DGTL Voices with Ed Marx

Episode: The Future of Medical Informatics (ft. Tamara Sunbul, MD)

Date: October 29, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode dives into the future of medical informatics with Dr. Tamara Sunbul, a prominent clinician informaticist currently serving as CIO of Fakeeh Care Group in Saudi Arabia. Host Ed Marx and Dr. Sunbul discuss her career journey, leadership philosophies, the digital transformation of healthcare in the Middle East, and emerging technologies shaping the field. Dr. Sunbul offers candid thoughts on leadership, the importance of mentorship, and her excitement about technologies like AI and gene editing. Throughout, the conversation is marked by personal insights, memorable anecdotes, and practical advice for aspiring healthcare leaders.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Origin Story: Collaboration & HIMSS Connection

• Meeting and Collaborating Internationally
  • Dr. Sunbul and Ed Marx met through HIMSS Asia Pacific, collaborating (along with Gareth) to develop a CIO training program for Asia-Pacific leaders, focusing on interactive, real-world learning.
    • “We revamped the way it was delivered. I thought it was a really, really nice course.” – Dr. Sunbul [01:08]
  • The popularity of their course led to room expansions and future collaborations.
    • “...they had to expand the room a couple times because the registrations were so big...” – Ed Marx [01:15]
• Engagement with HIMSS
  • Dr. Sunbul began as a keen learner, progressing to work groups, poster sessions, speaking, and eventually chairing the HIMSS Middle East community.
    • “This is where thought leadership meets action. Enabling collaboration across borders and discipline...” – Dr. Sunbul [07:07]

Personal Mantras & Upbringing

• Music Playlist

  • Prefers upbeat and trendy music, including classics like "I Will Survive" for resilience and Arabic artists such as Amr Diab. [01:50]

• Life Message

  • “If you want to go up, you need to go down and go deep, actually.” – Dr. Sunbul [02:39]
  • Discusses the importance of perseverance, doing unseen hard work, and embracing struggles as growth periods.
    • “The deeper those roots are, the taller you're going to grow.” [02:54]

• Background

  • Raised in Dahran, Saudi Arabia, in a family that valued education and service.
  • Early curiosity and questioning were formative to her path in medicine and informatics.
    • “That curiosity, it got me a lot of trouble, but it got me to where I am today.” [04:21]

Career Trajectory & Leadership Growth

• Healthcare as a Calling

  • Driven by a desire to impact healthcare systems beyond individual patients, striving for scalable positive change. [05:02]

• Path into Informatics

  • Childhood computer hobby led to committee work after med school—interest in transforming paper records into EMRs.
  • Oversaw multiple EMR implementations, driving transformation efforts focused on bridging clinical care and technology.
    • “Bringing those transformation efforts and bridging that clinical care with that technology changes the way we deliver healthcare for both clinicians as well as for patients.” [06:15]

• Mentorship & Capacity Building

  • Emphasis on growing others, especially women in digital health.
    • “I want my legacy not just to be the systems I've helped shape, but in the leaders I've helped grow.” [17:39]

Middle East vs. North American Healthcare

• Regional Characteristics
  • Middle East is in an “exciting phase of exploration”—not burdened by legacy infrastructure. Vision 2030 in Saudi Arabia is a true driving force for rapid digital transformation.
    • “In the Middle east, vision drives a lot of bold decisions...a lot of it includes digital transformation.” – Dr. Sunbul [08:23]
  • North America’s systems are more mature but hampered by complexity and slower decision-making.
• Accelerated Adoption
  • Middle East institutions, particularly those in Gulf States, push rapid adoption of patient-centric technologies due to national strategic visions.
    • “There’s a lot of push to get there...technology is the biggest enabler.” [09:26]

Achievements & Current Role

• Johns Hopkins Middle East Highlights
  • Led “digital front door” initiatives and patient empowerment tools.
  • Designed clinician workflows to reduce burden and restore purpose in medicine.
    • “It wasn’t just about going digital. It was about restoring purpose and joy in the practice of medicine...” [10:22]
• CIO at Fakeeh Care Group
  • Leading harmonization of systems, AI center of excellence, and preparation for value-based care.
    • “They just launched their very large AI center of excellence... I’m focused on harmonizing systems, future-proofing the infrastructure...” [10:55]

