UC San Diego Health Scales AI Across Enterprise

Chief Innovation Officer Details Approach to Integrating AI Across Academic Health System

Published on Feb. 24, 2026

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For Alexander Khalessi, MD, MBA, chief innovation officer at UC San Diego Health, scaling AI in healthcare requires more than enthusiasm. In a conversation with Becker's Hospital Review, Dr. Khalessi discussed his top priorities in this enterprise innovation role, the first 2-3 AI use cases he's prioritizing, and what excites him most about stepping into this role.

Why it matters

As a leading academic health system, UC San Diego Health is uniquely positioned to drive progress in AI adoption and implementation across clinical, patient-facing, and operational use cases. Dr. Khalessi's appointment as chief innovation officer underscores the institution's commitment to leveraging emerging technologies to improve care delivery and outcomes.

The details

In his role, Dr. Khalessi oversees innovation strategy across UC San Diego Health's seven-campus system and academic health sciences enterprise. His top priorities include shaping innovation strategy, piloting emerging technologies, and building partnerships to scale what delivers value. The health system is focusing on three key AI use cases: clinical decision support, patient-facing technologies, and operational workflows. UC San Diego has already seen success with AI-enabled tools for sepsis detection, cancer imaging analysis, and patient preparation for procedures. The approach involves defined pilots, formal governance, and longitudinal performance monitoring to ensure responsible implementation.

  • Dr. Khalessi was appointed chief innovation officer at UC San Diego Health in December 2025.

The players

Alexander Khalessi, MD, MBA

Chief innovation officer at UC San Diego Health, responsible for overseeing innovation strategy across the seven-campus health system and academic health sciences enterprise.

UC San Diego Health

A leading academic health system with seven campuses, known for its expertise in leveraging emerging technologies to improve care delivery and outcomes.

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What they’re saying

“When you have the ambition to build something without precedent, it's critical to lean into the combined capabilities, expertise, and infrastructure that makes your institution special.”

— Alexander Khalessi, MD, MBA, Chief Innovation Officer (Becker's Hospital Review)

What’s next

UC San Diego Health plans to continue piloting and scaling AI-enabled technologies across its clinical, patient-facing, and operational workflows, with a focus on rigorous assessment and governance to ensure responsible implementation.

The takeaway

As a leading academic health system, UC San Diego Health is at the forefront of integrating AI across its enterprise to drive innovation and improve care delivery. By leveraging its unique capabilities, expertise, and infrastructure, the institution is poised to serve as a model for other healthcare organizations looking to scale AI in a thoughtful and impactful way.