UC San Diego Health has appointed Dr. Alexander Khalessi as its chief innovation officer and interim assistant vice chancellor for Health Sciences Innovation and AI, the university announced Monday.
In the dual role, Khalessi will “shape UC San Diego Health innovation strategy and lead the integration of new technologies, including artificial intelligence, across the health system and academic enterprise,” according to the university.
“UC San Diego has a remarkable foundation of clinical excellence, scientific discovery and technological leadership,” Khalessi said.
“This role brings together the historic strengths of our ecosystem with the ingenuity of our world-class faculty — accelerating innovation, advancing the safe and thoughtful use of AI, and ensuring our patients benefit from the most effective tools and approaches in modern medicine.
“Together, we are ideally positioned to shape a healthier future.”
As chief innovation officer, Khalessi will handle much of the university health system’s technological direction, including new surgical and procedural technologies and practices. He will also be tasked with aligning UCSD’s capital and priorities towards being prepared for AI.
“As UC San Diego continues to push the boundaries of what is possible to develop groundbreaking health care solutions, Dr. Khalessi’s expertise and visionary leadership will advance our important work as a destination public university that is student centered, research driven, patient dedicated, and service oriented,” said Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla.
“He will not only reinforce the health system’s reputation for leading-edge innovation, but he will also advance our ability to integrate AI and digital technology in ways that enhance the health and well-being of our patients and the communities we serve.”
Khalessi serves as chair of the Department of Neurological Surgery at UCSD Health and is an internationally regarded cranial and endovascular neurosurgeon.
“Dr. Khalessi brings exceptional leadership and vision to this critical role at a pivotal time for health care innovation,” said Patty Maysent, CEO of UCSD Health.
“His unique combination of clinical excellence, research expertise, and proven track record in building innovative programs positions him perfectly to lead our enterprise innovation strategy and accelerate our AI integration and digital transformation efforts as we help define the national model for innovation in academic medicine.”
As interim assistant vice chancellor for health sciences innovation and AI, Khalessi will “strengthen alignment across UC San Diego Health Sciences by connecting academic discovery with clinical application and commercialization,” a university statement read.
“Dr. Khalessi is uniquely positioned to help unite our research, clinical and educational missions around a shared vision for innovation,” said Dr. John M. Carethers, vice chancellor for health sciences. “His leadership will strengthen collaboration across campus and with our partners in industry, enabling us to translate new ideas into real-world solutions that improve health for communities throughout our region and beyond.”
Khalessi is professor of neurological surgery, radiology and neurosciences at UCSD School of Medicine and holds the Don and Karen Cohn Chancellor’s Endowed Chair of Neurological Surgery.
He earned his medical degree at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and completed his neurosurgical residency at the University of Southern California. He holds a bachelor’s degree in public policy and master’s degree in health services research from Stanford University, as well as an MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management.
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