The Vice President (ED) of the UConn Health AI Institute will serve as the founding leader responsible for building and scaling a nationally recognized hub for AI-driven healthcare innovation. The ED will translate UConn Health’s strategic vision into operational, clinical, and financial success by positioning the Institute as a premier clinical proving ground for external AI companies, accelerating adoption of validated technologies, and generating long-term institutional value through strategic investment. This role requires a unique combination of healthcare leadership, change management in legacy organizations, knowledge of venture investing, operational execution, and academic collaboration.
Key Responsibilities
1. Strategic Leadership & Institute Development
- Establish and operationalize the AI Institute in alignment with UConn Health’s mission and strategic priorities
- Define and execute a market-oriented strategy focused on identifying, evaluating, and integrating best-in-class external AI solutions rather than primarily incubating internal startups
- Position UConn Health as a trusted validation environment for AI solutions leveraging real-world operational, and clinical workflows and patient data as appropriate.
- Build the Institute’s national reputation as a leader in healthcare AI innovation
2. Clinical & Operational AI Integration
- Partner with clinical, operational, and administrative leaders to:
- Identify high-priority unmet needs across UConn Health
- Define use cases for AI deployment
- Oversee structured pilots, validation studies, and enterprise-scale deployment of AI solutions
- Ensure measurable improvements in:
- Patient outcomes
- Operational efficiency
- Financial performance
3. External Partnerships & Ecosystem Development
- Develop a robust pipeline of AI companies for evaluation and partnership
- Serve as a strategic liaison between:
- AI startups and UConn Health departments and stakeholders
- UConn Health clinical leadership
- Academic units (including the School of Business) as appropriate
- Establish UConn Health as a preferred partner for leading healthcare AI innovators
4. Venture Fund & Investment Collaboration
- Work in close partnership with the AI Institute Investment Committee, chaired by John Kim
- Support sourcing, evaluation, and validation of companies for potential investment
- Ensure that clinical pilots and operational results inform disciplined investment decisions
- Contribute to building a high-performing venture portfolio that delivers long-term financial returns to UConn Health
5. Governance & Institutional Alignment
- Report to UConn Health CEO within the UConn Health Finance Corporation
- Collaborate with the Institute’s governing board, including external members and philanthropic partners
- Ensure transparency, accountability, and alignment with institutional priorities
6. Financial Stewardship & Sustainability
- Manage a dual-structured model balancing:
- Directly responsible for managing the operating budget
- Provide strategic and operational support for the venture fund
- Drive progress toward a self-sustaining financial model through:
- Creating tangible revenue and expense efficiencies for UCONN Health
- Returns from the venture investments
- Licensing and commercialization opportunities
- Support ongoing fundraising and donor engagement efforts
7. Team Building & Organizational Leadership
- As the Institute evolves recruit and lead a multidisciplinary team across:
- AI/technology evaluation
- Clinical integration
- Data science
- Business development and operations
- Foster a culture of rigor, speed, accountability, and innovation
Key Qualifications
Required
- Advanced degree (PhD, MBA, MD or equivalent)
- 15+ years of leadership experience in healthcare, technology, or innovation-driven organizations
- Demonstrated experience in AI, digital health, or healthcare transformation initiatives
- Experience in healthcare systems, clinical workflows, and data environments
- Experience leading cross-functional teams and complex implementations
Preferred
- Knowledge of venture capital, private equity, or corporate investment
- Experience in evaluating and scaling emerging technology companies
- Experience working in academic medical centers or research institutions
- Familiarity with regulatory, compliance, and ethical considerations in healthcare AI
Core Competencies
- Strategic vision with execution discipline
- Change management leadership of large organizations
- Strong stakeholder engagement and partnership skills
- Data-driven decision-making
- Ability to operate at the intersection of academic medicine, industry, and capital markets
- Investment and commercial acumen
Success Metrics (Illustrative)
- Number and quality of AI solutions evaluated and deployed
- Measurable clinical and operational improvements
- External partnerships and national reputation of the Institute
- Progress toward financial sustainability
Why This Role Matters
This is a foundational leadership role with the opportunity to shape a first-in-kind model: an AI Institute that integrates clinical validation, operational transformation, and venture investment into a unified platform. The Executive Director will play a central role in advancing UConn Health’s position as a leader in AI-enabled healthcare innovation.
