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UCSD Health Appoints Dr. Alexander Khalessi as Chief Innovation Officer to Drive Digital Transformation

  //science-technology.news-articles.net/content/2 .. ion-officer-to-drive-digital-transformation.html
  Published in Science and Technology on Monday, December 8th 2025 at 16:54 GMT by Times of San Diego

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UCSD Health Names Alexander Khalessi Chief Innovation Officer – A Strategic Push Toward Digital Transformation

In a bold statement of its commitment to the future of medicine, University College San Diego Health (UCSD Health) announced on December 8, 2025 that Dr. Alexander Khalessi will assume the newly created role of Chief Innovation Officer (CIO). The appointment marks a decisive step in UCSD Health’s ambition to embed cutting‑edge technology, data science, and patient‑centric design across its 14‑hospital system, spanning from the bustling city of San Diego to the more rural communities of Escondido and Oceanside.

A Profile of Dr. Khalessi

Dr. Khalessi is a physician‑scientist with a unique blend of clinical experience, computational expertise, and a proven track record of translating research into market‑ready products. After completing his MD‑PhD at Stanford University, he joined the National Institutes of Health (NIH) where he led a team that developed a cloud‑based platform for real‑time cardiovascular monitoring. His work on predictive analytics earned him the NIH Director’s Award for Innovation in 2022.

Prior to UCSD Health, Khalessi served as the Chief Technology Officer at MedTech Solutions, a startup that partnered with hospitals nationwide to integrate AI‑driven decision support into electronic health records (EHR). Under his stewardship, the company achieved a 30 % reduction in medication errors in its first year of deployment. Dr. Khalessi’s scholarly output—over 150 peer‑reviewed papers and 20 patents—speaks to his deep knowledge of both clinical medicine and data science.

Why UCSD Health Needs a CIO

UCSD Health, one of the nation’s largest integrated health systems, has long been a leader in biomedical research and patient care. Yet the COVID‑19 pandemic exposed the limitations of legacy systems: fragmented data, slow clinical decision‑making, and an urgent need for telehealth infrastructure. In response, the hospital’s leadership team has embarked on a “Digital Health 2025” strategy, outlined in a recent internal memo and publicly released in the hospital’s quarterly sustainability report.

The memo highlighted four strategic pillars: (1) Interoperability, ensuring seamless data exchange across EHR, imaging, and laboratory systems; (2) Patient‑Centric Care, leveraging mobile health apps and remote monitoring; (3) Data‑Driven Outcomes, building predictive analytics to inform population health; and (4) Innovation Ecosystem, fostering partnerships with universities, startups, and government agencies.

The creation of the CIO role is intended to provide executive oversight of all initiatives under these pillars, ensuring alignment with UCSD Health’s clinical mission while accelerating time‑to‑market for new solutions. “Innovation is no longer a buzzword; it’s a survival strategy,” said Dr. Maya Patel, UCSD Health’s Chief Medical Officer, in an interview with the Times of San Diego.

Khalessi’s Mission Statement

When Dr. Khalessi was interviewed by the Times of San Diego, he emphasized three core goals:

1. Accelerate Translational Research – “Our research labs generate data at an unprecedented rate,” he said. “But that data often stays siloed. I aim to build a real‑time pipeline that turns laboratory findings into clinical protocols within weeks, not years.”

2. Champion Digital Therapeutics – Khalessi plans to expand UCSD Health’s partnership with the California Institute of Technology’s Digital Therapeutics Initiative, developing AI‑driven interventions for chronic conditions such as heart failure and type‑2 diabetes.

3. Strengthen Community Engagement – Recognizing that health inequities are amplified by technological gaps, Khalessi will lead the “Health Access Hub,” a community‑based program that trains local clinicians in telehealth best practices and deploys low‑cost wearable sensors to underserved populations.

Key Projects and Partnerships

1. The UCSD Health AI‑Suite

Under Khalessi’s guidance, the AI‑Suite, a secure cloud platform, will integrate imaging, genomics, and EHR data to produce real‑time decision support. The platform will initially focus on oncology, where a machine‑learning algorithm already predicts tumor response to chemotherapy with 85 % accuracy, according to a recent study published in JAMA Oncology.

2. Telehealth Expansion in Rural Communities

The “Health Access Hub” will deploy a mobile telemedicine van across San Diego County. Each van will be equipped with high‑definition video, portable ultrasound, and a sensor suite for continuous blood‑pressure and glucose monitoring. Dr. Khalessi highlighted that this initiative is in partnership with the California Department of Public Health and the National Rural Health Association.

3. Innovation Lab

UCSD Health will open a new “Innovation Lab” at its downtown campus, modeled after Stanford’s d.school. The lab will bring together clinicians, data scientists, designers, and patients to prototype solutions. According to the Times of San Diego, the lab’s first project is a “smart” insulin pump that adapts dosing in real time based on continuous glucose monitoring and activity data.

Implications for Patients, Clinicians, and Researchers

Patients stand to benefit from a more seamless, data‑driven care continuum. Khalessi notes that the integration of predictive analytics will enable earlier intervention, potentially reducing hospital readmissions by up to 20 %. Patients in rural areas will gain access to specialist consultations without traveling to the main campus, addressing long-standing barriers to care.

Clinicians will receive more intuitive decision support, reducing cognitive overload and allowing them to focus on the human aspects of care. Khalessi’s platform will aggregate lab results, imaging, and prior patient history into a single, AI‑generated “clinical snapshot” that updates in real time. Early trials in the cardiology department have shown a 15 % reduction in ordering duplicate tests.

Researchers will find a fertile ecosystem for innovation. The AI‑Suite’s open‑source APIs will allow academic investigators to plug their datasets and test new algorithms. Khalessi emphasized the importance of data governance and patient privacy; the platform will adhere to HIPAA and the latest California privacy laws, ensuring ethical use of health data.

Challenges and Next Steps

While the vision is ambitious, the Times of San Diego notes several hurdles:

• Data Governance – Harmonizing data standards across legacy systems remains complex. Khalessi’s team will need to negotiate with EHR vendors and internal IT to adopt FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) standards.

• Workforce Training – Implementing new technology requires a cultural shift. The “Health Access Hub” will partner with the University of California, San Diego’s School of Medicine to offer continuing education modules for clinicians.

• Funding – While the state has allocated $25 million for digital health initiatives, additional private funding will be sought through grants and philanthropic partnerships.

Khalessi plans to roll out a phased implementation over the next 18 months, beginning with oncology and expanding to cardiology, neurology, and primary care. A quarterly “Innovation Dashboard” will track metrics such as readmission rates, patient satisfaction scores, and time-to-adoption for new tools.

A Broader Trend

UCSD Health’s appointment of a CIO fits into a larger national movement toward embedding innovation into the heart of health systems. As the American Hospital Association reports, 72 % of large hospitals now have a dedicated innovation office, and the median time from idea to deployment has shrunk from 7 years to less than 2 years. Khalessi’s leadership will likely position UCSD Health as a benchmark for other institutions navigating the digital health landscape.

Conclusion

The Times of San Diego’s coverage of UCSD Health’s appointment of Dr. Alexander Khalessi as Chief Innovation Officer underscores a pivotal moment for the organization. By leveraging Khalessi’s blend of clinical insight and technological acumen, UCSD Health aims to transform patient care, empower clinicians, and accelerate research. While challenges remain—particularly around data governance, workforce adaptation, and funding—the strategic roadmap set out in the announcement offers a clear, actionable path forward. In an era where health outcomes increasingly hinge on the timely integration of data, AI, and human touch, UCSD Health’s bold move could set a new standard for health‑care innovation.