Warren D’Souza

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Warren D’Souza serves as senior vice president and chief innovation officer for the University of Maryland Medical System, leading data and analytics, research informatics, clinical research functions and iHarbor, UMMS’ innovation center.

D’Souza joined the University of Maryland School of Medicine faculty in 2002 and became full professor in 2014. From 2008 to 2019, he was chief, Division of Medical Physics in the Department of Radiation Oncology, where he led the Maryland Proton Treatment Center.

What is the biggest challenge facing health care?

One of the biggest challenges facing health care is the rising cost pressure. Health systems are under enormous stress to provide the highest quality of care while dealing with the forces of being cost-efficient. There is a growing shift from the traditional fee-for-service payment model to a value-based care payment model in which provider health systems are incentivized based on health quality and outcomes of patient populations instead of the volume of services provided. This shift often necessitates structural changes in the construct of the health care delivery model.

What is the most encouraging new development in health care?

The emergence of artificial intelligence in health care is the most exciting and encouraging new development. The wide-ranging applications of both predictive and generative AI in drug development, digital diagnostics, automation for back-office functions, clinical decision support, etc., presents unique opportunities to transform medicine and health care delivery and health care operations. However, along with this promise comes great responsibility to ensure that we have robust testing, validation and performance monitoring of AI technology to ensure its safe and trustworthy adoption.

What do you do for fun and why?

Cooking and hiking. Cooking is therapeutic for me because it allows me to work with my hands, something I don’t get to do with my day job. There is something very satisfying about the transformation of ingredients into a finished product. I enjoy food in general and it is fun to experiment with new recipes. Hiking helps me reset from the rigors of the workweek. It is great physical activity and I enjoy being outside. It gives me the opportunity to think and reflect on all the things that are important to me. I am often in awe of the simplicity and the awesomeness of the sights on local trails.

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This profile is part of The Daily Record's Health Care Power List for 2025. Information used in this profile was sourced from the honoree. See the full list at thedailyrecord.com.