Banner Health, one of the nation’s largest fully integrated nonprofit health systems, announced the appointment of Dr. John Rares Almasan as senior vice president, chief artificial intelligence, data and infrastructure officer effective June 1, 2026. The newly created position reflects Banner’s commitment to leveraging AI and technology to make healthcare simpler, faster, and more accessible.
Dr. Almasan brings more than 20 years of AI and technology leadership from globally recognized organizations. He most recently served as senior managing director and global head of AI and emerging technology at TIAA, a financial services organization. Previously, he led AI and cloud initiatives at McKinsey & Company and held senior roles at Nationwide Insurance, American Express, and Bank of America. His academic credentials include a doctorate in business administration, graduate degrees in engineering and public administration, and executive education from UC Berkeley and the University of Pennsylvania. He has authored publications, holds patents, and serves as an adjunct professor at Arizona State University and Grand Canyon University.
In this role, Almasan will coordinate Banner’s technology foundation, data systems, and AI capabilities to improve patient care, streamline operations, and support innovation. He will work closely with digital, engineering, and business leaders to build a secure, intelligent technology system centered on patient-first principles. Banner is investing more than $1 billion in AI, robotics, telemedicine, and cloud-based technology to transform care delivery. According to the announcement, AI helps Banner teams reduce paperwork and enable faster treatment access while allowing doctors and nurses to focus on patient care. Banner’s AI program prioritizes safety through rigorous reviews by ethicists and clinical leaders, annual audits, and partnerships with companies like Anthropic committed to building safer AI systems. The health system operates 33 hospitals and more than 400 sites across six states.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/06/05/3307618/0/en/Banner-Health-appoints-Dr-John-Rares-Almasan-as-senior-vice-president-chief-AI-data-and-infrastructure-officer.html