VP/Chief Health AI Officer (CHAIO)

UCSF•San Francisco, CA

89d•$370,600 - $600,000

About The Position

The Vice President and Chief Health AI Officer (CHAIO) is the senior physician executive responsible for developing and implementing UCSF Health's strategic vision, governance, and operational execution of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Reporting to the Chief Information Officer for Health (Health CIO), the CHAIO is a key member of the Health IT executive leadership team. This role collaborates with clinical, operational, research, academic, and technology leaders to promote the safe, ethical, and effective adoption of AI, supporting UCSF Health’s mission of exceptional patient care, education, research, and innovation. The CHAIO works with UCSF Schools of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Dentistry to ensure AI strategies support the educational mission, preparing healthcare professionals for AI integration into clinical practice and recognizing the needs of learners. The incumbent is a licensed physician with expertise in clinical practice, healthcare operations, informatics, and AI, serving as the primary executive advisor on clinical AI applications.

Requirements

Licensed physician
Recognized expertise in clinical practice
Recognized expertise in healthcare operations
Recognized expertise in informatics
Recognized expertise in Artificial Intelligence
Ability to partner closely with clinical, operational, research, academic, and technology leaders
Ability to partner with UCSF Schools of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Dentistry
Ability to collaborate with Health IT, Informatics, Data and Analytics, Infrastructure, Cybersecurity, Compliance, Legal, Risk Management, and Clinical Operations
Ability to collaborate with Health System leadership
Ability to partner with business, clinical, and informatics leaders
Ability to collaborate with operational and IT leaders
Ability to collaborate with technology and business leaders
Ability to partner with clinical education leaders
Ability to work closely with UCSF and UC system partners, clinical research leaders, external healthcare organizations, industry collaborators, academic institutions, and technology vendors
Ability to collaborate with clinical research leadership
Ability to collaborate with executive leadership, academic partners, technology companies, AI startups, venture capital organizations, and innovation stakeholders
Ability to build and lead high-performing multidisciplinary teams
Ability to attract and develop AI talent
Ability to establish strategic partnerships
Ability to leverage external expertise when appropriate
Ability to foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, continuous learning, and responsible AI adoption
Ability to establish measurable performance indicators and outcomes for AI initiatives
Ability to leverage enterprise data and analytics capabilities to evaluate effectiveness, track value realization, and communicate progress to executive leadership and key stakeholders

Nice To Haves

Opportunity to hold a faculty appointment to the UCSF Division of Clinical Informatics and Technology (DoC-IT)

Responsibilities

Developing and executing a comprehensive enterprise AI strategy aligned with organizational priorities to advance clinical quality, patient safety, operational efficiency, workforce effectiveness, and financial stewardship.
Serving as the health system’s primary authority for AI strategy, standards, governance, and implementation, ensuring AI initiatives deliver measurable value and align with strategic objectives.
Leading the development of the UCSF Health enterprise AI ecosystem, including technology infrastructure, data assets, governance processes, and organizational capabilities for responsible AI adoption.
Ensuring AI solutions are secure, interoperable, compliant with regulations, and aligned with best practices and ethical principles by collaborating with Health IT, Informatics, Data and Analytics, Infrastructure, Cybersecurity, Compliance, Legal, Risk Management, and Clinical Operations.
Establishing and facilitating AI governance structures, including executive committees, review boards, and decision-making frameworks for prioritization, evaluation, implementation, and monitoring of AI technologies.
Developing policies and standards for responsible AI use, emphasizing transparency, fairness, accountability, explainability, privacy, and security, while mitigating risks of bias, discrimination, and inappropriate use.
Prioritizing, approving, or halting AI initiatives, including the authority to pause unsafe clinical AI.
Collaborating with health system leadership to identify, prioritize, and implement AI-enabled solutions that improve patient outcomes, enhance clinician and staff experiences, optimize operational performance, and support organizational transformation.
Translating complex organizational challenges into practical AI-driven solutions and ensuring alignment between enterprise AI investments and institutional priorities.
Serving as the executive owner for Health AI strategic partnerships, including strategy, evaluation, selection, governance, and value realization of third-party AI vendor relationships and co-development partnerships.
Managing the lifecycles of operational AI deployments in collaboration with operational and IT leaders.
Collaborating with technology and business leaders to prioritize AI strategy, model selection, and clinical performance of AI embedded in or adjacent to enterprise application platforms.
Partnering with clinical education leaders to promote Health AI literacy, responsible AI competencies, and workforce readiness.
Ensuring Health AI implementations account for the educational environment, supporting trainees during clinical rotations while preserving patient safety, educational quality, appropriate supervision, and equitable learning opportunities.
Representing UCSF Health in governance activities related to enterprise data, analytics, infrastructure architecture, cybersecurity, and emerging technologies.
Collaborating with UCSF and UC system partners, clinical research leaders, external healthcare organizations, industry collaborators, academic institutions, and technology vendors to advance UCSF Health’s leadership in AI innovation and establish strategic partnerships.
Facilitating the responsible application of Health AI in clinical trials, translational science, real-world evidence generation, and learning health system initiatives, ensuring AI-enabled research aligns with institutional governance, regulatory requirements, and ethical standards.
Serving as Co-Chair of the UCSF Health Converge AI Accelerator Program, providing strategic direction, establishing program priorities, evaluating opportunities, and aligning initiatives with health system objectives.
Collaborating with executive leadership, academic partners, technology companies, AI startups, venture capital organizations, and innovation stakeholders to identify and advance high-value AI initiatives.
Cultivating strategic relationships within the AI and technology ecosystem to accelerate innovation, facilitate responsible technology adoption, and strengthen UCSF Health’s leadership in healthcare AI.
Serving as a key liaison, with the opportunity for a faculty appointment, to the UCSF Division of Clinical Informatics and Technology (DoC-IT) and other institutional partners to ensure effective collaboration and alignment across AI-related programs and initiatives.
Continuously evaluating the AI landscape, emerging technologies, regulatory developments, and industry trends to ensure UCSF Health remains at the forefront of innovation.
Assessing the feasibility, value, and risk of emerging AI capabilities and advising senior leadership on strategic investments and adoption opportunities.
Serving as a visible ambassador for UCSF Health within the national Health AI community, developing trusted relationships to foster collaboration, influence emerging healthcare AI practices, and identify opportunities.
Developing the organizational capabilities necessary to successfully scale AI across the enterprise, including building and leading multidisciplinary teams, attracting and developing AI talent, establishing strategic partnerships, and leveraging external expertise.
Fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, continuous learning, and responsible AI adoption.
Establishing measurable performance indicators and outcomes for AI initiatives and leveraging enterprise data and analytics to evaluate effectiveness, track value realization, and communicate progress.
Ensuring AI investments produce measurable improvements in patient care, clinical outcomes, operational performance, workforce productivity, clinical research and innovation, research advancement, and organizational effectiveness.
Providing visionary leadership and enterprise-wide accountability for the responsible adoption and advancement of Artificial Intelligence at UCSF Health, serving as the strategic bridge between people, processes, data, technology, and innovation to transform healthcare delivery and improve community health.