The healthcare AI leaders on Becker's 2026 Rising Stars list
Summary: On September 25, 2026, Becker's Hospital Review named 188 healthcare leaders under 40 to its Rising Stars list. Two of them lead companies built to govern AI in health systems: Will Haver, founder and CEO of Skovos (listed by Becker's under the company's legal name, Haver AI), and Justin Norden, MD, CEO of Qualified Health. 25 more lead AI, data or digital work at health systems and health plans, at healthcare AI companies, and at the funds backing them.
Building governed AI for health systems
- Will Haver, Founder and CEO at Haver AI (Boston). Haver AI is now Skovos, the governance layer for healthcare AI. It gives a health system identity, permission, audit and recall for every AI agent it deploys.
- Justin Norden, MD, CEO at Qualified Health (Palo Alto, Calif.). Qualified Health is an enterprise AI platform for health systems, built around governed, accountable AI.
AI, data and digital leaders at health systems and health plans
- Kevin Harrell, Vice President of Data and Analytics at Sutter Health (Sacramento, Calif.).
- Ganesh Persad, Vice President and CIO at Cottage Health (Santa Barbara, Calif.).
- Jad Chahoud, MD, Chief Scientific and Innovation Officer at Orlando (Fla.) Health.
- Zach Bork, Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer at CentraCare (St. Cloud, Minn.).
- Michael Grand, Vice President of Decision Support and Cost Transformation at Allina Health (Minneapolis).
- Jessica Yates, DNP, RN, Vice President of Virtual Nursing and Central Telemetry at Advocate Health (Charlotte, N.C.).
- Jenna Jansen, Vice President of Operational Excellence at WellSpan Health (York, Pa.).
- Annalisa Abell, System Director of Productivity at CommonSpirit Health (Chicago).
- Maureen Canellas, MD, Associate Chief Medical Officer, Emergency Physician and Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at UMass Memorial Health (Worcester, Mass.).
- Nicholas Bilas, Assistant Vice President of Patient Financial Experience at Hospital for Special Surgery (New York City).
- Nikole DeVries, RN, Vice President of Hospital and Post-Acute Care Delivery at Inland Empire Health Plan (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.).
Founders and operators building healthcare AI and digital health companies
- Florian Hillen, MD, CEO and Founder at Videa (Boston).
- Luis Voloch, Co-Founder and CEO at Jimini Health (New York City).
- Malinka Walaliyadde, CEO and Co-Founder at Akasa (San Francisco).
- Abdel Mahmoud, MD, Founder & CEO at Anterior (New York City).
- Najib Jai, MD, COO at Arbital Health (San Francisco).
- Erica Jain, Co-Founder and CEO at Healthie (New York City).
- Abhinav Shashank, Co-Founder and CEO at Innovaccer (San Francisco).
- Sandeep Gupta, Co-Founder and President at Innovaccer (San Francisco).
- Michael Ciullo, Founder and CEO at Nsight Health (Miami).
- Josh Folds, Co-Founder and COO at Pivotal Health (Santa Monica, Calif.).
- Dennis Alex, DNP, Director of Market Strategy and Solutions and Business Development at Acentra Health (McLean, Va.).
- Varun Kopparthy, PhD, Chief Technology Officer at BMI OrganBank (Winston-Salem, N.C.).
Investors backing healthcare AI
- John Beadle, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Aegis Ventures (New York City).
- Neil Parikh, MD, Principal at HealthQuest Capital (Austin, Texas).
Why AI governance belongs on this list
Health systems are deploying AI agents faster than they can govern them. Many of the people on this list will decide which agents their organizations can trust, and every one of those agents raises the same questions: who is accountable for it, what it is allowed to touch, what it did, and whether the hospital can stop it and prove all of that later.
Frequently asked questions
Which healthcare AI governance companies are on Becker's 2026 Rising Stars list?
Two: Skovos, which Becker's lists under its legal name Haver AI, led by founder and CEO Will Haver; and Qualified Health, led by CEO Justin Norden, MD.
How many leaders are on Becker's 2026 Rising Stars: Healthcare Leaders Under 40?
188: 117 from hospitals and health systems and 71 from across the wider industry. Becker's Hospital Review published the list on September 25, 2026.
What does Skovos do?
Skovos is the governance layer for healthcare AI. It gives a health system identity, permission, audit and recall for every AI agent it deploys.
Source: Becker's Hospital Review, Rising stars: 188 healthcare leaders under 40, 2026. Titles as listed by Becker's; the selection of AI, data and digital leaders is ours. Congratulations to everyone named. Read the Skovos announcement.