That is what makes the Digital Health & AI Innovation Summit (DHAI), taking place June 8-9 in Boston, distinctive within an increasingly competitive field of AI and innovation conferences. The Summit certainly offers a high-caliber program and noted speakers. However, its real value proposition beyond the agenda lies in the conversations and takeaways.

The carefully curated forum, organized by Amir Lahav, PhD, and World BI, is intentionally designed for a smaller community of roughly 500 attendees and more than 150 speakers and innovators. The result is that the connections become as valuable as the presentations.

That distinction matters more than many realize.

Artificial intelligence and digital health are moving at extraordinary speed. Health systems, pharmaceutical companies, regulators, investors and technology innovators are all trying to answer the same questions: How do we apply innovation responsibly while improving outcomes for patients and clinicians? How do we integrate AI into the R&D process? How can we leverage information technologies to accelerate the recruitment of the right people for clinical trials? The challenge is no longer simply technological capability. The challenge is implementation, governance and integration into the realities of care delivery.

Those questions are difficult to answer from the back row of a ballroom.

They are more likely to be explored over coffee between sessions, during a shared meal, or in quieter moments when people can challenge assumptions, exchange experiences and discuss what is actually working in health systems, research environments, and patient care settings.

That is where DHAI distinguishes itself.

The Power of Curated Expertise

What gives a conference enduring value is not only the quality of its speakers, but whether those speakers remain accessible enough to challenge assumptions, answer difficult questions and engage in unscripted dialogue. That is increasingly uncommon in modern health conferences, where influence often feels managed from a distance.

At DHAI, the proximity to the experience of 150 presenters is intentional.

The next era of health won’t be built in silos and it certainly won’t be forged by focusing on the hype. It requires leaders willing to share their failures alongside their successes, and their fears alongside their visions,” shares Amir Lahav, PhD, curator and DHAI organizer. “The DHAI Summit provides an exclusive, trusted space for these unfiltered conversations that rarely happen on public stages. This is an exclusive invitation to join the health AI  pioneers who are moving the needle and step into the room where the real trajectory of medicine is being shaped,” he adds.

For attendees seeking to understand how artificial intelligence is moving from experimentation to clinical reality, few conversations may prove more valuable than those surrounding the work of Dr. Dennis Wall at Stanford University. His groundbreaking efforts to apply AI to accelerate diagnostics, particularly in neurological and developmental conditions, reflect the growing intersection of machine learning and patient-centered medicine. In most settings, hearing someone like Wall speak might last 20 minutes. Here, the opportunity to continue the discussion between sessions may be equally important as the presentation itself.

The same can be said for leaders shaping the future of pharmaceutical innovation through AI. Thomas Fuchs, Chief AI Officer at Eli Lilly and Company, operates at the center of one of the most significant transformations underway in life sciences. His work integrating AI, pathology and drug discovery reflects how computational science is redefining therapeutic development. With pharmaceutical companies investing billions into AI-enabled research ecosystems, the ability to exchange perspectives directly with someone navigating those realities daily carries extraordinary value.

Precision medicine also takes on a more practical dimension through leaders such as John Axerio-Cilies, Chief Data and Technology Officer at Tempus AI. Tempus has become emblematic of how data science, oncology and artificial intelligence are beginning to reshape personalized medicine and diagnostics. Yet the real insight often comes not from keynote slides but from candid reflections on implementation challenges, physician adoption, workflow integration, and trust in AI-driven systems.

What also distinguishes the program is its recognition that health innovation no longer lives within traditional boundaries. Biology, computational science, organizational leadership and entrepreneurship are rapidly converging, creating entirely new expectations for how innovation enters the health ecosystem.

That reality becomes especially clear when considering trusted voices such as Tom Lawry, author of Hacking Healthcare and one of the most respected global advisors on AI strategy in health. For years, Lawry has argued that artificial intelligence alone cannot transform the delivery of care. Institutions themselves must evolve alongside technology. Leadership structures, workflow, culture and decision-making all become part of the innovation equation. His perspective reinforces an increasingly important truth: AI implementation is not fundamentally a technology challenge. It is a human challenge.

That same intersection between innovation and execution is reflected in the participation of Sally Ann Frank, Global Lead for Health & Life Sciences at Microsoft for Startups. Her work focuses on helping emerging companies move beyond promising ideas toward scalable and commercially viable solutions. Through strategy development, technical enablement and go-to-market support, she works directly with startups navigating the increasingly complex realities of AI, digital health and life sciences innovation. At a time when thousands of companies are entering the AI marketplace, Frank brings an unusually practical understanding of what separates experimentation from sustainable impact across the global health ecosystem.

The scientific and technical dimensions of the Summit are equally compelling. Arturo Loaiza-Bonilla, MD, MSEd, Co-Founder and Chief Medical AI Officer of Massive Bio, Network Chief of Hematology and Oncology at St. Luke’s University Health Network, whom I met recently during HITLAB Health Innovation Week in New York, champions an important evolution in medicine, where clinical leadership, oncology, data science and AI innovation are interconnected. His work sits at the intersection of precision medicine, clinical trials and responsible AI application, demonstrating how technology can expand access and support informed care decisions while keeping physicians and patients at the center of the experience.

The program also grounds innovation in the realities of patient care and health system operations. Through her leadership at NYC Health + Hospitals, Dr. Komal Bajaj has focused extensively on quality, equity and implementation within one of the nation’s largest public health systems. Her perspective introduces an important layer of realism into discussions that can sometimes become overly theoretical. AI may promise efficiency, but health systems must still ensure that innovation improves care delivery rather than complicates it.

That balance between aspiration and practicality is also reflected in leaders such as Lauren Li of Novartis, whose work in AI and innovation strategy demonstrates how global life sciences companies are integrating AI responsibly across research, development, and commercialization. The questions facing companies like Novartis are no longer whether AI will shape health innovation, but how to apply it responsibly while preserving scientific rigor and public trust.

Equally important to the DHAI agenda is the presence of Jeremy Walsh, Chief AI Officer at the Food and Drug Administration. At a moment when AI is moving rapidly into research, clinical decision support, diagnostics and operational health systems, regulatory leadership must provide oversight. FDA voice addresses a growing concern that innovation and governance cannot operate on separate tracks. The future of AI in health will depend not only on technological capability, but on transparency, accountability and safety. His perspective brings a policy and regulatory dimension to a conversation too often dominated by technology.

Taken together, these leaders represent more than expertise. They reflect the convergence of medicine, data science, biotechnology, health systems, patient engagement and policy. The global health ecosystem is entering a period in which barriers between disciplines are dissolving. Clinicians must understand data science. Technologists must better appreciate patient experience and the realities of workflow. Pharmaceutical leaders must think beyond molecules toward digital ecosystems and longitudinal patient engagement.

Why Human Connection Still Matters in the AI Era

That convergence changes the value of gatherings like this one. Large conferences often showcase these worlds side by side. Smaller curated forums create the possibility for those worlds to interact.

That dynamic is particularly important in digital health, where enthusiasm can sometimes outpace evidence. AI is neither a miracle nor a menace. It is a tool shaped by human intention, data quality and leadership. The most important conversations in AI and health today are not only about capability. They are about judgment.

How do we reduce physician burnout without depersonalizing medicine? How do we use predictive analytics responsibly? How do we ensure that innovation improves access rather than deepens disparities? How do we maintain trust while integrating increasingly autonomous technologies into patient care?

Those are conversations that require candor and mutual learning.

As someone attending and stepping to the stage during DHAI, I believe that may ultimately become its greatest differentiator. In health, relationships still matter. Communication still matters. Shared perspective still matters. Technology may accelerate insight, but human interaction remains essential to wisdom.

Health innovation does not advance through presentations alone. It advances through collaboration, challenge and conversation. Those exchanges between sessions often become the catalyst for strategies and unexpected ideas that continue long after this event comes to a close.

In a global health environment often defined by complexity, there is growing value in spaces where innovation feels ambitious and human. The DHAI appears designed to deliver that ROI.

The post The Value of Health AI Conferences Is No Longer the Stage. It’s the Hallway Conversation appeared first on Medika Life.

An operational model developed in Algeria may show a way that countries can make childhood vaccines more effective, more acceptable and more economical. It is a model that may provide a framework for middle-income countries across the globe, including many across the rest of Africa.

Six-in-one (or hexavalent) vaccines are cutting the number of clinic visits needed to prevent multiple life‑threatening infections and easing pressure on already stretched health systems. Growing economic evidence from Algeria and several Latin American countries suggests that while these vaccines may cost more upfront, the investment may be largely or entirely recovered through fewer appointments, streamlined logistics, and a reduction in cases of vaccine-preventable diseases and potential adverse events from vaccination. Yet the children who could benefit most – those living in low‑ and middle‑income countries are still the least likely to receive them, widening an avoidable gap between what modern vaccines can do and the protection children actually receive.

Most hexavalent vaccines save money in another way: they reduce the number of adverse events – side effects – that require treatment in a hospital or clinic. Acellular hexavalent vaccines include a type of protection against pertussis, or whooping cough, which is the gold standard for immunization in higher-income countries but has not yet been widely adopted beyond them.

