AI in the NHS 2025

Dr Zubir Ahmed MP was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department of Health and Social Care on 6 September 2025. He was elected as the MP for Glasgow South West in July 2024.

Andrew Bindman, MD, is executive vice president and chief medical officer for Kaiser Permanente. He is responsible for driving superior quality and equitable health outcomes through the integration of quality innovation, care delivery, data analytics, and research in collaboration with the Permanente Medical Groups. He is also Kaiser Permanente’s executive sponsor for the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine.

Prior to joining Kaiser Permanente, Dr. Bindman spent more than 30 years on the faculty at the University of California, San Francisco where he practiced and taught internal medicine while conducting research on health access and outcomes that resulted in more than 200 published scientific articles.  He also served as the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality in 2016-2017.

Dr. Bindman is a graduate of Harvard College and the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. A board-certified general internist, he completed his residency in internal medicine at UCSF and was a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholar at Stanford University. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine and the Association of American Physicians.

Dr Jennifer Dixon joined the Health Foundation as Chief Executive in October 2013.

Jennifer was Chief Executive of the Nuffield Trust from 2008 to 2013. Prior to this, she was Director of Policy at The King’s Fund and was the policy advisor to the Chief Executive of the National Health Service between 1998 and 2000. Jennifer has undertaken research and published widely on health care reform both in the UK and internationally.

Originally trained in medicine, Jennifer practised mainly paediatric medicine, prior to a career in policy analysis. She has a Master’s in public health and a PhD in health services research from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. In 1990–91, Jennifer was a Harkness Fellow in New York.

Jennifer has served as a Board member of the Health Care Commission 2004–2009; the Audit Commission 2003–2012; the Care Quality Commission 2013–2016 and the UK Health Security Agency 2022–2024. She has led two national inquiries for government: on the setting up of published ratings of quality of NHS and social care providers in England (2013); and on the setting up of ratings for general practices (2015). She was also a member of the Parliamentary Review Panel for the Welsh Assembly Government advising on the future strategy for the NHS and social care in Wales (2017–2018).

Jennifer was elected a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in 2009 and a fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences in 2019, and she was awarded a doctorate of science from Bristol University in 2016. She is a visiting professor at the London School of Economics, and has held similar positions at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and Imperial College Business School. In January 2024 Jennifer was awarded a damehood in the New Years Honours.

Mary Dixon-Woods is Director of THIS Institute and The Health Foundation Professor of Healthcare Improvement Studies in the Department of Public Health and Primary Care at the University of Cambridge.

A Professorial Fellow at Homerton College, Cambridge, she is also a fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences and the Academy of Medical Sciences, an honorary fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, the Royal College of General Practitioners, and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. She was an NIHR Senior Investigator 2017-2022.

Mary served on England’s National Advisory Group on the Safety of Patients in England, which produced the Berwick report in 2013. She also served on the review of information technology in the NHS led by Professor Bob Wachter, which reported in 2016. She was a Wellcome Trust Senior Investigator 2012-2019. Mary was the Harveian Orator for the Royal College of Physicians in 2018, the 500th anniversary of the College’s founding. She is a member of the BMJ’s international advisory board.

Joan Guanyabens i Calvet is Director of the TIC Salut i Social Foundation and is President of EHTEL.

Joan is a physician with over 30 years’ experience in management, administration, consultancy and advice on the use and application of information technology in the health sector. 

His professional career has been oriented towards the improvement of the provision of medical care and focused on the transformation of healthcare organizations through innovation. He has been involved in this mission from different perspectives, working from private and public institutions as an entrepreneur, as a director with different responsibilities in the Public Health Administration of Catalonia and as a Consultant.

Since obtaining a Bachelor of Medicine degree from the University of Barcelona in 1985 and a Master of Hospital Administration from ESADE Business School in 1988, he has completed several international and specialized postgraduate courses and training programs related to the health sciences, innovation and leadership.

He has been Secretary of Strategy and Coordination for Information Systems and Information and Communication Technologies of the Department of Health of the Government of Catalonia, and CEO of the Agència de Qualitat i Avaluació Sanitàries de Catalunya (AQUAS). He also worked as Head of the Information Division of the Catalan Health Service (Catsalut), Director of Business Development at UDIAT Diagnostic Center and Director of Information Systems of the Corporació Sanitaria del Parc Taulí de Sabadell and Medical Director of the Fundació Hospital General de Granollers.

In the field of private activity, he has been Director of Health at PwC and EDS and General Director of the Fundació d'Estudis Superiors en Ciències de la Salut (FESS), the titular entity of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Vic - Central University of Catalunya, independent Consultant in Innovation, Technology and Health,  Medical Officer of EITHealth Spain, Director of the Master in Digital Health Management at OBS Business School, Collaborating Professor at various Universities and is one of the founders / promoters of the SALUSCOOP initiative.

