The Vurge

Divurgent

The Vurge Podcast brings together trailblazers, experts, and industry disrupters to explore the future of tech and innovation in the healthcare industry. Whether you’re a seasoned executive or have just begun your career, this podcast will bring you thought-provoking ideas and opinions sure to bring value to all who listen. Join us in our latest episodes to stay up to date on the innovative changes that are transforming healthcare as we know it. 

  1. Navigating Healthcare's Tech Revolutions with Chuck Christian, CTO at Franciscan Health

    12/08/2025

    Navigating Healthcare's Tech Revolutions with Chuck Christian, CTO at Franciscan Health

    This episode of The Vurge features Chuck Christian, VP of Technology and CTO at Franciscan Health, in conversation with Divurgent Principal Pete Wiley. The discussion centers on the rapid pace of technological change in healthcare, comparing it to other industries and exploring whether healthcare is keeping up or lagging behind. Chuck shares insights from his extensive career, highlighting the challenges of balancing innovation with patient safety and the need for cautious adoption of new technologies. He uses vivid analogies, such as the "mule and buggy" metaphor, to illustrate how healthcare often plays catch-up with technological advances, emphasizing the importance of securing patient records and the complexities of integrating new systems across a large hospital network. The conversation also delves into the evolution of IT leadership roles, the creation of a technical innovation lab at Franciscan Health, and the critical role of clinical expertise in technology adoption. Chuck discusses the impact of AI agents, the ongoing struggle for interoperability in healthcare, and the importance of accurate patient identification. The episode concludes with reflections on change management, strategies to reduce clinician fatigue, and advice for emerging IT leaders: never stop learning, seek diverse perspectives, and look beyond healthcare for technological inspiration. Throughout, Chuck underscores the mission-driven nature of his organization and the need to ensure technology serves both clinicians and patients effectively. Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and be sure to subscribe to The Vurge for the latest episodes and more. Interested in being a guest on the show? Click here to learn more.

    1 hr
  2. AI on the Frontlines of Care: Nasim Eftekhari of City of Hope

    10/22/2025

    AI on the Frontlines of Care: Nasim Eftekhari of City of Hope

    This episode of the Vurge podcast features Nasim Eftekhari, Chief AI and Analytics Officer at City of Hope, discussing her journey from computer science into healthcare and her leadership in AI-driven innovation within oncology. Eftekhari shares how her team developed predictive models for clinical decision support, including sepsis prediction for bone marrow transplant patients and models for surgical complications and mortality, all fully integrated with their EHR. She details the evolution of these models from traditional machine learning to generative AI, highlighting the development and impact of HOPE LLM—a domain-specific large language model trained on oncology and biomedical data.  Eftekhari’s insights into AI governance are especially relevant. She describes City of Hope’s robust, multidisciplinary governance framework that balances innovation with risk management, ensuring ethical and responsible AI deployment. She also emphasizes the importance of fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration with other leading cancer centers, and the need for IT teams to proactively adapt to AI’s impact on roles and workflows. She concludes with optimism about AI’s future in drug discovery, multimodal disease understanding, and the transformation of healthcare operations, while urging a balanced approach to both the excitement and limitations of AI. Learn more about Nasim on LinkedIn.  Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and be sure to subscribe to The Vurge for the latest episodes and more. Interested in being a guest on the show? Click here to learn more.

    37 min

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

The Vurge Podcast brings together trailblazers, experts, and industry disrupters to explore the future of tech and innovation in the healthcare industry. Whether you’re a seasoned executive or have just begun your career, this podcast will bring you thought-provoking ideas and opinions sure to bring value to all who listen. Join us in our latest episodes to stay up to date on the innovative changes that are transforming healthcare as we know it.