With more than a decade of historical data supporting safety and efficacy, these acellular pertussis vaccines have a notable track record of improving vaccination coverage rates (VCR) and parents’ willingness to have their children protected, as they cause fewer painful adverse events [1].

Acellular pertussis (aP) vaccines are formulated using isolated antigens, which are purified and detoxified, thereby removing most of the components of the bacterium that cause undesirable reactions [2].

Most low- to middle-income countries still use whole-cell pertussis vaccines, which include a suspension of the entire inactivated Bordetella pertussis organism – some 3,000 antigens. Although the inclusion of far more antigens can result in a marginally higher immune response, the complexity of the vaccine leads to varying amounts of reaction-causing components between batches of vaccine and varying levels of protection [2].

The combination of more adverse events and variable efficacy means that developing countries bear a disproportionate share of the burden incurred through side effects. The side effects in children lead to an increased reluctance among parents to agree to future vaccines for their children and higher costs for the healthcare system. These problems often arise in healthcare systems that are inadequately equipped to deal with them.

Expert opinion from Algeria indicates that acellular hexavalent vaccination has improved vaccination coverage levels and simplified the vaccination schedule by reducing the number of appointments. It reduces the required number of immunization visits from ten to six. This eases pressure on overstretched health services, simplifies logistics and cold-chain management, and reduces indirect societal costs, including the time parents spend away from work.

Algeria is the third WHO African region country to adopt the acellular hexavalent vaccine into its national immunization schedule. Economic data from those countries and several in Latin America demonstrate that a rollout of the vaccine across African countries is not only possible but also economically advantageous [3,4,5,6].

Algeria’s vaccination metrics: an operational model for success

Vaccines have transformed child health in Algeria, as they have across the world. Since the initial introduction of vaccination in Algeria, followed by sustained efforts to expand the vaccination schedule, infant mortality rates have dropped dramatically from 163 per 1,000 live births in 1966 to 20 per 1,000 in 2023, a reduction of around 87% [7].

The percentage of children protected in Algeria has exceeded the targets set by the World Health Organization (WHO) for decades, with diphtheria, tetanus toxoid and pertussis (DTP) coverage consistently above 90% [8]. As in many countries, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted healthcare systems, leading to a decline in vaccination rates, with DTP-3 coverage, a key measure of childhood vaccination, reduced to 77% in 2022 [9]. This situation was quickly improved, with coverage increasing to 92% by 2024 [9].

In 2022, three cases of polio caused by circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 were reported [10]. Rarely, the circulating vaccine-derived virus causes polio, highlighting the necessity of timely vaccination with IPV, with which these vaccine-derived cases do not occur [11].

The shift to hexavalent vaccination

Algeria’s shift from its former schedule to hexavalent vaccination was not a straightforward process. Initially, the five-in-one (or pentavalent) vaccine was replaced by a combination of the tetravalent vaccine (DTP-Hib) and the monovalent Hepatitis B vaccine (HBV), administered across 10 separate healthcare visits, necessitating additional appointments [12].

The change in the vaccination schedule resulted in delays in dose administration and a decrease in vaccination coverage. This issue was resolved with the introduction of the new schedule, which integrated an acellular hexavalent vaccine in 2023, reducing the number of required healthcare visits to six [13].

While polio vaccination was present in the previous schedule (with one IPV dose at 3 months and 3 OPV doses at 2, 4, and 12 months), inclusion as part of a hexavalent vaccine simplified the schedule (giving three doses of IPV at 2, 4, and 12 months associated with three OPV doses), helping to maintain the global strategy for polio eradication. The WHO recommends that all countries using OPV adopt a vaccination schedule with at least two doses of inactivated vaccine, which gives individual protection without the risk of vaccine-related polio [14].

The financial metrics of the switch

A recent whitepaper conducted a pharmacoeconomic analysis of the budgetary impact of transitioning from a whole-cell tetravalent vaccination schedule to an acellular hexavalent schedule. While the switch was associated with an increase in annual program expenditure of approximately 26 million Euros (around a 58% rise in upfront costs), this was substantially offset by nearly 19 million Euros in annual savings generated through the management of adverse events, improved logistics and transportation, and increased parental productivity [13]. Overall, roughly 73% of the upfront cost was offset by these savings.

Algeria is the latest in a series of examples where this is the case. The nominal, upfront cost of acellular hexavalent vaccines is typically higher than that of whole-cell vaccines; this has, in many cases, deterred countries from adopting them. However, there are many benefits at both the economic and systemic levels that recoup much of the costs of acellular hexavalent vaccines. In many instances, these costs are hidden and not factored into initial value calculations.

Similar experiences have been seen in other countries. In Argentina, Peru, and South Africa, the switch to hexavalent vaccines led to higher initial costs, but these were substantially offset by savings from fewer adverse events, lower programmatic expenses, and improved logistics. For example, in data from Argentina, roughly 90% of the initial investment into acellular hexavalent vaccines was recovered through fewer adverse event-associated costs and lower programmatic costs [15]. Peru reported a reduction in logistical costs by nearly 60%, with roughly 44% of the initial increase in costs recovered [16]. South Africa achieved overall savings of about 10 USD per child [3].

These calculations overlook benefits that are more difficult to quantify. For example, what costs are generated because of vaccines missed and infections caused by increased vaccine hesitancy on the part of parents. Across these settings, the higher upfront investment in hexavalent vaccines has proven to be economically viable, with much of the cost recouped through broader system efficiencies.

Programmatic benefits of hexavalent vaccination

Hexavalent vaccination offers the potential for simpler systems and higher levels of acceptance among patients. For the child, integrating six antigens into a single injection drastically reduces the number of needle sticks, alleviating injection-related anxiety and the prevalence of local reactions. This increases parental acceptance and helps to improve vaccination coverage.

Parents are relieved of the burden of coordinating multiple medical appointments, covering travel costs, and dealing with lost workdays. By reducing parental anxiety and the strain of repeated visits, combined vaccines help mitigate vaccine hesitancy within communities. This has been demonstrated in multiple studies across Africa, with investigations in Gambia and South Africa documenting concerns among parents about a child receiving more than two injections in a single visit [17,18]. Limiting the number of healthcare visits is also a crucial factor in increasing vaccine coverage in areas with limited healthcare infrastructure, such as those in rural southern Algeria.

For healthcare professionals, particularly in resource-limited settings such as rural areas in Africa, the adoption of combined vaccines helps to ease the administrative burden of multiple appointments. These formulations optimize consultation efficiency by drastically reducing the required administration time and simplifying inventory management [19].

The use of ready-to-use liquid vaccines, such as the hexavalents, has been shown to simplify and enhance the safety of the vaccination procedure when compared to vaccines that come as a powder that has to be reconstituted [20]. The preference for this approach among frontline workers is overwhelming: one study indicated that 97.6% of healthcare providers favored these liquid, combined formulations in their daily work [21]. Evidence supports this preference, demonstrating that the switch led to a dramatic reduction in administration errors (from 42.8% to 4%) and needlestick injuries (from 42.3% to 9.5%), while also yielding an average time savings of 1.1 minutes per dose [22].

The case for Hexavalent vaccination across Africa

Across the WHO Africa region, VCR has improved significantly over the last few decades; however, unfortunately, this improvement has stalled. The level of coverage for the third dose of DTP-containing vaccines, a standard benchmark for immunization system performance, has sat in the mid-70s for over a decade, with a current coverage of 76% [23].

This stagnation of the VCR is reflective of the ongoing issue of inequality. The gap in vaccine access runs not only between Africa and higher‑income regions, but also within the continent itself, where some countries consistently outperform others. Diseases, however, do not recognize borders; any outbreak that affects one country is likely to increase the risk to surrounding countries. Air travel enables a disease case to be spread to virtually any country in the world within just two days [24].

The COVID-19 pandemic was a clear example of the rapid spread in today’s world. Within a period of weeks, the virus spread from its origin in China to the entire globe, despite public health measures and lockdowns. With this in mind, any country that is falling behind on vaccination coverage becomes a weak link in a global chain where diseases can flourish and form reservoirs of cases that can allow diseases such as polio to spread unchecked.

Bringing vaccine equity to lower- and middle-income countries is therefore vital to addressing global health concerns. Hexavalent vaccination has demonstrated its ability to increase vaccine coverage in these countries. Among the WHO Africa region, Mauritius, which adopted hexavalent vaccination in 2017 [4] currently stands notably above the average for the region, with 96% coverage for the first dose of inactivated polio vaccine, and 93% for the benchmark based on DTP-containing vaccines [25].

Vaccine coverage translates into increased prosperity. Vaccination cannot be viewed as an inconvenient expense but as an investment. The WHO estimates that for every dollar spent, vaccination can yield a return on investment of around 54 USD – provided, of course, that the vaccines actually find their way into the arms of children [26].

As the Algerian case study demonstrates, higher upfront costs for acellular hexavalent      vaccines are often paid back by improvements in logistical efficiency, reduced healthcare burdens, and improved parental compliance. By bridging the gap between high- and low-income immunization standards through this investment, the life-saving benefits of gold standard vaccinations can become more than a privilege of geography, but a universal foundation for human health.

[This consensus paper is based on the findings of a white paper discussing the findings of a group of vaccination experts focusing on paediatric immunisation, supported by Sanofi. Intended for professional use.]

