Innovation Summit: Pacific Northwest

Dr. Elizabeth (Beth) R. Lawlor is a Professor of Pediatrics and Adjunct Professor of Lab Medicine and Pathology at the University of Washington School of Medicine, the Associate Director of the Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorders Research at Seattle Children’s Research Institute, and an affiliate member of the Fred Hutch Cancer Center (FHCC), serving as associate program leader for Cancer Basic Biology in the FHCC/UW/SCH NCI Comprehensive Cancer Center Consortium.

Dr. Lawlor completed her MD and PhD degrees in Canada. Following clinical training in pediatric hematology-oncology and a post-doctoral research fellowship in cancer biology, she joined Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and the University of Southern California in 2004 as an assistant professor. From 2010-2020 she held the Russel G. Adderley Endowed Professorship in sarcoma research at the University of Michigan. In 2020, Dr. Lawlor moved her lab to Seattle Children’s Research Institute where her team continues to study the biology of Ewing sarcoma. As a dual-trained MD and PhD physician-scientist, Dr. Lawlor is committed to educating the next generation of cancer scientists and she is passionate about creating a diverse and inclusive workforce who will together advance pediatric oncology research and care.

BIO:

Dr. Zafar Chaudry has been Chief Information Officer and Senior Vice President of Seattle Children's since November 06, 2017. Zafar received a promotion to Chief Digital Officer and Chief Information Officer in 2021. Through his role, he provides vision and leadership for the development of technology initiatives and enterprise-wide information systems and services for Seattle Children’s. His goal is to enable clinicians with the best technology to deliver safe and excellent care to our patients.

Dr. Zafar Chaudry is a recognized leader and valued mentor in healthcare technology. Dr. Chaudry was a nominee for the 2024 and 2023 National CIO of the Year ORBIE Awards for Healthcare. Dr. Chaudry is an award recipient of the 2022 CHIME Transformational Leader Award and the 2022 Seattle CIO of the Year ORBIE Awards for Healthcare. Dr. Zafar Chaudry was a nominee for the 2021 CHIME - AHA Transformational Leadership Award. Dr. Chaudry has also been a finalist for the Seattle CIO of the Year ORBIE Awards (2020 and 2021). He is also a member of the global elite list Constellation’s Business Transformation 150 (BT150) 2020; that recognizes the top global executives leading business transformation efforts in their organizations. Dr. Chaudry received naming to the Becker’s Hospital Review’s 102 Hospital CIOs to Know (2021), Becker’s Hospital Review’s 100 Hospital CIOs to Know (2019 and 2020), CIO magazine’s list of United Kingdom CIOs to follow on Twitter (2019) and Becker's Hospital Review (USA) 105 Hospital and Health System CIOs to Know (2018). He was also named to the CIO.CO.UK’s Top 100 list of the most transformative CIOs in the U.K. (2017) and Government Computing’s top 100 influential technology leaders in the United Kingdom public sector (2010).

Dr. Chaudry, who began his career as a physician, has more than 30 years of experience in all aspects of information technology. His background includes work in both healthcare and corporate settings in the U.S., Australia, Western Europe, and the U.K., in enterprise infrastructure development; business intelligence; unified telecommunications; and implementation of health care information and electronic medical record systems. He previously served as Chief Information Officer at Cambridge University Hospitals in the United Kingdom. Prior to Cambridge University Hospitals, he served as Global Research Director at Gartner. He also served as Chief Information Officer at the Liverpool Women's and Alder Hey Children's Hospitals in the U.K.; Consulting Editor for Hospital Information Technology Europe Magazine; Information Technology Strategist for the Vision4Children Pediatric Charity in the U.K. and Teaching Faculty at the City Colleges of Chicago.

Dr. Chaudry earned his Doctor of Medicine degree from Ross University. He subsequently earned his Master of Science degree in health care policy and management from the University of Birmingham. He also holds a Master of Science degree in information systems management from the University of Salford and his Master of Business Administration from Aston University, all in the United Kingdom.

Melissa Jost, MS, PMP is the Director of Clinical Informatics and Director of Clinician Health and Well-being. Melissa grew up in Sacramento and has worked at UC Davis Health for 14+ years. She has served in a multitude of roles developing Health IT and Well-being programs to achieve patient care standards, improve clinician well-being, and realize operational efficiencies.

Dr. Clara Lin is a Internal-Medicine and Pediatrics trained primary care physician, and currently Seattle Children’s chief medical information officer (CMIO) and VP of digital health and informatics. She is a Clinical Associate Professor at University of Washington’s Department of Pediatrics. She is also board certified in Clinical Informatics. In her diverse role, she is focused on improving clinical workflows, quality, and clinician wellbeing by leveraging health IT solutions, and leading organizational strategies and growth with informatics and innovation. Dr Lin currently chairs Seattle Children’s Artificial Intelligence Review Board (AIRB), which is the organization’s inaugural AI governance structure. Dr Lin also directs Seattle Children’s AI and innovation portfolio and strategy, under the leadership of Dr Zafar Chaudry, Seattle Children’s chief digital officer and chief AI and information officer.

Dr. Dan Low is the Chief Medical Officer at AdaptX™ and an Attending Pediatric Anesthesiologist at Seattle Children’s Hospital. With over 25 years of clinical experience, he is an expert in clinical systems improvement, patient safety, human factors, lean methodology, and medical technology. Dr. Low has a deep commitment to education and has received numerous teaching awards as an Associate Professor of Anesthesiology at the University of Washington. His teams at Seattle Children’s are known for their dedication to continuous improvement. He holds board certifications in Pediatrics, Anesthesiology, Critical Care, and Pre-hospital Emergency Medicine. Dr. Low earned his medical degree from the University of Nottingham, UK.

As the CIO for El Camino Health, Deb Muro has transformed and improved the consumer and patient experience through innovative and creative partnerships in the Silicon Valley. With more than 25 years of combined nursing, clinical, healthcare and technology experience, Deb has held various healthcare IT leadership positions focused on the delivery and realization of premier technology solutions and best practices. Prior to joining El Camino Health, she served at the executive level within health care organizations leading enterprise wide digital transformation spanning multiple acute care hospitals, outpatient facilities, ambulatory clinics and community networks. In her current role at El Camino, she is responsible for leading technology strategy, digital experience, innovation, information services, clinical engineering, and cybersecurity while re-defining services and products to meet today’s unique healthcare environment.

Ms. Muro holds a Bachelor in Science Nursing Degree from Baylor University and a Master of Science Degree in Human Relations and Business from Amber University. Deb received the HMG Strategy Global Leadership Institute Award, YWCA Tribute to Women Leadership Award, the Orbie Bay Area CIO Of The Year” and a “Women of Innovation” finalist for the Iowa Technology Association.

Khalid Turk is a distinguished Healthcare CIO and Digital Transformation leader with over 20 years of experience in leveraging emerging technologies, AI, and automation to drive clinical efficiency, operational excellence, and patient-centered innovation.

As the Chief Healthcare Information Officer (CHCIO) at Santa Clara County Health System, Khalid leads a team of 260+ IT professionals, overseeing technology operations across four hospitals, more than 30 ambulatory and specialty clinics, and behavioral & public health departments. His leadership has been instrumental in modernizing IT infrastructure, optimizing Epic EHR systems, and deploying AI-driven solutions that enhance provider experience and streamline operations—all while reducing costs and improving interoperability.

Beyond his CIO role, Khalid is a recognized thought leader, speaker, and author. His expertise in AI in healthcare, digital health, and IT governance has made him a sought-after voice at major industry forums, including CHIME, Becker’s Healthcare, and numerous other conferences. He is also the author of The Age of Inclusion: Leading Multigenerational Teams for Success.

In addition to transforming healthcare IT, Khalid is deeply committed to mentoring and executive coaching. As the Founder of ExecPresenceOnline, he empowers emerging leaders to build executive presence, strategic influence, and digital leadership in today’s rapidly evolving healthcare landscape.