Ashish Jha

Artificial intelligence may be the most transformative force to hit medicine since antibiotics — reshaping how we diagnose disease, develop drugs, and deliver care. But realizing its full potential requires getting some hard things right. Dr. Jha draws on his unique experience at the intersection of technology, clinical medicine, and national policy to cut through the hype and offer a clear-eyed, optimistic assessment of where AI is already delivering results — and a practical roadmap for business leaders, policymakers, and organizations to harness it safely, effectively, and responsibly.

The United States is on track to spend more than $70 trillion on health care over the next decade — a trajectory that will balloon federal deficits, bust state budgets, and crowd out every other national priority. Yet for all the political noise around health care reform, the actual solutions are less partisan and more achievable than most people think. Dr. Jha cuts through the ideological gridlock to explain what is actually driving this crisis — and what a realistic, commonsense path to reform looks like. Drawing on decades of research and his experience at the highest levels of health policy, he leaves audiences with a clear understanding of the problem and genuine optimism that it can be solved.

The same advances in AI and synthetic biology that are transforming medicine have also made it possible for small teams to engineer pathogens that our current surveillance systems were never designed to detect. It is one of the most consequential — and underappreciated — national security challenges of our time. Dr. Jha, former White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator and co-founder of BioRadar, America’s first AI-powered biological early warning system, makes the case that closing that gap is both urgent and achievable. Drawing on his unique experience at the intersection of science, medicine, and national security, he offers a clear-eyed assessment of the threat landscape and a practical, optimistic roadmap for how smarter surveillance, better intelligence infrastructure, and sustained political will can keep us safe.

Climate change is reshaping the human health landscape in ways that are only beginning to be understood — from surging heat-related illness and worsening air quality to the spread of infectious disease and mass migration that destabilizes communities and nations. Yet the health and security consequences of a changing climate remain badly underappreciated. Dr. Jha cuts through the political noise to reframe climate change as what it fundamentally is: a health and national security challenge demanding pragmatic, evidence-based solutions. Drawing on decades of research and experience at the highest levels of policy, he offers a clear-eyed assessment of the risks ahead — and a practical, optimistic case for how communities, businesses, and governments can adapt and respond.

The erosion of public trust in science and medicine did not begin with COVID-19 — and it has not ended with it. If anything, the forces undermining that trust are accelerating. When people stop trusting vaccines, hospitals, and public health guidance, they make worse decisions, communities become more vulnerable, and the nation is less prepared for the next crisis. Dr. Jha — who has spent his career on the frontlines of this challenge, from the COVID-19 response to his current work on biological threats — offers a frank, nonpartisan assessment of how trust broke down and what it will take to rebuild it. His agenda is grounded in transparency, accountability, and a renewed commitment to communicating science honestly, even when the answers are hard.