Reference list

1. Boisnard, F., Manson, C., Serradell, L., & Macina, D. (2023). DTaP-IPV-HB-Hib vaccine (Hexaxim): an update 10 years after first licensure. Expert Review of Vaccines, 22(1), 1196–1213. https://doi.org/10.1080/14760584.2023.2280236
2. World Health Organization (2017) The immunological basis for immunization series: module 4: pertussis, update 2017. Available at: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/the-immunological-basis-for-immunization-series-module-4-pertussis-update-2017
3. Batson A, Glassman A, Federgruen A, et al. The world needs to prepare now to prevent polio resurgence post eradication. BMJ Global Health. 2022;7(12):e011485. doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2022-011485
4. ReliefWeb. Hexavalent vaccine: less injections and more protection babies. Available at: https://reliefweb.int/report/mauritius/hexavalent-vaccine-less-injections-and-more-protection-babies
5. Olivera, I., Grau, C., Dibarboure, H. et al. Valuing the cost of improving Chilean primary vaccination: a cost minimization analysis of a hexavalent vaccine. BMC Health Serv Res 20, 295 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-020-05115-7
6. Romero M, Góngora D, Caicedo M. Cost-Minimization and Budget Impact Analysis of a Hexavalent Vaccine (Hexaxim®) in the Colombian Expanded Program on Immunization

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7. World Bank Data. Available at: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.IMRT.IN?locations=DZ
8. World Health Organization. Immunization data: African region. Available at: https://immunizationdata.who.int/dashboard/regions/african-region/DZA
9. World Health Organization.  DTP vaccination coverage. Available at: https://immunizationdata.who.int/global/wiise-detail-page/diphtheria-tetanus-toxoid-and-pertussis-(dtp)-vaccination-coverage?CODE=DZA&ANTIGEN=DTPCV3&YEAR=
10. GPEI – Algeria. Available at https://www.archive.polioeradication.org/where-we-work/algeria/
11. Global Polio Eradication Initiative. GPEI-OPV. polio global eradication initiative . Published 2016. Available at: https://polioeradication.org/polio-today/polio-prevention/the-vaccines/opv/           
12. Practical Implementation Guide for the 2016 National Immunization Schedule in Algeria. Available at: https://cnpm.org.dz/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Guide_Pratique_de_Mise_en_Oeuvre_du_Nouveau_Calendrier_Natio-1.pdf
13. Laichour A, Kihel M, Aissaoui A, Olivera G. Pharmacoeconomic evaluation of national immunization program realisation in Algeria: cost-minimization analysis of switch from DTwP-Hib + HBV + IPV to an acellular hexavalent (DTaP-HBV-Hib-IPV) vaccine. Poster presented at: ISPOR Europe 2023; November 2023; Copenhagen, Denmark. Value in Health. 2023;26(Suppl 2):S2-EE134.
14. WHO Polio Position Paper 2022. Available at: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/WHO-WER9725-277-300  
15. Olivera, I., Pérez, C.G., Lazarov, L. et al. Cost minimization analysis of a hexavalent vaccine in Argentina. BMC Health Serv Res 23, 1067 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-023-10038-0
16. Seinfeld J, Rosales ML, Sobrevilla A, López Yescas JG. Economic assessment of incorporating the hexavalent vaccine as part of the National Immunization Program of Peru. BMC Health Serv Res. 2022 May 16;22(1):651. doi: 10.1186/s12913-022-08006-1. PMID: 35570278; PMCID: PMC9109284.
17. Idoko OT, Hampton LM, Mboizi RB, et al. Acceptance of multiple injectable vaccines in a single immunization visit in The Gambia pre and post introduction of inactivated polio vaccine. Vaccine. 2016;34(41):5034-5039. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2016.07.021
18. Hanani Tabana, Dudley L, Knight S, et al. The acceptability of three vaccine injections given to infants during a single clinic visit in South Africa. BMC Public Health. 2016;16(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-016-3324-2
19. Pelissier JM, Coplan PM, Jackson LA, May JE. The effect of additional shots on the vaccine administration process: results of a time-motion study in 2 settings. Am J Manag Care. 2000 Sep;6(9):1038-44.
20. Al-Bashir L, Ismail A, Aljunid SM. Parents‘ and healthcare professionals’ perception toward the introduction of a new fully liquid hexavalent vaccine in the Malaysian national immunization program: a cross-sectional study instrument development and its application. Front Immunol. 2023;14:1052450.
21. De Coster I, Fournie X, Faure C, Ziani E, Nicolas L, Soubeyrand B, Van Damme P. Assessment of preparation time with fully-liquid versus non-fully liquid paediatric hexavalent vaccines. A time and motion study. Vaccine. 2015;33(32):3976–82.
22. Esteve IC, Fernández PF, Palacios SL, Rodrı́guez MJ, Vino HP, Ortega BR, Nieto Nevot ML, Manch´on GD, L´opez-Belmonte J-L. Health care professionals’ preference for a fully liquid, ready-to-use hexavalent vaccine in Spain. Prev Med Rep. 2021;22:101376.
23. World Health Organization. Immunization data: African region. Available at: https://immunizationdata.who.int/dashboard/regions/african-region
24. Findlater A, Bogoch II. Human Mobility and the Global Spread of Infectious Diseases: A Focus on Air Travel. Trends Parasitol. 2018 Sep;34(9):772-783. doi: 10.1016/j.pt.2018.07.004. Epub 2018 Jul 23. PMID: 30049602; PMCID: PMC7106444.
25. World Health Organization. Immunization data: Mauritius. Available at: https://immunizationdata.who.int/dashboard/regions/african-region/MUS
26. World Health Organization (2025) Fully funded Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, is a lifeline for child survival, says WHO. Available at: https://www.who.int/news/item/28-03-2025-fully-funded-gavi–the-vaccine-alliance–is-a-lifeline-for-child-survival–says-who

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From court decisions, recent analysis challenging vaccine skepticism polling results, and congressional testimony, the past month reflects a vindication of the value of immunization, scientific advancement and plain old common sense over ideology-based medical beliefs untethered from clinical evidence.

It would be nice to think that cooler heads have prevailed and we are seeing a return to science-backed decisions guiding American vaccine policy. But the reality is that a resurgent defense of immunization practices may be driven by two bigger forces: measles and midterms.

As I wrote five years ago, disease can be a powerful change agent. Thanks to the ultra-high effectiveness of the measles vaccine to prevent measles outbreaks, an entire generation of kids, parents and healthcare providers had never seen the disease or knew what kind of devastation it could bring. With measles out of sight and out of mind, it was easy for a small band of vocal critics to cast doubt on the value of the measles vaccine. Instead of building on a culture of collective action against disease, we allowed that small band of critics to grow into a chorus of public health freeloaders.

Measles had other ideas. With our weakening herd immunity – a result of declining vaccination rates – it didn’t take much for the virus to quickly reintroduce itself. Since the start of the year, there have been more than 1,700 cases of infection across 19 outbreaks throughout the country. We haven’t seen case numbers this high in 35 years. And if the deaths of American children from measles aren’t tragic enough, we are now on the verge of losing our status of officially eliminating measles. As a preeminent leader in immunology science, it is a startling embarrassment for the U.S. to accept this public health defeat.

Americans of all political stripes now seem to be paying attention. Following a decade of significant decline in vaccination, particularly among Republicans, there now is a push to back away from hardline anti-vaccine rhetoric ahead of the midterm elections. It’s easy to see why: at a time when measles outbreaks are a highly visible example of failed policy by the incumbent ruling party, politicians are not willing to risk being associated with practices that are out of step with the direction in which most U.S. voters want to go.

It’s telling that 66% of MAGA voters support vaccination as a requirement for kids to attend school. The measles outbreak has done a lot to educate people on the value of vaccines, which may be one reason why last week’s congressional testimony by RFK Jr., in which he was forced to admit that the measles vaccine is both safe and effective, and the timely appointment of Dr. Erica Schwartz, a physician and vaccine supporter, to lead the CDC may reflect the political liability posed by alternative vaccine doctrine in the months leading up to the midterm elections.

With growing distrust in federal vaccine messaging, there is a vacuum of credible sources for Americans to turn to for vaccine guidance. That void may actually be an opportunity in disguise for vaccine communicators.

Health care providers, including pharmacists, are still the most trusted source for reliable vaccine information: 4 out of 5 Americans look to these professionals to provide the right mix of personalized, empathetic communication with credible safety and efficacy information. Their stories can carry the power of connection, compassion and candor that we need right now.

Vaccination may seem like a black and white decision for a lot of us, but health care providers know that many parents need help navigating the gray areas. How we tell those stories – and who tells them – is essential to strengthening the national conversation around immunization.

Working more closely together, vaccine makers, innovators in antibody science, medical institutions and non-profit advocacy groups can create more compelling, unified communications that reach people when they are closest to making immunization decisions. This can be done by leveraging the voices of medical professionals to convey the emotional value of protecting our children against preventable disease instead of defaulting to statistics-heavy, complex messaging; pulling those stories through in coordinated media and policymaker engagement; and linking back to credible research sources that feature more prominently in online searches.

