A new doctor in the house

Amber Shumake

New Yale Health CEO Jason Fish has applied artificial intelligence and data analytics to patient care. View full image

If you or someone in your family studies or works at Yale, chances are you’re familiar with the black-clad modern building at 55 Lock Street and the services offered by Yale Health. Founded in 1971 as one of the first university-based HMOs, Yale Health has grown to serve over 40,000 community members.

After 26 years under the leadership of Dr. Paul Genecin—who oversaw the move to the Lock Street site, the implementation of electronic medical records, and stewardship of the COVID-19 pandemic—Yale Health got a new CEO last summer. Dr. Jason Fish, chief medical officer of Southwestern Health Services in Texas, succeeded Genecin on July 1.

In announcing Fish’s appointment, President Peter Salovey ’86PhD lauded Fish’s innovative approach to population health management, noting that his use of artificial intelligence and data analytics techniques has been published in medical literature. A physician who also has master’s degrees in public health and health administration, Fish says his focus will be on assessing care delivery and leaning into partnerships with Yale Medicine and Yale New Haven Hospital. He also says he makes a point of placing people and their specific needs at the heart of his work as a healthcare management professional.

“By being a primary care, patient-centered system, Yale Health must meet the patients where they are in their life’s journey,” says Fish. “We serve many individuals from various stages in that journey, and primary care is most capable of rising to that challenge and delivering outstanding care. Yale Health continues to evolve and advance to ensure our members receive the most appropriate and evidence-based care in a welcoming environment.”

Fish earned his BA from Whittier College, his MD from Cornell, and master’s degrees from UCLA and UT–Dallas. He had a home in Texas for 12 years, and now, he says, he’s excited to be in Connecticut. “Yale and New Haven both have such a rich history and offer so much culture in this tight-knit community,” he says. “There are so many opportunities to involve yourself in and around campus. I’ve enjoyed taking in the campus on my walks, and the dining options in New Haven have been nothing short of amazing.”