Tom is a Senior Improvement Fellow in the Improvement team. He joined the Health Foundation in April 2018.

Tom joined the Health Foundation from NHS England where he was Clinical Policy and Strategy Team Manager, covering maternity and women’s health.

Tom was previously Communications and Engagement Lead for the National Maternity Review. He has held a number of other policy and project management roles at NHS England and the Department of Health.

Prior to this, Tom worked for Minority Rights Group International, Hackney Community Law Centre and Intiwawa, a children’s charity in Peru. Tom received a distinction in his master’s degree in Law from SOAS, University of London, where he specialised in human rights.

Tim Horton joined the Health Foundation in December 2015 as an Associate Director. His role is focussed on identifying and communicating the insights and learning from the Health Foundation’s programmes, as well as supporting the spread of health care innovation and improvement.

From 2011 to 2015, Tim was health policy adviser to the Leader of the Opposition, the Rt Hon Ed Miliband MP, and Head of Public Services at the Labour Party. He also convened the independent Taskforce on Mental Health in Society, whose report The Mentally Healthy Society was published in January 2015. Prior to this, Tim was Research Director at the Fabian Society, where he published research in several areas of social and economic policy. In 2005 he was a special adviser at the Department of Trade & Industry and prior to that a policy adviser on science and innovation policy at HM Treasury.

Hilde Lovett is a special advisor at the Directorate of Health and the project manager for the Joint AI plan for the safe and effective use of AI in the Norwegian health and care services 2024 – 2025. 

She is educated in computer science and technology management, with a background as a researcher and research manager at the Norwegian Computing Center and Telenor, and as a project manager for Technology Assessment (TA) and health at the Norwegian Board of Technology. She has held various responsibilities related to AI and health over the nearly last 10 years.

As Principal AI Scientist at Newton’s Tree, Dr Aysha Luis works within the company’s AI Evaluation Unit ensuring AI technologies meet safety, efficacy, and ethical standards for clinical integration, collaborating with partners to design fit-for-purpose evidence generation studies.

Aysha is a Consultant Neuroradiologist with expertise across adult, paediatric, neonatal, and fetal neuroimaging. Formerly the AI Evaluation Lead at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, she has extensive experience developing evaluation frameworks curating large scale datasets with NLP, and supporting real-world adoption of clinical AI tools. 

She's also a researcher at King’s College London, working on automation of fetal MRI pipelines and previously was Chief Investigator on a glioblastoma outcomes study, bringing a rigorous, patient-centred lens to research.

Professor Erik Mayer is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Faculty of Medicine and the Institute of Global Health Innovation at Imperial College London, and a Consultant Surgeon at Imperial College Healthcare and The Royal Marsden NHS Trusts.

He is Director of the North West London iCARE Secure Data Environment and the Digital Collaboration Space at Paddington Life Sciences, providing infrastructure for the One-London Sub-National Secure Data Environment. His research focuses on using big data analytics and artificial intelligence to improve quality, safety, and patient experience in healthcare.

Professor Mayer also serves as Transformation CCIO (Analytics & Informatics) at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, chairs the NIHR Imperial AHSC Research Informatics Committee and the ICHT Clinical Informatics Steering Committee, and represents Imperial on the UK Health Data Research Alliance Council. He is a Fellow of the British Computer Society and leads the Digital Health Theme of the NIHR Imperial BRC and the MSc in Health Policy at Imperial.

Working at the junction of design and technology for over 25 years, Don has been involved in the design, development and delivery of digital products and services with companies and organisations across commercial, public and applied research sectors including Virtuality (pioneers of immersive VR), Oyster Partners (now Digitas) The Fraunhofer Institute and Giugiaro.

Don divides his time between the School of Innovation and Technology at Glasgow School of Art he is Design Director, the Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre where he holds the same title and with various companies as an independent Creative Technologist.

Andrea Palm served as the Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from 2021 — 2025. As Deputy Secretary, she was responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Department, including its nearly $2 trillion budget and 80,000 employees across the globe. Palm spearheaded the Department’s work to modernize its tech and data infrastructure, including expanded cybersecurity leadership and its AI Strategic Plan. As the largest grantor in the federal government, Palm led HHS’ efforts to modernize and streamline grant processes and technology to improve efficiency and the customer experience. She drove the Department’s initiative to streamline access to benefits through the Medicaid “unwinding” eligibility renewals process necessitated by the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency, as well as the nationwide operational transition of the 1-800 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline to the simplified 988. She oversaw the development and execution of the first-ever Medicare drug-price negotiation program, a signature policy accomplishment of the Biden-Harris Administration, as well as the Department’s policy initiatives to improve and integrate behavioral healthcare into the healthcare system. She spearheaded a major Department-wide engagement initiative to improve employee satisfaction, retention and recruitment.