If the current measles epidemic in the U.S. is a crisis of our own making, it’s our responsibility to leverage the harsh health and economic lessons from this experience. We must act, not for the political convenience of the midterm elections, but to create better, more durable immunization policies and communications that again can unite Americans against our common disease enemies.

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Early in the book, Nosta writes, “The solved can never touch the whole.”  That line lingers. It captures the essence of his argument. AI can solve, generate, synthesize, and accelerate. Yet something about the human experience of thinking, the struggle, the friction, the meaning-making, exists beyond resolution.

This tension defines the book. It is not anti-technology. Nosta is deeply engaged with AI and candid about its value. He describes large language models as tools that “move faster and connect more disparate concepts than our minds could ever manage on their own.”  He is equally clear that this capability introduces a subtle risk. We may begin to outsource not just tasks, but thought itself.

That distinction matters more than many may be willing to admit.

From Tools to Thought

One of the most compelling contributions of The Borrowed Mind is its framing of AI not as the next step in computing, but as a turning point in cognition. Nosta traces a clear arc. Gutenberg unlocked words. Google unlocked facts. AI, he argues, is unlocking thought. 

That progression is elegant, yet also unsettling. Words and facts could be externalized without fundamentally altering the structure of human reasoning. Thought is different. It is intimate. It is identity. It is how we become.

Nosta reminds us that thinking once required effort, a type of natural friction that created sparks of innovation. “The distance between question and answer created space for our discernment.”  Within that space, judgment formed, curiosity deepened, and understanding took root.

AI compresses that distance. It removes friction. It delivers coherence with remarkable speed.  One of the book’s most important insights emerges here. Coherence is not the same as understanding.

Nosta introduces the concept of “anti-intelligence,” describing it as “fluency without understanding. Coherence without experience.”  AI does not think. It mirrors the structure of thinking. It produces language that resembles reasoning without sharing its origin.

In health, where evidence, interpretation, and judgment must coexist, this distinction is not academic. It is operational. It shapes how clinicians trust tools, how leaders deploy them, and how patients ultimately experience care.

The Seduction of the Socratic Mirror

One of the most original sections of the book is Nosta’s description of the “Socratic Mirror.” He draws a parallel between classical dialogue and modern AI interaction. Socrates asked questions to surface the truth. AI, in a different way, reflects our thinking back to us, reframed, extended and sometimes clarified.

Nosta writes that the model “…does not tell me what to think but creates the conditions under which my own thinking could deepen.” This is where the book moves beyond critique and into possibility.

Used well, AI becomes a cognitive partner. It expands perspective, accelerates exploration, and invites iteration. In clinical research, patient engagement, and system design, this capacity holds enormous promise.

Nosta does not romanticize the relationship. He recognizes its asymmetry. The model has no interior life. It does not ponder. It does not carry consequence. It does not bear responsibility. That responsibility remains human.

Rethinking the Fear of Displacement

A persistent anxiety runs beneath every conversation about AI. Many fear it will become a job slayer, a force that displaces rather than elevates human contribution. That concern is understandable, yet not new.

Every meaningful advance in technology has reshaped how people work. The wheel did not eliminate labor. It redefined movement. The stethoscope did not replace physicians. It extended their ability to listen and interpret. The tollbooth transponder did not end transportation roles. It changed the flow and focus of human involvement. Each innovation shifted roles, demanded new skills, and expanded what people could do.  AI belongs in that lineage.

What distinguishes this moment is not the elimination of work, but the redistribution of cognitive effort. The real risk is not that machines will think for us, but that people may become less inclined to think for themselves. Nosta’s warning is subtle yet profound. Surrendering curiosity, judgment, and reflection to systems that generate answers with ease risks dulling the very faculties that define human intelligence.

This is why The Borrowed Mind is such an important read at this moment. It does not dismiss concerns around job displacement. It reframes it. The central challenge is not protecting roles as they exist today, but strengthening the uniquely human capacities no system can replicate. Creativity, discernment, ethical reasoning, and the ability to navigate ambiguity are not diminished by AI. They become more essential.

The book offers reassurance without complacency. The future of work will favor those who sharpen their thinking, engage deeply with ideas, and remain active participants in their own intellectual development. The machine is not the adversary. Neglecting the development of one’s own mind is a danger.

Composite Intelligence and the Limits of the Machine

Nosta introduces “composite intelligence” to describe the interaction between human and machine cognition. Composite does not mean blended into sameness. It means distinct contributions working in concert. The model brings speed and breadth. The human brings depth.

This triad becomes one of the most useful frameworks in this book. AI excels in velocity and scale. Depth, the slow transformation of understanding, remains human. As Nosta writes, “Models do not ponder.” 

In health, this distinction is profound. Data can inform. Algorithms can suggest. The act of deciding, especially in moments of uncertainty, requires something more. It requires what Nosta elevates as the defining human contribution. Virtue.

Drawing on Aristotle’s concept of practical wisdom, Nosta reminds us that judgment is forged through experience, consequence, and accountability. A model can generate options. It cannot live with outcomes.

This is where the book resonates most deeply for those working in health. Intelligence is becoming abundant. Discernment is becoming scarce and, therefore, more valuable.

The Risk of the Borrowed Mind

The book’s title is not metaphorical. It is a warning. Nosta argues that as engagement with AI deepens, internal dialogue begins to change. The model becomes a cognitive tuning fork, subtly shaping how questions are framed, how ideas are explored, and how answers are anticipated. This dynamic is not inherently negative. It can elevate thinking, accelerate learning, and make complex domains more accessible. Dependency remains the concern.

Reliance on generated thought risks weakening the muscle of original thinking. Access can be mistaken for understanding. Individuals may become, in Nosta’s words, “cognitive clones.” 

This concern is particularly relevant in health ecosystems already strained by time, complexity, and administrative burden. The temptation to offload cognitive work will be strong. The discipline to remain intellectually engaged will be essential.

A Book About AI That Is Not About AI

What makes The Borrowed Mind stand apart is that it is not ultimately about technology. It is about humanity. Nosta writes, “This book is not really about technology. It is about you.”  That idea anchors this work.

Readers are challenged to consider what it means to remain “the authors of our own minds.”  Not passive recipients of generated insight, but active participants in meaning-making.

This question sits at the center of the health ecosystem’s future. As AI becomes embedded in clinical workflows, research, and patient engagement, the issue is not whether it will improve efficiency. It will.

The deeper question is whether it will deepen humanity or dilute it. Will it create space for clinicians to think more deeply, connect more meaningfully, and act more wisely? Or will it create a system that values speed over reflection, output over understanding, and coherence over truth?

Nosta offers no simple answers. He offers a framework for asking better questions.

The post “The Borrowed Mind” – Reclaiming Thought in an Age That Wants to Do It For Us appeared first on Medika Life.

This story also ran on NBC News. See below.

West Virginia’s Public Employees Insurance Agency enrolls nearly 215,000 people — state workers, as well as their spouses and dependents. The new law, which will take effect June 10, will allow plan members who have been approved for a course of treatment to pursue an alternative, medically appropriate treatment of equal or lesser value without the need for another approval from the state-based health plan.

“This legislation is rooted in a simple principle: if a treatment has already been approved, patients should be able to pursue a medically appropriate alternative without being forced to start the process over again — especially when it does not cost more,” Gov. Patrick Morrisey said in a statement after signing the bill into law on March 31.

“This is about common sense, compassion, and trusting patients and their doctors to make the best decisions for their care,” he said.

Delegate Laura Kimble, the Republican from Harrison County who introduced the legislation, told KFF Health News the measure offers “a rational solution” for patients facing “the most irrational and chaotic time of their lives.”

From Arizona to Rhode Island, at least half of all state legislatures have taken up bills this year related to prior authorization, a process that requires patients or their medical team to seek approval from an insurer before proceeding with care. These state efforts come as patients across the country await relief from prior authorization hurdles, as promised by dozens of major health insurers in a pledge announced by the Trump administration last year.

The West Virginia law was inspired by Eric Tennant, a coal-mining safety instructor from Bridgeport who died on Sept. 17 at age 58. In early 2025, the Public Employees Insurance Agency repeatedly denied him coverage of a $50,000 noninvasive cancer treatment, called histotripsy, that would have used ultrasound waves to target, and potentially shrink, the largest tumor in his liver. His family didn’t expect the procedure to eradicate the cancer, but they hoped it would buy him more time and improve his quality of life. The insurer said the procedure wasn’t medically necessary and that it was considered “experimental and investigational.”

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After Series of Denials, His Insurer Approved Doctor-Recommended Cancer Care. It Was Too Late.

Eric Tennant’s doctors recommended histotripsy, which would target, and potentially destroy, a cancerous tumor in his liver. But by the time his insurer approved the treatment, Tennant was no longer considered a good candidate. He died in September. Read More

Becky Tennant, Eric’s widow, told members of a West Virginia House committee in late February that she submitted medical records, expert opinions, and data as part of several attempts to appeal the denial. She also reached out to “almost every one of our state representatives,” asking for help.

Nothing worked, she told lawmakers, until KFF Health News and NBC News got involved and posed questions to the Public Employees Insurance Agency about Eric’s case. Only then did the insurer reverse its decision and approve histotripsy, Tennant said.

“But by then, the delay had already done its damage,” she said.