Future of Medical Informatics

• Gene Editing and CRISPR
  • Excited by gene editing (CRISPR) as a potential cure for previously intractable diseases (e.g., sickle cell, thalassemia).
    • “Actually getting down to the gene that causes that... and being able to treat the illness itself.” [12:07]
• Microbiome Research
  • Highlights the expanding knowledge of the gut microbiome’s links to diseases like autism and Alzheimer's.
    • “Now they're saying even Alzheimer's...is associated with certain strains [of gut microbiome].” [13:12]
• Personalized & Preventive Medicine
  • Envisions mapping genotype and phenotype, integrating genetics/epigenetics for better care and disease prevention.

Leadership Reflections

• Traits and Advice
  • Leadership is about responsibility, not titles.
    • “Leadership is not about titles. It's about taking responsibility, especially when it's uncomfortable and staying steady when others can't.” [13:55]
  • Perseverance and stability in adversity are defining hallmarks.
  • Advice to young leaders:
    • “Own it—your growth, your stumbles and your impact.” [14:47]
• Personal Recharge Strategies
  • Running, traveling, hiking (e.g., Machu Picchu), and being with energizing people.
    • “Sometimes coming back after a run, I’ve worked out everything that happened that day and I come back with solutions...” [15:28]
    • “Surround yourself with people who energize me rather than drain me.” [16:36]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “If you want to go up, you need to go down and go deep, actually.” – Dr. Tamara Sunbul [02:39]
• “Bringing those transformation efforts and bridging that clinical care with that technology changes the way we deliver healthcare for both clinicians as well as for patients.” – Dr. Tamara Sunbul [06:15]
• “In the Middle east, vision drives a lot of bold decisions...a lot of it includes digital transformation.” – Dr. Tamara Sunbul [08:23]
• “It wasn’t just about going digital. It was about restoring purpose and joy in the practice of medicine...” – Dr. Tamara Sunbul [10:22]
• “Actually getting down to the gene that causes that... and being able to treat the illness itself.” – Dr. Tamara Sunbul [12:07]
• “Leadership is not about titles. It's about taking responsibility, especially when it's uncomfortable and staying steady when others can't.” – Dr. Tamara Sunbul [13:55]
• “Own it—your growth, your stumbles and your impact.” – Dr. Tamara Sunbul [14:47]
• “I want my legacy not just to be the systems I’ve helped shape, but in the leaders I've helped grow.” – Dr. Tamara Sunbul [17:39]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• HIMSS Collaboration Origin Story: [00:32]–[01:27]
• Personal Mantras and Playlist: [01:50]–[02:39]
• Background and Upbringing: [03:47]–[04:41]
• Path to Informatics: [05:27]–[06:25]
• HIMSS Engagement: [06:37]–[07:31]
• Comparing Middle East & North America Healthcare: [08:07]–[09:51]
• Proudest Achievement at Johns Hopkins Middle East: [10:01]–[10:47]
• Role at Fakeeh Care Group: [10:55]–[11:36]
• Future Technology: CRISPR & Microbiome: [11:56]–[13:33]
• Leadership Reflections & Advice: [13:55]–[14:47]
• Recharging & Personal Wellness: [15:08]–[16:40]
• Mentorship and Giving Back: [17:33]–[18:12]

Final Thought

Dr. Sunbul closes with a call to build capacity in others, emphasizing mentorship and the cultivation of future leaders—especially women in digital health:

“It won’t be sustainable unless we invest in people...I want my legacy not just to be the systems I’ve helped shape, but in the leaders I've helped grow.” [17:39]

This episode offers a candid, wide-ranging view into the state and future of medical informatics, through the lens of a passionate and visionary leader. Dr. Sunbul’s insights on technology, leadership, and the imperative to invest in others are both practical and inspiring for professionals across digital health and beyond.