Kerri Webster, Vice President and Chief Analytics Officer at Children's Hospital Colorado

Summary

Becker’s Healthcare Podcast – Episode Summary

Guest: Kerri Webster, Vice President and Chief Analytics Officer, Children's Hospital Colorado
Host: Scott King, Becker’s Healthcare
Date: November 28, 2025
Duration: ~8 minutes

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Scott King talks with Kerri Webster about the intersection of healthcare and technology, focusing on AI's potential, responsible technology adoption, data-driven culture, and leadership in a rapidly evolving environment. Kerri shares insights from her unique perspective as both a nurse and analytics leader, emphasizing the importance of purposeful innovation, data literacy, and nurturing a mission-driven culture at Children's Hospital Colorado.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Kerri Webster’s Background

• Kerri's journey combines nursing, healthcare innovation, technology, and leadership.
• Strong focus on empowering organizations to thrive digitally for patient outcomes.
• Quote:
  “Truly, I have a passion for empowering organizations to thrive in a digital era, helping our patients. I think that's why we're here.” (00:34 - Kerri Webster)

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2. Opportunities and Headwinds in Healthcare

Main Topic: The rapidly growing role of AI

• AI offers transformative possibilities: predictive analytics, personalized care, and broad language models.
• Important to match technology to real problems, not force-fit solutions.
• Education is vital for both organizations and individuals to responsibly use and scrutinize AI.
• Data quality, standards, and governance are critical to avoid flawed logic and unintended outcomes.
• Quote:
  “I do think AI represents one of the most exciting opportunities in our industry... But we can't use technology in search of a problem. We have to really think about what our problems are and how technology can shape and change those.” (01:13 – Kerri Webster)

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3. Adding Growth and Value – With and Without AI

• Growth comes from the responsible adoption of technology, underpinned by critical thinking.
• Example: Data analytics (not AI) reduced CLABSI (central line-associated bloodstream infections) rates at the hospital by providing clinicians with real-time insights.
• Quote:
  “A partnership between clinical leaders and our analytics team has found a way to deliver real time insights... that have helped drive our CLABSI rates down.” (03:08 – Kerri Webster)

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4. Fostering the Right Culture Amid Rapid Change

• In times of “change fatigue,” it’s vital to keep the organization's “why” – serving children – at the forefront.
• Deliberately nurturing a culture focused on mission, self-care, diversity, and work–life balance.
• Quote:
  “I think thinking about the why helps keep the culture in this area of rapid change... We’re here for the kids... we talk about practicing ruthless self-care, we talk about diversity, we talk about work-life balance.” (04:05 – Kerri Webster)

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5. Worthwhile Risks and Investments

• Investing in education for the “citizen data consumer” is crucial as digital tools proliferate.
• Focus: Help staff understand outputs, encourage skepticism, and foster prompt engineering skills.
• Time investment can be a risk due to demanding workloads, but it's “worth the investment.”
• Quote:
  “We need to start investing in the education of the citizen data consumer... helping them understand what outputs are coming out, questioning everything, helping them do prompt engineering...” (05:01 – Kerri Webster)

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6. Growth Opportunities for the Future

• Best opportunities lie in fostering a culture that engages thoughtfully with technology.
• Emphasize a problem-first mindset—define needs, then apply technology.
• Quote:
  “Growth in the future relies on us fostering... a culture of thoughtful engagement with technology... problem centered and then adapting that technology to those problems versus the other way around.” (05:54 – Kerri Webster)

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7. Leadership Journey and Philosophy

• Leadership evolved from clinical roles to technology; authenticity and openness are central.
• Importance of clear communication about purpose and expectations.
• Advocates for loving what you do, combining passion with work for better outcomes.
• Quote:
  “Authenticity is key and just letting people know what is, what's happening, why it's happening, what their roles are. I also believe in having fun. You have to love what you do... combine that with your passion to make amazing outcomes.” (06:53 – Kerri Webster)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On AI and Healthcare’s Future:
  “You're never going to have a conversation in the next couple of years without hearing the word AI.” (01:13 – Kerri Webster)

• On Responsible Tech Adoption:
  “We can't use technology in search of a problem.” (01:29 – Kerri Webster)

• On Data and Analytics:
  “As an analytics leader, I think very critically about the quality of data that's feeding our AI systems.” (01:48 – Kerri Webster)

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Important Timestamps

• 00:34 – Kerri’s background and passion for digital transformation
• 01:13 – AI opportunities and headwinds in healthcare
• 03:08 – Enhancing growth and value; culture of critical thinking
• 04:05 – Building and sustaining the right culture
• 05:01 – Education as a key “risk/investment”
• 05:54 – Approach to future growth: Problem-first thinking
• 06:53 – Authentic leadership journey

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Episode Tone

• Conversational, candid, and mission-driven.
• Kerri Webster balances optimism for technology with caution and critical thinking, always centering on patient impact and organizational culture.

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This episode provides a grounded, executive-level roadmap for leveraging analytics, fostering culture, and leading organizations through healthcare’s ongoing digital transformation.

Transcript

[A]

Hello, everyone. This is Scott King with the Becker's Healthcare Podcast. Thrilled today to be joined by Kerry Webster, Vice President and Chief Analytics Officer over at Children's Hospital Colorado. Carrie, how are you doing today?

