuff That Sucks
19:10 – Building with Unstructured Data vs. Data Warehouses
22:00 – Final Takeaways: Design, Trust & Human-Centered AI
24:40 – Outro: Where to Find Marilyn McDonald
10 Mar 2025TRANSCRIPT
Johanna DeYoung on AI Agents – The New Workforce in Healthcare
🚀 AI agents are transforming healthcare—are you ready?
In this episode of AI Trailblazers, we sit down with Johanna DeYoung, Global Industry Lead for Healthcare & Life Sciences at Slalom, to explore how AI agents are reshaping the healthcare workforce, driving efficiency, and unlocking new possibilities.
🔹 What AI agents are—and why they matter for healthcare
🔹 How AI is redefining workforce roles and automating complex tasks
🔹 Why 90% of healthcare data goes unused—and how AI can fix it
🔹 The biggest AI-driven disruptions coming to healthcare & life sciences
🔹 How leaders can move beyond experimentation to real AI impact
With nearly two decades of experience, Johanna shares practical insights on integrating AI agents, overcoming adoption barriers, and driving meaningful change in healthcare.
💡 Want to connect with Johanna?
Find her on LinkedIn: Johanna DeYoung (https://www.linkedin.com/in/johannadeyoung/)
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Background on Ferries
00:56 Joanna DeYoung's Role and Insights on Healthcare
03:53 AI Trends and the Future of Healthcare
06:27 Generative AI vs. Agentic AI
09:13 Expectations and Challenges in AI Implementation
12:14 Flow Engineering and Process Optimization
14:58 The Role of Data in Healthcare
17:28 Unlocking Data for Clinical Trials
20:20 The Importance of Business Processes
23:04 The Future of AI in Healthcare
25:50 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
4 Feb 2025TRANSCRIPT
Bob Heyl Reveals How CareFirst is Using AI to Transform Healthcare
How is AI transforming healthcare and insurance? In this episode of the AI Trailblazers Podcast, hosts David Fung and David Samwel sit down with Bob Heyl, Chief Technology Officer at CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield (https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertheyl/), to explore how AI is driving digital transformation, intelligent automation, and operational efficiency in healthcare.
Bob shares insights on:
✅ How CareFirst is leveraging AI to streamline operations and enhance member experiences.
✅ The challenges of balancing AI innovation with regulatory compliance and data privacy.
✅ The evolving role of AI agents, automation, and governance in healthcare.
This is a must-listen for anyone looking to understand the intersection of AI, healthcare, and insurance—straight from a leader on the frontlines of digital transformation.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to AI in Healthcare
02:09 Care First's Digital Transformation Journey
03:53 Intelligent Automation and Productivity
07:45 AI Technologies and Their Applications
11:19 Responsible AI and Data Privacy
16:47 Overcoming Barriers in AI Implementation
22:49 Fostering a Learning Mindset in the Workforce
28:38 Exciting Trends in AI Technology
27 Jan 2025TRANSCRIPT
Trailblazing AI at Bayer with James Turner
In this episode of the AI Trailblazers podcast, David Fung (https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidfung2/) and David Samwel (https://www.linkedin.com/in/davesamma/) engage with James Turner (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesmturner/), a technology executive from Bayer, to discuss the transformative role of AI and digital technologies in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries.
James Turner draws from his extensive expertise in commercial IT and consumer health to share transformative insights on the evolving role of data, the pursuit of operational excellence, and advancements in personalized care. In this engaging discussion, he explores the delicate balance between maintaining compliance and safeguarding data privacy while leveraging AI to drive innovation. With a strong emphasis on collaboration and an unwavering curiosity, James highlights the critical factors propelling progress and shaping the future of the healthcare industry.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Background
02:59 Digital Transformation in Pharma
06:46 AI in Consumer Health and Operational Efficiency
10:07 Personalized Healthcare and AI Integration
12:06 Learning from Smaller Companies
16:57 AI Opportunities in R&D and Supply Chain
19:24 Rethinking Linear Processes in Pharma
21:16 The Role of Technology in Supply Chain Management
24:29 Balancing Data Privacy and Compliance in Pharma
32:16 Leveraging AI and Advanced Technologies
36:52 The Human Element in Problem Solving
Keywords
AI, digital transformation, healthcare, Bayer, consumer health, personalized care, data privacy, supply chain, R&D, technology
Inside a recent episode
NYU’s Tony Antinori on EHR Consolidation, 'AI as a Judge,' and the End of the EHR Arms Race
Published 18 May 2026 · Transcript excerpt
[…] What is your approach when thinking about, you know, duplicate data, unstructured data, thinking about a vector database? Like, what is your, I guess, approach so that you can actually, you know, experiment and actually use those AI use cases? Yeah. So I think one of the really key factors in being able to shape that here at NYU at least was the decision going way back as they first started to implement practices here was having one record across all of our institutions, all of our hospitals, all of our practices. And so the goal to standardize, you know, one patient record, one MRN, so that we're not trying to bring data in from 10, you know, different systems with 10 different MRNs and then having a golden record and trying to stitch it all together. […]
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