Within one week of the reversal in late May, Eric Tennant was hospitalized. His health continued to decline, and by midsummer he was no longer considered a suitable candidate for the procedure. “The insurance company’s decision did not simply delay care. It closed doors,” his wife said.

Had the new law been in effect, Kimble said, Tennant could have undergone histotripsy without preapproval, because it was a less expensive alternative to chemotherapy, which his insurer had already authorized. The bill was passed unanimously by the state legislature in March.

U.S. health insurers argue that most prior authorization requests are quickly, if not instantly, approved. AHIP, the health insurance industry trade group, says prior authorization acts as an important guardrail in preventing potential harm to patients and reducing unnecessary health care costs. But denials and delays tend to affect patients who need expensive, time-sensitive care, studies have shown.

The practice has come under intense scrutiny in recent years, particularly after the fatal shooting of a health insurance executive in New York City in late 2024. Americans rank prior authorization as their biggest burden when it comes to getting health care, according to a poll published in February by KFF, a health information nonprofit that includes KFF Health News.

Samantha Knapp, a spokesperson for the West Virginia Department of Administration, would not answer questions about the law’s financial impact on the state. “We prefer to avoid any speculation at this time regarding potential impact or actions,” Knapp said.

In a fiscal note attached to the bill, Jason Haught, the Public Employees Insurance Agency’s chief financial officer, said the law would cost the agency an estimated $13 million annually and “cause member disruption.”

West Virginia isn’t an outlier in targeting prior authorization. By late 2025, 48 other states, in addition to the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, already had some form of a prior authorization law — or laws — on the books, according to a report published in December by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.

Many states have set up “gold carding” programs, which allow physicians with a track record of approvals to bypass prior authorization requirements. Some states establish a maximum number of days insurance companies are allowed to respond to requests, while others prohibit insurance companies from issuing retrospective denials after a service has already been preauthorized. There are also a crop of new state laws seeking to regulate the use of artificial intelligence in prior authorization decision-making.

Meanwhile, prior authorization bills introduced this year across the country, including in Kentucky, Missouri, and New Jersey, have been supported by politicians from both parties.

“Republicans in conservative states see health care as a vulnerability for the midterm elections, and so, unsurprisingly, you’ll see some action on this,” said Robert Hartwig, a clinical associate professor of risk management, insurance, and finance at the University of South Carolina. “They realize that they’re not really going to get much action at the federal level given the degree of gridlock we’ve already seen.”

Last summer, the Trump administration announced a pledge signed by dozens of health insurers vowing to reform prior authorization. The insurers promised to reduce the scope of claims that require preapproval, decrease wait times, and communicate with patients in clear language when denying a request.

Consumers, patient advocates, and medical providers have expressed skepticism that companies will follow through on their promises.

Becky Tennant is skeptical, too. That’s why she advocated for the West Virginia bill.

“Families should not have to beg, appeal, or go public just to access time-sensitive care,” she told lawmakers. Tennant, who sees the bill’s passage as bittersweet, said she thought her husband would have been proud.

During Eric’s final hospital stay, Tennant recalled, right before he was discharged to home hospice care, she asked him whether he wanted her to keep fighting to change the state agency’s prior authorization process.

“‘Well, you need to at least try to change it,’” she recalled her husband saying. “‘Because it’s not fair.’”

“I told him I would keep trying,” she said, “at least for a while. And so I am keeping that promise to him.”

—–

NBC News health and medical unit producer Jason Kane and correspondent Erin McLaughlin contributed to this report. KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF — the independent source for health policy research, polling, and journalism.

The post After Man’s Death Following Insurance Denials, West Virginia Tackles Prior Authorization appeared first on Medika Life.

Health systems are not stepping into artificial intelligence from a place of calm or control. In the United States, spending now exceeds $4.5 trillion, with a significant share tied up in administrative work that adds complexity more than clarity. Clinicians are caring for more patients, navigating more data and making more decisions under pressure than ever before. The system is stretched. Artificial intelligence is entering at a moment when change is no longer a choice.

The discussion drew on the experience of three leaders who are not observing this shift. They are guiding it. Hal Wolf leads HIMSS, influencing digital health policy and implementation across more than 100 countries. Isaac Kohane, MD, PhD, Chair of Biomedical Informatics at Harvard Medical School, has spent four decades defining how data informs clinical care. Ran Balicer, MD, Chief Innovation Officer at Clalit Health Services, operates within one of the world’s most integrated health systems, where data and care are aligned across generations.

These are not just star panelists. They are system-wide architects.  What emerged from the hour-long conversation was not what artificial intelligence can do. It was a recognition that it is already doing more than most systems are prepared to guide and govern.

Dr. Kohane captured the tension immediately. “I think that we have to worry about the fact that we’re going both too slow and too fast.”

That statement reflects a reality many leaders feel but rarely express. Governance takes time because it must. Patient safety, validation and accountability require structure. Practice moves in real time. Clinicians do not have the luxury of waiting for perfect systems.

“They’re so desperate to do right by their patients to use other resources,” Dr. Kohane adds.

That instinct is not a weakness. It reflects a commitment to doing what is right for the patient. When clinicians turn to external AI tools, they are seeking clarity, speed, and confidence in their decisions. Artificial intelligence is already present at the point of care, shaping how physicians assess information, validate thinking, and move forward. The system is not adopting AI. The system is catching up.

This creates a condition that is difficult to measure and even harder to manage. Different clinicians use different ChatGPT platforms. Those tools produce different answers. Different assumptions shape those answers. Over time, consistency erodes. The system begins to operate with multiple definitions of truth (and the risk of varied outcomes).

Dr. Kohane’s warning is not about misuse. It is about misguided permanence. “The worst outcome will be if the worst parts of medicine get concrete poured over it, by AI.”

Artificial intelligence does not fix a system; without leadership, it accelerates the integration of incorrect assumptions. If workflows are inefficient, they become more efficiently inefficient. If bias exists in data, it becomes more precise. If fragmentation defines care, it scales.

This is not a failure of technology. It is a mirror held up to system-wide leadership.

Hal Wolf, among the health sector’s leading policy and operational voices, grounded this moment in proven experience. Health care has seen this pattern before. When internet connectivity entered hospitals, clinicians moved faster than governance. They created access where it was needed. Systems responded later. Risks were discovered after adoption.

Artificial intelligence now follows that same trajectory, though at far greater speed and with far greater consequences. Web connectivity gave quick access to information. Artificial intelligence influences how that information is interpreted and acted upon.

“We have to go faster,” Mr. Wolf said. “But there needs to be structure around it.”

That is the leadership challenge of this moment. Speed without structure creates exposure. Structure without speed creates irrelevance. The tension between the two is not something to resolve. It is something to manage continuously.

The industry has predictably responded to artificial intelligence. It has started where risk is lowest and return is clearest. Documentation, scheduling and revenue cycle optimization have become the entry points. These applications reduce burden and improve efficiency. They are necessary. However, they are not transformational.

The shift occurs when artificial intelligence moves into clinical decision-making. At that point, the question is no longer whether the system works. The question becomes whether it should be trusted.

Who owns a decision informed by an algorithm? How is accuracy validated? What happens when a clinician disagrees with a recommendation? These are not technical questions. They are questions of accountability. Artificial intelligence does not assume responsibility. It does not carry consequence. That remains with leadership.

Dr. Balicer reframed the conversation, shifting how the room thought about artificial intelligence. “There’s no such thing as AI neutrality. Algorithms are just opinions embedded in code.”

That insight is easy to acknowledge and difficult to operationalize. Every model reflects choices. What data is included? What outcomes are prioritized? What trade-offs are accepted? Those decisions are embedded in the system, shaping how it interprets information.

When a health system adopts an AI tool, it is not simply implementing technology. It is adopting a perspective.

At Clalit Health Services, alignment across payer and provider creates a system where priorities are consistent. Even there, external AI models introduce new assumptions. Those assumptions may not align with the system’s goals. If leadership does not define its own values, it inherits someone else’s.

This becomes real in proactive care. Artificial intelligence enables systems to identify patients at risk before they present. It allows for earlier intervention, often improving outcomes.

It also creates a new kind of pressure. “The toughest choice is what not to do,” Dr. Balicer said.

That statement deserves more attention than it receives. Health care has been built around responding to need. Artificial intelligence introduces the ability to anticipate it. When every patient can be flagged, every risk predicted and every intervention suggested, the system is no longer constrained by insight. It is constrained by capacity.

Artificial intelligence expands what can be done. It does not expand who can do it. Leadership becomes the act of choosing who does what based on validated data.

There is a moment that captures this shift. Imagine a primary care physician starting the day not with a schedule of patients who have called for appointments, but with a list generated by AI identifying individuals who are likely to experience clinical complications in the next six months. Some will develop chronic conditions. Some will require hospitalization. Some can be helped now – preventively.

The physician cannot see them all. Artificial intelligence expands what is possible. Leadership decides what is essential and permissible.

The industry often responds to complexity with activity. Organizations pilot, test and explore. They engage broadly without committing deeply. This creates motion. It rarely creates progress. Pilots are nothing more than experiments. At some point, leadership must decide what to scale, what to stop and what defines value.