[B]

Doing well, Scott. How are you?

[A]

I'm great. You know, weather's not too bad in Chicago. We missed the northern lights as we were talking about before. But, you know, maybe next time it comes around, we'll try to make it. A lot of great topics here to get to in health care. A lot going on, as always. But before we kind of dive into the question, I just wonder if you could please tell us a little bit about your background.

[B]

Sure. As you know, I'm a nurse by training, and my professional journey bridges anything from health care innovation, technology, leadership. But truly, I have a passion for empowering organizations to thrive in a digital era, helping our patients. I think that's why we're here. So I think the intersection between health care and technology helped me shape my perspective on the potential and responsibility that we have in leaders in our field.

[A]

Thanks so much for that background info. And the first thing I wanted to ask you, Carrie, is what opportunities and headwinds in healthcare do you kind of have your eye on right now?

[B]

Well, I imagine that you're never going to have a conversation in the next couple of years without hearing the word AI. I'm going to say that I do think AI represents one of the most exciting opportunities in our industry, and that's anywhere from predictive analytics, personalizing care, any large language models, soup to nuts. I like to joke and say I've been using AI since spell check back in the day. But regardless, I do think that AI has the potential to transform how we deliver value, which in turn means we're caring for our patients better. I do think these opportunities, we have to be very careful. We can't use technology in search of a problem. We have to really think about what our problems are and how technology can shape and change those. And I think that means that the challenges we're facing is we have to make sure that organizations and a whole and individuals are educated about how AI works, understanding where it might be limited, and then help cultivate those critical thinking around outputs. As an analytics leader, I think very critically about the quality of data that's feeding our AI systems. And I think that's critical. And without our rigorous standards and governance, we might be introducing some flawed logic into our ecosystem. So I think these are some of the things that I think about from education and collaboration and make sure that we're doing hyper vigilance on what we're producing with these tools.

[A]

Absolutely. Care, you mentioned value. I'm just curious if you're finding ways to add growth and value to your org, maybe without AI or are you still using AI to do those things to help with growth and value?

[B]

I think a little bit of both. As I alluded to before, I think growth comes from responsible adoption of technologies. They just can't throw AI at problems and expect it to everything to be solved. But I think if you foster a culture where critical thinking about any technology it helps us across the board. And when you think about adding value, I think about outcomes. I think about are we changing the lives of our patients? So one example where we're not using AI is we've impacted our CLABSI rate with the analytics support. So a partnership between clinical leaders and our analytics team has found a way to deliver real time insights at the fingertips of our clinicians that have helped drive our cloud C rates down.

[A]

You mentioned culture. What's a good way to make sure you're implementing the right culture right now with everything going on and all the advances in health care?

[B]

Oh, that's a great question. I think thinking about the why helps keep the culture in this area of rapid change. In fact, I've spoken to my team about it. I know people are fatigued by the changes that are coming at them every day and keeping in touch with why you're here is paramount. And so I think I'm very deliberate about my culture. I make sure that we have keep our why front and center. We understand that we're here for the kids and we talk about practicing ruthless self care, we talk about diversity, we talk about work life balance. And so I think those things are important.

[A]

I think those are all great things to focus on for that culture. Carrie, I also want to ask you, what do you think is one risk or investment right now worth making for your system?

[B]

Don't know if this is a risk or not, but I think and it's not going to be a very sexy answer, I think we need to start investing in the education of the citizen data consumer, especially in this digital age. And that means helping them understand what outputs are coming out, questioning everything, helping them do prompt engineering as we talk about authentic AI in increment, you know, investigating the data. So I think that is worthwhile. It might not cost a lot of money, but it is time and people are busy. So I think maybe a little risk because you're taking people away from their jobs. But I think it's worth the investment.

[A]

I think that's a good answer. With everything going on and how quickly things are moving, just to make sure people understand what they can do and results. Carrie, where do you see the best opportunities for growth in the future?

[B]

I think growth in the future relies on us fostering. We talked about culture, a culture of thoughtful engagement with technology, as I said before, really understanding what problems we have and how we can leverage that technology to our best advantage. I think our organization will be able to adapt rapidly and deliver these services if we think about these things problem first, not technology first. And the growth of technology is always there and it's going to keep growing and growing and growing. I think we really need to be problem centered and then adapting that technology to those problems versus the other way around.

[A]

The last thing I wanted to ask you, I think obviously right now with systems and the industry in general, in healthcare, leadership is so important and there's so much changing, there's so much at stake. Can you talk a little bit about your leadership journey and how you evolved as a leader?

[B]

Yes, thank you. I'm not going to tell you how long I've been in healthcare, but a very long time. And I've learned from the best of the best. And I think from anywhere from being a charge nurse and a night shift ICU to being a clinical educator leader to a technology leader, I think authenticity is key and just letting people know what is, what's happening, why it's happening, what their roles are. I also believe in having fun. You have to love what you do and you have to take that love of what you do and combine that with your passion to make amazing outcomes.

[A]

Well, Kerry, thanks so much for joining us on the podcast. It was a great conversation. I appreciate all your expertise and your insight. I look forward to working with you again soon.

[B]

Thanks, Scott. Great to talk to you.