Robert M. Wachter, M.D.
Professor and Chair, Dept of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) | Author, "The Digital Doctor" and a forthcoming book on healthcare AI
Robert Wachter, MD is Professor and Chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). An elected member of the prestigious National Academy of Medicine, he is a widely respected futurist and thought leader. He has appeared on Modern Healthcare magazine’s list of the 50 most influential physician-executives in the U.S. more than a dozen times; he was #1 on the list in 2015. Wachter coined the term “hospitalist” and is considered the father of the hospitalist field, the fastest-growing specialty in the history of modern medicine. He is the author of five books, including the New York Times bestseller The Digital Doctor: Hope, Hype, and Harm at the Dawn of Medicine’s Computer Age.
Wachter’s new book, A Giant Leap: How AI is Transforming Healthcare – and What That Means for Our Future, is a bold, insightful, and pragmatic look at the current moment in healthcare. Drawing on original research and candid conversations with more than 100 experts at the cutting edge, Wachter’s book is a timeless guide to how AI is impacting the world of healthcare, changing what it means to be a patient and a clinician in this age of astonishing technology. The book will be published by Portfolio/Penguin in early 2026. From the book’s preface:
It’s clear that AI will not be perfect in healthcare, and that some people will be harmed, perhaps killed, as we sort out its proper place. But, in the words of Joe Biden, “Don’t compare me to the Almighty; compare me to the alternative.” Our current healthcare system fails patients and clinicians all too often and is unsustainably expensive, inaccessible, unwieldy, and infuriating. That means that AI doesn’t have to be perfect to be better. Which is good, since it won’t be perfect. The key question is whether it will truly be better. Let’s see.
Wachter has made hundreds of media appearances, including on Fresh Air, The Rachel Maddow Show, All Things Considered, Fareed Zakaria, and Pod Save America, and has written for the New York Times, The Atlantic, the Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal. His takes on AI, and healthcare more generally, are dynamic, balanced, practical, and humorous.
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A Bold Vision for Healthcare's AI Revolution
From coining the term "hospitalist" to authoring the landmark book on healthcare digitization (The Digital Doctor), Dr. Robert Wachter has consistently defined healthcare's future frontiers. As chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, Wachter now turns his visionary perspective to artificial intelligence's sweeping transformation of healthcare. In his eagerly anticipated book, A Giant Leap: How AI is Transforming Healthcare – and What That Means for Our Future (Portfolio/Penguin), Wachter reveals how AI is already matching—and sometimes surpassing—physicians in critical areas from diagnostic accuracy to patient empathy. As this revolutionary technology rapidly integrates into clinical settings—scribing notes, recommending treatments, interpreting medical imaging, and enhancing surgical procedures—it brings both extraordinary promise and significant concerns about hallucinations, bias, and misinformation. Yet Wachter makes a compelling case: in a healthcare system struggling with quality gaps, access barriers, clinician burnout, and unsustainable costs, AI doesn't need to be perfect to be transformative—it simply needs to outperform our current approaches. With clear-eyed optimism, he argues that AI will indeed revolutionize healthcare if we navigate the implementation challenges thoughtfully. Wachter's captivating talks and interviews offer healthcare leaders, organizations, and clinicians practical, actionable insights for embracing this technological revolution that's reshaping our large stand most essential industry.
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Health Innovation
Health Policy
Improving Quality
Technology Transforming Healthcare
Patient-Centered Care
Public Health
Artificial Intelligence
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