Hal Wolf grounded the conversation in discipline. Without a defined, shared objective, effort becomes noise. Pilots create learning, though they often avoid decision-making. Leadership requires clarity. What problem are we solving? What outcome defines success? What are we willing to prioritize? Without those answers, artificial intelligence adds another layer of complexity to an already complex system.

Dr. Kohane brought the conversation back to the discipline of leadership. It cannot remain abstract. It must be informed by experience.

“Go and pay a few bucks and use three or four of the models… get a feel for what this does,” Dr. Kohane advised.

That is not a call for technical fluency. It is a call for leadership proximity. Leaders cannot guide what they do not understand. Artificial intelligence does not behave consistently across models. It produces different answers, shaped by different assumptions. Without direct engagement, those differences remain hidden, and leadership becomes removed from the very decisions it is responsible for guiding.

This is where many organizations hesitate. Artificial intelligence feels complex and complexity invites delegation. At this moment, delegation creates distance. Leadership is required to move closer, not further away.

Artificial intelligence is not reducing the role of leadership. It is redefining it.

This is not a gradual transition. It is already underway. Artificial intelligence is embedded in workflows, shaping decisions and influencing behavior in real time. The system is adapting whether leadership is ready or not.

The question is no longer whether artificial intelligence will shape the future of health. It will. The question is whether leadership will shape how it is applied.

Artificial intelligence will not fix health. It will scale whatever we allow it to touch. The question is whether it will scale what is best in health or what we have yet to fix.

The post AI Will Not Fix Health Care – Leadership Might appeared first on Medika Life.

History, however, offers a useful caution. Breakthrough technologies in medicine rarely achieve their full potential simply because they exist. Their real impact depends on whether the institutions responsible for health-care delivery know how to adopt them wisely, integrate them responsibly and align them with their mission to improve patient health.

Artificial intelligence now stands at that same threshold. The industry has moved beyond fascination with what algorithms can do and entered a more demanding phase: determining how these tools should be evaluated, governed, and integrated into the environments where care is delivered. At the same time, some health professionals are turning to AI – not to augment their knowledge – but assuming the information is patient-care ready.

Across the health ecosystem, leaders are discovering that the most important questions about artificial intelligence are not technological. They are organizational, ethical and operational. Which AI systems genuinely improve clinical decision-making? Which tools strengthen the efficiency of hospitals and health systems? Which innovations introduce complexity without delivering measurable benefit?

Answering those questions requires a perspective that bridges policy leadership, real-world care delivery, and the scientific foundations of biomedical informatics. That convergence of experience sits at the center of a “Views From the Top” mainstage discussion at the HIMSS Global Health Conference & Exhibition, where some 35,000 leaders whose work spans the global health ecosystem will examine how organizations can recognize the true value proposition of artificial intelligence applications before embedding them into health-care systems.

The perspectives shaping this discussion reflect three essential dimensions of responsible artificial intelligence in health: governance frameworks that guide innovation, operational insights from large-scale health care delivery, and scientific rigor grounded in biomedical informatics. Together, these vantage points illuminate the path from technological promise to practical value.

Governing Innovation in a Rapidly Changing Health Ecosystem

Digital transformation in health rarely succeeds simply because technology exists. It succeeds when organizations develop leadership frameworks capable of evaluating innovation, managing risk and aligning new tools with patient-centered goals.

Few leaders have observed the evolution of digital health across as many national systems and institutional environments as Hal Wolf, president and chief executive officer of HIMSS, Ran Balicer, MD, PhD, chief innovation officer of Clalit Health Services and Isaac Kohane, MD, PhD, chair of biomedical informatics at Harvard Medical School. The three will step onto the mainstage at HIMSS to share their “View from the Top” in a session titled: “Recognizing the ‘Value Proposition’ Criteria While Selecting AI Applications.”

Through his work with global government health ministries, hospital networks, and technology innovators worldwide, Wolf has consistently emphasized that technological progress must be anchored in governance and trust.

“Digital health transformation is not about technology alone. It is about leadership, governance, and the trust that allows innovation to improve care,” Wolf has said in discussions about global digital health transformation.

Artificial intelligence intensifies this leadership challenge because its influence extends far beyond traditional clinical tools. AI systems increasingly operate across multiple layers of healthcare delivery. Some applications assist clinicians by analyzing medical data or suggesting treatment options. Others function within hospitals’ and health systems’ operational infrastructure, helping manage patient flow, prioritize diagnostic reviews, and allocate scarce resources.

These operational algorithms rarely capture headlines; however,  they shape the environment in which health care is delivered. Decisions about which cases are reviewed first, how clinicians allocate their attention, and how health systems manage capacity can profoundly influence patient outcomes.

For leaders responsible for health systems, artificial intelligence cannot be treated as simply another technological upgrade. It must be evaluated through governance structures capable of understanding how algorithms function, what assumptions shape their recommendations, and how their use aligns with institutional priorities.

Without that oversight, innovation risks amplifying complexity rather than improving care. Instead of informing, it can spread misinformation.

Aligning Artificial Intelligence With the Values of Medicine

Governance provides the policy foundation for responsible adoption of artificial intelligence, but real-world implementation reveals a second challenge: ensuring that AI systems operate effectively within healthcare delivery itself.

Large population health systems increasingly use advanced analytics to anticipate risk, manage chronic disease, and allocate clinical resources across diverse communities. Within these environments, artificial intelligence is no longer a theoretical innovation. It is already influencing how health organizations prioritize patients, coordinate care and deploy limited resources.

That operational perspective is central to Ran Balicer, MD, PhD, of Clalit Health Services, one of the world’s most advanced data-driven health systems. The Clalit integrated infrastructure connects hospitals, clinics, and community health programs through longitudinal datasets that support predictive analytics at the national scale.

Experience within such systems reinforces an important insight: artificial intelligence models do not function independently of human judgment. They reflect priorities embedded in their design and the assumptions guiding their deployment.

“Algorithms are opinions embedded in code,” Balicer has observed in discussions about the role of artificial intelligence in population health.

In practice, this means that AI systems interpret clinical data through frameworks shaped by human choices. The way a model defines risk, prioritizes cases, or recommends interventions reflects decisions about what matters most within a healthcare environment.

Those decisions carry ethical implications. When artificial intelligence helps determine which patients receive immediate attention or which cases are escalated for further review, transparency about how algorithms function becomes essential to maintaining trust among clinicians and patients alike. The scientific frontier of health-care AI reinforces that concern.

Isaac Kohane, MD, PhD, who has also served as a co-author of the Institute of Medicine Report on Precision Medicine, which has served as the template for national efforts, has spent decades exploring how machine learning can advance medicine while preserving the judgment that defines clinical practice. His research emphasizes that artificial intelligence in healthcare must align with the ethical traditions and professional responsibilities of medicine.

“AI systems in medicine must ultimately reflect the values of the profession they serve,” Kohane has written in discussions about AI alignment in biomedical informatics.

This perspective highlights a crucial distinction between technological capability and clinical responsibility. Many AI models entering healthcare environments were originally designed for broader computational tasks rather than the nuanced realities of patient care. Medicine operates within a landscape shaped by uncertainty, empathy, and accountability, and technologies introduced into that environment must reflect those values.

Ensuring that artificial intelligence aligns with the principles guiding health-care delivery, therefore, represents one of the most important scientific and ethical challenges facing the future of health.

The Discipline Required to Make Innovation Matter

The health sector has experienced waves of technological enthusiasm before. Electronic health records promised seamless information exchange, but then introduced administrative burdens on health professionals when implemented without thoughtful workflow design. Data analytics promised unprecedented insight, but sometimes led to fragmentation when systems failed to communicate across institutions.

Artificial intelligence now stands at a similar moment in the evolution of health technology.

Its capabilities in supporting decision-making flow are extraordinary, yet realizing them will require disciplined leadership to evaluate, integrate and govern AI tools within health-care delivery systems. Health leaders must learn to ask deeper questions before embracing the next algorithmic breakthrough. What problem does this system truly solve? How does it strengthen clinical practice? What assumptions guide its recommendations? How does its use advance the mission of improving patient health?

These questions move the conversation beyond technological novelty toward operational practicality. It’s among the many reasons these three global leaders step to the HIMSS stage together.

Artificial intelligence will undoubtedly reshape the health ecosystem in the years ahead. Its long-term impact, however, will not be determined solely by the sophistication of algorithms or the speed of technological progress. Along with how to leverage AI, ChatGPT and LLMs, users require heightened cognitive awareness.

It will be determined by whether the health community develops the discipline and ability required to translate innovation into systems that strengthen care, support clinicians and improve the health of the populations they serve.

The real story of artificial intelligence in health is no longer about what machines can do. It is about how wisely the health sector chooses to use them.

The post From AI Excitement to Execution: Why Health Leaders Must Now Master the “How” appeared first on Medika Life.

The country’s trajectory has been building for years. A fast-growing middle-income population, rising chronic disease burden, and expanding health infrastructure have created both demand and urgency. What is changing now is the environment in which innovation can move, driving faster approvals, a culture of collaboration, digital infrastructure and a government signaling policy readiness to engage global partners in shaping the next era of medicine.

