Dr. Deepti Pandita honored with HIMSS Changemaker Award
UCI Health president and CEO will advise on national health policy development
Orange, Calif. — Dr. Deepti Pandita, chief medical information officer and vice president of clinical informatics at UCI Health, has been recognized by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMMS) for her impact on healthcare through the visionary use of information and technology.
She accepted the HIMSS-AMDIS Physician Executive Leader award on March 9 in Las Vegas.
Pandita is a national leader in the field of clinical and medical informatics and currently drives artificial intelligence (AI) governance, digital transformation and clinician efficiency initiatives at one of California’s largest academic health systems.
She is an advocate for responsible use of artificial intelligence in the healthcare space, balancing growing excitement for the tools with thoughtful implementation strategies.
“Because AI tools directly impact patient care, safety and clinical decision-making, it’s important that physicians ask questions to ensure that the AI solution is clinically relevant, evidence-based, transparent, compliant and usable,” she said in an interview last year.
“By asking the right questions, physicians can maintain their role as stewards of patients.”
In 2024, she co-authored a position paper by the American College of Physicians, clarifying the organization’s position on AI technologies and providing recommendations for their use when giving care. In 2025, she was named one of Becker's Hospital Review CMIOs to Know.
Her digital solutions have improved the health of communities, eased the cognitive burden of clinicians and promoted the wellness of the clinical workforce. Pandita’s work has also reduced the average patient stay in the hospital, saved costs and improved operational efficiencies.
About UCI Health
UCI Health, one of California’s largest academic health systems, is the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine. The 1,461-bed system comprises its main campus UCI Health — Orange, its flagship hospital, the UCI Health — Irvine acute care hospital and medical campus, four hospitals and affiliated physicians of the UCI Health Community Network in Orange and Los Angeles counties and a network of ambulatory care centers across the region. UCI Health — Orange provides tertiary and quaternary care and is home to the only Orange County-based National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, high-risk perinatal/neonatal program and American College of Surgeons-verified Level I adult and Level II pediatric trauma center, gold level 1 geriatric emergency department and regional burn center. Powered by UC Irvine, UCI Health serves 5.6 million people in Orange County, western Riverside County and southeast Los Angeles County. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter).