Becker’s Healthcare Podcast: Jochen Reiser, MD PhD, President and CEO, UTMB
Date: January 13, 2026
Host: Will Riley (Becker’s Healthcare, R1)
Guest: Dr. Jochen Reiser (President and CEO, University of Texas Medical Branch - UTMB)
Episode Overview
This episode features Dr. Jochen Reiser, President and CEO of UTMB, discussing the institution’s journey with innovation—primarily artificial intelligence (AI)—in healthcare delivery, education, and research. Dr. Reiser covers how UTMB is embracing AI in clinical practice, data governance, partnership models, and medical education, addressing both opportunities and challenges the healthcare industry faces during the current era of digital transformation.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Dr. Reiser’s Background and UTMB’s Unique Role
[00:58 - 02:34]
- Dr. Reiser shares his international background—from rural Germany to faculty and leadership positions at several top US institutions.
- UTMB described as a historic, multifaceted institution:
- Oldest medical and nursing school in Texas
- Manages 82% of prison healthcare in the state
- Six hospitals, 100 clinics, major pharmacy enterprise
- Involvement in aerospace medicine and leading the nation’s largest BSL-4 national laboratory
- Quote:
“UTMB is a legacy institution... with some really great missions... quite an interesting mission around aerospace medicine and of course the National Laboratory. Only two labs in the United States are biosafety level four. We are the larger one and we are leading that as well.”
(Dr. Reiser, 01:41)
2. Innovation as a Core Pillar at UTMB
[02:34 - 03:34]
- Innovation officially added as the fourth mission pillar (alongside education, research, and clinical care).
- 2023: Launch of an Innovation Center at UTMB—now home to startup initiatives and updated governance models.
- Integration of innovation into medical curricula.
- Quote:
“We have education, research, clinical care delivery and innovation... we opened an innovation center in 2023 and have a few startup companies now... also made it part of some of our curricula. So, an exciting topic to talk about.”
(Dr. Reiser, 02:54)
3. Shifting Attitudes Toward AI in Healthcare
[03:34 - 05:38]
- Traditional reluctance to biotech innovation due to high cost and extended timelines.
- AI differs—it’s actionable, scalable, and can be piloted quickly.
- Widespread institutional adoption: AI and health tech projects proliferating at UTMB; more numerous and advanced than at many peer institutions.
- Quote:
“With AI and health tech, this seems to be not quite the case because the needs are so vast... you can utilize those tools in pilot programs already at the inception and creation phase.”
(Dr. Reiser, 04:23)
4. AI Enhancing Clinical Practice and Administration
[05:38 - 07:09]
- Ambient listening tech rolled out system-wide; documentation streamlined for all faculty, refocusing on patient-provider interaction.
- AI applications span revenue cycle, billing, compliance, and contracting.
- Custom AI programs developed with partners, piloted at UTMB—potential alternate revenue streams as tech matures.
- Quote:
“We already have [ambient listening] rolled out for our entire faculty. So it’s a routine component of care at UTMB... a big differentiator in terms of happiness for the patient, but also for the provider.”
(Dr. Reiser, 06:01)
5. The Dynamic Between Incumbents and New Entrants in AI Innovation
[07:09 - 09:05]
- Incumbents vs. Insurgents:
- Incumbents: established systems with large data sets
- Insurgents: new disruptors
- Healthcare data is “the main capital for innovation.”
- UTMB’s focus is on safe, impactful use and sharing of data; Texas seen as a fertile innovation environment.
- Quote:
“What has not changed is that the data that health systems have is the main capital for the innovation.”
(Dr. Reiser, 07:51)
6. Blending Human and Artificial Intelligence in Operations
[09:05 - 10:24]
- Access center as a model of “actual intelligence and artificial intelligence”:
- AI supports operators and nurses, expanding patient access
- Partnership opportunities with tech companies to pilot solutions
- Academia now an “equal or leading partner” in AI innovation, in contrast to the pharmaceutical and biotech era.
- Quote:
“In AI, it’s different. We are equal partner, if not leading partner, in this newly established friendship as we’re innovating.”
(Dr. Reiser, 10:10)
7. Data Governance and Responsible AI Oversight
[10:24 - 12:16]
- Complex governance framework required: technical, security, legal, ethical, compliance components
- Establishment of AI Council and a Center for AI—monitors all projects, partners, and maintains inventory of initiatives.
- **Governance seen as a “maturing organ”—must not be overwhelmed before fully developed.
- Quote:
“Governance framework for AI is complex. It needs to have obviously a lot of technical oversight, it needs to have security oversight, it needs to have legal oversight, ethical oversight, and also compliance. So all the components need to be there.”
(Dr. Reiser, 10:48)
8. AI-Driven Innovation in Medical Education
[12:16 - 14:30]
- Use of large language models (LLMs) to identify highly instructive patient cases—matching students to learning opportunities.
- Customization of content delivery modes to suit student preferences (virtual, hands-on, etc.)
- Focus on redefining university relevance in the age of abundant online learning tools.
- Quote:
“Our AI tools will help those students to get their preferential mode of learning delivered... so they can best fulfill the task of getting to the next level. That’s very exciting…redefining how we are teaching as a university.”
(Dr. Reiser, 13:27)
9. Balancing Patient Empowerment & Expert Oversight in Healthcare AI
[14:30 - 15:56]
- Patients are better informed than ever—sometimes with inaccurate info.
- Ongoing, unavoidable need for healthcare expertise.
- AI augments, not replaces, human clinicians.
- Quote:
“We will always need the expert, right. But the good news are... we have too few doctors, too few nurses... by adding on artificial capacity and artificial intelligence to help us manage that, we’re not competing... together it will be better health care delivery.”
(Dr. Reiser, 15:10)
10. Memorable Closing: The Cognitive Revolution in Action
[16:04 - 16:30]
- Year-over-year progress is tangible:
“It feels different. It feels like we are not just talking about AI, we’re doing it. We actually have some experience reports and we’re starting to really gel with that new topic of that cognitive revolution we are living through right now.”
(Dr. Reiser, 16:12)
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|--------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:41 | Dr. Reiser | “UTMB is a legacy institution...with some really great missions that we cover. For example, 82% of prison healthcare in TX...” | | 02:54 | Dr. Reiser | “We have education, research, clinical care delivery and innovation...opened an innovation center in 2023...” | | 04:23 | Dr. Reiser | “With AI and health tech...it’s almost clear that technologies that are good and rooted in sound science will ultimately...make them to the market.” | | 06:01 | Dr. Reiser | “We already have [ambient listening] rolled out for our entire faculty...big differentiator in terms of happiness...” | | 07:51 | Dr. Reiser | “What has not changed is that the data that health systems have is the main capital for the innovation.” | | 10:10 | Dr. Reiser | “In AI, it’s different. We are equal partner, if not leading partner, in this newly established friendship...” | | 10:48 | Dr. Reiser | “Governance framework for AI is complex...all the components need to be there. So we have an AI council that...is very helpful to me...” | | 13:27 | Dr. Reiser | “Our AI tools will help those students to get their preferential mode of learning delivered...redefining how we are teaching as a university.” | | 15:10 | Dr. Reiser | “We will always need the expert, right. But... by adding on artificial capacity and artificial intelligence... together it will be better health care delivery.” | | 16:12 | Dr. Reiser | “It feels like we are not just talking about AI, we’re doing it. We actually have some experience reports...” |
Timestamps for Key Segments
- 00:58 — Dr. Reiser shares his background and describes UTMB
- 02:34 — Innovation declared a core pillar and launch of the Innovation Center
- 03:34 — Conversation on changing attitudes toward innovation and AI
- 05:55 — New clinical workflows enabled by AI, including ambient listening
- 07:20 — Incumbents vs. insurgents in healthcare AI innovation
- 09:05 — “AI Square”: blending human and artificial intelligence
- 10:48 — Building a robust AI governance framework
- 12:23 — Innovative AI applications in medical education
- 14:30 — Patient empowerment, expertise, and the future clinician-AI partnership
- 16:12 — Reflecting on substantive progress in AI over the past year
Summary
Dr. Jochen Reiser offers an engaging, optimistic, and pragmatic look at how institutions like UTMB are leading in healthcare innovation—especially AI—by transforming data governance, care delivery, organizational culture, and education. The episode underscores both the pace of change in the healthcare sector and the critical importance of blending expertise, governance, and responsible collaboration with technology. UTMB’s example highlights how legacy institutions can drive meaningful transformation by intentionally building infrastructure, partnerships, and an innovation mindset to meet the challenges and opportunities of the “cognitive revolution.”