Previous to that, Palm served as Secretary of the Department of Health Services (DHS), overseeing one of the largest state agencies in Wisconsin as a member of Governor Tony Evers' cabinet. In this role, she had responsibility for the state's Medicaid program, its Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and behavioral health programs, among others. DHS is also Wisconsin's public health agency, and as such, Palm led the state's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Palm held a number of policy and operational roles in the Obama-Biden Administration at HHS, including Acting Assistant Secretary for Legislation, Counselor, Chief of Staff and Senior Counselor to the Secretary. During her eight-year tenure, she worked on a variety of Administration priorities, including the passage and implementation of the Affordable Care Act, as well as providing leadership for the Department's work to combat the opioid epidemic.

Before joining the executive branch, Palm spent almost a decade on Capitol Hill, serving Democratic Members in both the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.

Palm was born and raised in rural, upstate New York. She holds a Bachelor's degree from Cornell University and a Master's degree from Washington University in St. Louis.

Karl-Henrik Peterson is Interim CEO of the Estonian Health Insurance Fund and has served on its Board since 2018. He has led some of the earliest applications of AI in European healthcare, including building a machine-learning system that now detects fraud across all billing data. He also advises the Estonian Academy of Sciences on AI. With a background in banking, IT, and large-scale transformation, Karl-Henrik brings experience in deploying AI to deliver innovation, efficiency, and better value in healthcare.

Lydia leads the Health Foundation's work on non-clinical uses of AI in the NHS.

Lydia’s career spans policy, strategy and innovation programme management and programme transformation roles. She has supported dozens of organisations to develop new business models and grow their impact. Previous roles include Principal Strategist at the New Zealand Transport Agency, Senior Programme Manager in Nesta’s Innovation Lab, a coach for Nesta’s 100-day People Powered Health team and Director of the London Office for Cybersecurity Advancement (LORCA).

Lydia’s areas of professional interest include the responsible development and use of artificial intelligence, connecting practice insights to policy and building inclusive, innovative cultures

Dr. Ana Talbot is a Consultant in Older Adult Medicine at NHS Lanarkshire, where she specializes in the care of elderly patients. In addition to her clinical role, she serves as an Innovation Fellow focusing on frailty and falls, collaborating with the West of Scotland Innovation Hub to enhance healthcare delivery for older adults. ​

Dr. Talbot leads the development of the "No Need to Fall" app, a digital tool designed to prevent falls among the elderly population. This initiative aims to improve patient safety and reduce hospital admissions related to falls. ​

Through her dual roles in clinical practice and healthcare innovation, Dr. Talbot is dedicated to improving the quality of life for older adults by integrating innovative solutions into patient care.

Lawrence became the Chief Executive of the MHRA in April 2025. He joined the Agency at a pivotal time for UK healthcare and life sciences, with the Government setting out its aspirations in the NHS Ten-year Plan and the Life Sciences Sector Delivery Plan, both of which will be enabled by safe, agile and risk-proportionate regulation of medicines, novel treatments and technologies. Lawrence has described his plans for the MHRA to set the gold standard in safety and surveillance, to accelerate access to new medicines and treatments and to make a major contribution to research and innovation in UK life sciences.

Before joining the MHRA, Lawrence spent five years as Deputy Chief Executive at Guy’s and St Thomas’ (GSTT) NHS Foundation Trust. During Covid-19, he secured vital international supplies of medical equipment for the Trust and the wider UK. He led the successful merger of GSTT with the Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals in 2021. His role included oversight of the organisation’s strategy, technology, innovation, commercialisation and multiple major strategic change programmes.

In the decade prior to that, Lawrence worked in a range of executive strategy and leadership roles in university hospitals in the UK and Middle East. He began his career working for the UK Government as civil servant at the Department of Health and Social Care.

Adnan Tufail is a Consultant Ophthalmologist at Moorfields Eye Hospital, London and Professor of Ophthalmology, Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London.

Prof Tufail has diverse research interest from lab/translational medicine in retinal disease, to clinical trials, retinal imaging, big data and machine learning/AI to develop an optimise treatments for common and rare retinal disorders. He is co-lead of a multidisciplinary group developing  a pipeline to efficiently validate new AI systems for clinical deployment to ensure trustworthy AI that will benefit all subgroups of the population.