The economic momentum is significant. The Indian health ecosystem has expanded from roughly $372 billion in 2023 to $638 billion in 2025, making it one of the fastest-growing major health markets in the world. The broader industry is expected to exceed $610 billion by 2026, fueled by rising insurance coverage, expanding hospital infrastructure, and growing demand for chronic disease management. Health growth in India continues at approximately 10–12 percent annually, well above the growth rates typical of mature markets, reflecting both rising access and structural transformation.

BIOAsia 2026 reflects this inflection point. The global gathering in Hyderabad, themed “TechBio Unleashed: AI, Automation & the Biology Revolution,” highlights the (bio)convergence of biology, data, and intelligent systems reshaping health worldwide. Organizers emphasize that the meeting aims to drive health transformation and reinforce India’s position as a leading global life sciences force. For multinational innovators, the message is increasingly clear: India is not only where innovation is deployed; it is also where it is developed. It is where innovation is increasingly defined. India has become a go-to market for multinational enterprises.

Policy Signals and Market Scale: From Opportunity to Strategic Partnership

India’s regulatory and policy environment is evolving in ways that matter deeply to multinational innovators. One pivotal shift came with the country’s decision to allow certain medicines approved in specified developed markets to launch without local clinical trials, a move designed to accelerate patient access while aligning more closely with global regulatory science. This policy shift reflected confidence in international data, a commitment to innovation, and recognition that faster access must remain central to national health strategy.

The scale of India’s pharmaceutical and life sciences market reinforces this transformation. The pharmaceutical sector reached approximately $68 billion in 2025 and is projected to grow to more than $170 billion during the next decade, driven by expanding middle-income demand and strong domestic manufacturing. India already supplies roughly one-fifth of the world’s generic medicines. It produces the majority of global vaccines by volume, positioning the country as a central player in global health supply chains.

As Aman Gupta of SPAG/FINN wrote in Medika Life, “India’s health sector is undergoing a profound transformation, bolstered by government-led reforms and a favorable FDI regime. The allowance of 100% foreign direct investment through automatic routes in health and related sectors has already attracted global giants.” His observation reinforces a central reality for multinational innovators: India’s policy environment is increasingly designed not only to welcome global participation, but to encourage long-term strategic partnership in building the future of healthcare.

Investment trends tell the same story. Health and pharmaceutical private equity and venture investments have reached multi-billion-dollar levels annually. At the same time, India’s contract drug development and manufacturing sector is projected to exceed $22 billion within the next decade. These dynamics position India as a growth market and as a strategic partner across the innovation lifecycle from discovery and clinical development to manufacturing and global distribution.

Shakthi Nagappan, CEO of Telangana Life Sciences Foundation, captured this moment clearly, noting that BIOAsia arrives at a time when technology and biology are redefining healthcare and creating “unprecedented opportunities for innovation, investment, and impact.” The language reflects partnership rather than transaction, a signal that India is moving from market opportunity to strategic collaboration.

Digital Infrastructure, BIOAsia and the Multinational Innovation Imperative

India’s digital transformation may be its most potent catalyst for long-term health innovation. Unlike many mature systems, the country is building a national-scale digital health infrastructure designed to connect patients, providers, and health systems across a population of more than 1.4 billion people, with a rising middle class of 400 million.

The Global Digital Health Market is projected to grow from USD 288.55 billion in 2024 to USD 2,688 billion by 2035, expanding at a CAGR of 22.55% during 2025–2035. This surge is driven by the rapid adoption of AI-powered diagnostics, telemedicine, wearable devices, and data analytics solutions that are revolutionizing patient care and operational efficiency worldwide.

Hundreds of millions of citizens are already using digital health services, including telemedicine, electronic prescriptions, and remote care. The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission is creating an interoperable national health ecosystem, enabling secure health records, improved care coordination, and population-scale data infrastructure that supports research, real-world evidence, and precision health.

For multinational companies, this digital backbone creates a uniquely strategic environment, enabling large-scale clinical research, faster pharmacovigilance, AI-supported health insights, and rapid deployment of innovation across diverse populations. India’s digital infrastructure is not simply modernizing health delivery. It is enabling national-scale transformation.

BIOAsia sits at the center of this conversation and convergence. The gathering reflects India’s ambition to lead at the intersection of biology, artificial intelligence, and scalable innovation. Leaders from industry, government, and science convene not only to discuss growth but to shape the next phase of global life sciences, where biology, data, and digital systems converge to influence global health.

One conference panel, among the many high-powered sessions, brings together global leaders in advanced therapeutics to explore how next-generation modalities are moving from discovery to scalable care. Panelists across biopharma, translational science, and hospital systems are examining progress in cell and gene therapies, mRNA, and radiopharmaceuticals, underscoring that innovation now depends as much on manufacturable scale and delivery as on scientific breakthrough. India’s expanding capabilities in clinical research and bioprocessing strengthen its role as a key partner in advancing next-generation therapies.

For multinational innovators, the implications are clear. Engagement in India now extends beyond commercialization. It calls for collaboration in research, investment in digital and scientific ecosystems, alignment with national health priorities and partnership in strengthening health delivery.

India’s Strategic Role in Global Health Innovation

India’s rise in global health innovation reflects the alignment of policy, market growth, digital infrastructure, and scientific capability forces that together are reshaping where and how healthcare innovation occurs.

For multinational companies, India now represents a full-spectrum innovation environment. It is a place to conduct clinical research across diverse populations, scale manufacturing and supply chains, deploy digital health at a national scale, and co-develop solutions addressing both local and global health challenges. Increasingly, India is not simply a recipient of innovation developed elsewhere. It is becoming a co-creator of next-generation health.

This shift changes the strategic equation. Market entry alone is no longer sufficient. Meaningful engagement requires partnership with policymakers, regulators, scientists, health providers, and digital health ecosystems. Organizations that invest in collaboration, align with national health priorities, and contribute to strengthening healthcare systems are most likely to succeed in India’s evolving landscape.

BIOAsia sets the stage for this transformation. It is more than a conference. It is a convergence of global health ambition, scientific capability, and policy momentum. The conversations taking place in Hyderabad mirror a broader reality: the geography of health innovation is expanding, and India is now central to its future.

For global health innovators, the question is no longer whether India matters. The question is how deeply they choose to engage in shaping what comes next.

The post India: The Growing Focal Point for Health Innovation appeared first on Medika Life.

Many private-sector investors are considering health in Africa. Maybe that’s no surprise; the African Development Bank says the Continent could almost double its GDP if health were better. Robert Appelbaum, though, thinks that many are interested in what Africa might export as well as the potential unlocked at home.

Appelbaum has advised multinational pharma companies through the most difficult episodes of the past three decades including the disputes over HIV medicines patents and the transfer of technology to African producers. He also provides legal and business counsel to billionaires who are household names. “Today, investors are looking at the African Continental Trade Agreement (AFCTA) and the commercialisation of African drugs and devices for use across the world,” he told me. “The AFCTA is making Africa into a legitimate manufacturing hub for the full gamut of manufacture from API [active pharmaceutical ingredients] through to fill and finish, whereas in the past we have been in the business of fill and finish,” he added.

The day before we spoke I had been to see the Biomedical Research Institute at Stellenbosch. It houses a network of 26 BSL-3 — highly secure — laboratories to handle infectious diseases samples. There are probably a third as many BSL-3 labs at Stellenbosch alone as there in all of China. The Biobank in the same facility has space for up to seven million samples and provides an exceptionally rapid way of looking back at the evolution of disease outbreaks. It was designed to allow another seven million to be stored when needed. To give an idea of how massive this is, the largest biobank in China can hold 10 million samples and the largest human biobank in Europe can keep 20 million. Maybe the most impressive statistic is that the Stellenbosch institute was completed for about €65 million, a fraction of what it would have cost in Europe.

Cost is not Africa’s only advantage: it has the kind of frugal innovation that hard-pressed European and American health systems need. “There is a huge amount of work taking place — more in devices and technology than in drug discovery. Africans are very innovative at creating for ourselves what does not already exist,” Appelbaum said. These are exactly the areas in which slow first-world innovation is holding back medicine: commissions on antimicrobial resistance assumed point-of-care diagnostics would by now have been able to differentiate between viral and bacterial illnesses and between different kinds of infectious bacteria. They cannot.

Pre-history gives Africa another advantage. As humans spread across the globe from Africa, we lost genetic diversity. It’s said that today there is more genetic diversity within Mozambique than between people in South Asia and people in Europe. In that vast genetic storehouse are hidden undiscovered clues to resisting and treating disease — clues that can be transformed into prevention, diagnosis and treatment by health innovators. As Africans have more access to health services, those genetic assets and liabilities will become more and more evident and accessible. This is a key aspect of the African Human Genome project and of South African agreements with commercial entities such as Illumina and MGI.

To spot the real life implications of these genetic patterns, to find population clusters and to identify possible genetic outliers, a country needs easy, secure access to massive numbers of records. The United Kingdom sees this as a competitive advantage for its four national health services while France’s La poste, the nation’s post office, is bringing together over 40 million patients’ referrals, visit reports and test results. These and other developed world efforts, though, are having to retrofit national analytical frameworks onto multiple old data systems and to pry data loose from academics and care systems with strong proprietorial instincts. African countries are building new national data systems from the bottom up with integration and analysis as part of the original design. Appelbaum thinks that Africa may again leapfrog over Western competitors, just as it did by introducing modern mobile telephony and mobile payment systems while legacy system owners slowed down adoption in Europe and the Americas.

Many think that Oracle has already honed in on the opportunity. It has partnered with the Tony Blair Institute to introduce vaccine tracking systems in Ghana, Rwanda and Sierra Leone and to promote them Continent-wide. Given the vast effort that Oracle continues to put into developing a nationwide repository of health records in the USA and the Gulf states, many see its efforts in Africa as a test run for much broader and more ambitious national health databases. African countries are not waiting. Kenya’s Afya Yangu platform is already operational in a third of the nation’s counties and provides portable individual records including medical history, prescriptions, lab results, and appointments for three million users. South Africa faces some of the same challenges as Europe in unifying or supplanting existing systems but its Health Patient Registration System has registered over 57 million patients across more than 3,000 facilities as a foundation for portable electronic health records. Africa’s health data is a vast opportunity which governments will need to use as the basis for investment.

Private sector health investors are indispensable to Africa, Appelbaum thinks. In the US and Europe, they find far more R&D than governments and foundations combined; that must be the pattern in Africa if the Continent is to not just meet its own health needs but to develop innovations for the world.

The post Why Sophisticated Investors Really Care about Health in Africa appeared first on Medika Life.

In later life, weight loss can be a double‑edged sword. A few pounds off the joints can be both helpful and risky. Shedding a few pounds may ease joint pain, but losing weight without meaning to can be a warning sign. Fast weight loss can also lead to muscle loss, which is key to staying independent.

Experts also point out practical issues: injections need good vision, steady hands, and a regular routine. Stomach and bowel side effects can be tougher for seniors, especially if they’re already losing weight without trying. complicate life for older adults — and how to approach them with a “safety first” mindset.

1) Aging changes the risk–benefit math (even when a drug “works”)

Older adults, especially those who are frail or have several health issues, are often left out of clinical trials. This is important because average trial results may not match the real-life experience of a 75-year-old who takes several medications and needs to manage appetite and hydration.

A 2024 debate paper on GLP-1 drugs in older patients, including those with kidney disease, points out that limited trial data and multiple medications make it harder to judge safety and effectiveness for frailer seniors. Clinicians need to make decisions based on each person, not just on averages. In simple terms, the real question is not whether GLP-1s are good or bad, but whether they help this specific older person with their unique health needs.

There’s another subtle issue: in later life, the goal is often less about chasing an ideal weight and more about protecting function—walking safely, rising from a chair, maintaining balance, staying hydrated, and maintaining enough strength to live independently. So for older adults, the most important question isn’t “How much weight will I lose?” It’s “What will this do to my strength, my nutrition, and my ability to stay steady on my feet?”

2) Common side effects can become serious for older adults.

GLP-1s often cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, and less appetite. Younger people may find these symptoms unpleasant but manageable. For older adults, though, these issues can quickly lead to dehydration, dizziness, and falls, especially if they also take blood pressure medicines or diuretics.

Current FDA labeling for semaglutide products highlights this pathway: stomach and bowel side effects can lead to volume depletion, and acute kidney injury has occurred, including in postmarketing reports. The label advises monitoring kidney function when starting or increasing doses in people who develop severe gastrointestinal reactions, and it notes that dehydration has been part of reported kidney injury cases.

This is how many real-life problems start: a few days of not being able to eat or drink much, then feeling lightheaded, falling, or needing emergency care for dehydration. Older adults may not feel as thirsty and may have less ability to recover. So, it’s important to watch hydration, electrolytes, blood pressure, and kidney function, especially in the first months of treatment and after increasing the dose.

3) Muscle and frailty: losing weight does not always mean better health.

The headline benefits of GLP‑1s often focus on pounds lost. But the body doesn’t lose only fat. Lean mass (including muscle) can drop, too. This matters in older adults because age‑related muscle loss (sarcopenia) is already common — and it’s tightly linked to frailty, falls, and loss of independence.

A 2025 mini-review on older adults warns that starting and stopping GLP-1s repeatedly can change body composition, sometimes leading to ‘sarcopenic obesity’ — having too much fat and too little muscle. The authors are not saying to avoid GLP-1s, but to remember that weight loss does not always mean better health for older people.

More pointedly, a 24‑month retrospective cohort study in older adults with type 2 diabetes reported that semaglutide use was associated with muscle loss and functional decline, particularly at higher doses and in patients who already had sarcopenia. The authors emphasize individualized risk–benefit assessment and the need for monitoring and intervention.

If you’re reading this as an older adult, it may help to translate the research into plain questions to bring to your next appointment: “If I lose weight, how will we protect my muscles?” “How will we check whether I’m getting weaker?” “What would make us stop or change course?” An older adult who becomes “smaller but weaker” has not gained health — only risk.

4) Other complications: gallbladder, pancreas, vision, and low blood sugar

Gallbladder and bile duct problems can be an unexpected issue. Losing weight already increases the risk of gallstones, and GLP-1s seem to increase it even further. A large review found that using GLP-1 drugs increases the chance of gallbladder or bile duct disease, especially at higher doses, for longer periods, or when used for weight loss.

For older adults, this might present as sudden pain in the upper right side of the belly, nausea, fever, or pain spreading to the back or shoulder. These symptoms should be checked by a physician right away.

GLP-1 drug labels also warn about the risk of sudden pancreatitis and say to get medical help for severe, ongoing belly pain. The overall risk is low, but older adults may have additional risk factors, such as gallstones or high triglycerides. Severe belly pain in later life should always be checked quickly.

Then there’s the risk of blood sugar dropping too low. GLP‑1s don’t usually cause hypoglycemia by themselves, but the risk rises when combined with insulin or sulfonylureas. Semaglutide labeling warns that concomitant use with an insulin secretagogue or insulin may increase the risk of hypoglycemia and may require dose reductions of those agents.

In older adults, hypoglycemia can be particularly dangerous: it can cause falls, confusion, fainting, and cardiac stress. It’s also easier to miss, because symptoms may look like “just being tired” or “a little off today,” especially in someone who already has memory or balance problems.

Eyes and vision deserve special attention. Semaglutide labeling includes a warning about diabetic retinopathy complications and recommends monitoring patients with a history of retinopathy. Beyond labeling, post‑marketing safety monitoring continues to explore visual signals.

A 2025 analysis of FDA adverse event reporting data found a potentially elevated risk of vision‑impairment reports with semaglutide use compared with some other diabetes and weight‑loss medications, and it called for vigilant surveillance and further research. That doesn’t prove the drug causes vision loss in an individual patient, but it is enough to justify a cautious posture: new blurring, blind spots, or sudden changes deserve a same‑week medical call, not a “let’s see if it passes.”

5) Surgery and sedation: delayed stomach emptying can cause problems

GLP‑1 medications slow stomach emptying — one reason people feel full sooner. But that same effect can complicate anesthesia and deep sedation if food remains in the stomach despite standard fasting. A 2024 review describes the connection between GLP‑1 medications, delayed gastric emptying (including gastroparesis), and increased risk of aspiration during anesthesia, as well as possible effects on the absorption of other medications.

This issue has become important enough that several medical groups have created guidelines for surgery. The 2024 guidance says many people can continue taking GLP-1s, but doctors should look for higher-risk situations, such as people with stomach problems or other risks of food entering the lungs, and adjust plans as needed.

This is important for older adults because they are more likely to undergo procedures requiring sedation, such as colonoscopies, joint injections, cardiac procedures, dental work, or surgeries. The easiest and most often missed safety step is to tell every physician involved — surgeon, anesthesiologist, endoscopist, dentist — that you are taking a GLP-1 medication and when you last took it. Do not assume it will be clear in your medical chart.

6) A senior‑friendly “yes, with a plan” approach

If you’re an older adult considering a GLP‑1 (or already taking one), a safer approach often looks like “yes, with monitoring.” That means starting with function, not just the scale: tracking energy, steadiness, and strength in everyday life, not only pounds.

It also means treating hydration as a real medical concern. Ongoing nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea is not just part of getting used to the medicine. These symptoms can affect blood pressure and kidney function, especially when changing doses.

Because muscle matters so much in later life, protecting it should be part of the prescription. That can include discussing protein intake, adding a realistic strength plan (even chair‑based work or physical‑therapy guided resistance), and reassessing the medication if weight loss is accompanied by weakness, poor balance, or reduced stamina.

Older adults should also have their medications reviewed with a focus on preventing low blood sugar. If insulin or a sulfonylurea is being used, doses may need to be adjusted as appetite decreases and blood sugar improves.

Finally, it is important to take symptoms seriously. New stomach pain, ongoing vomiting, or sudden vision changes should be checked by a doctor right away. Before any procedure with anesthesia or deep sedation, make sure to tell the medical team about your GLP-1 use — do not assume they already know.

The GLP-1 medications can help some older adults, but there is less room for mistakes. Side effects can quickly lead to dehydration, frailty, falls, or problems during procedures. The safest approach is not just ‘yes’ or ‘no,’ but ‘yes, with a plan’ — one that protects hydration, nutrition, muscle, vision, and safety during medical care.

The post GLP‑1 Medications in Later Life: Why the “Miracle Shot” Needs a Senior‑Specific Safety Lens appeared first on Medika Life.