Taking the Lead 72: John D. Halamka, MD, MS | All Will Be Well: Leading Through Curiosity and Change

Before leading Mayo Clinic’s digital transformation, John D. Halamka, MD, MA was a teenage engineer scavenging defense-contractor dumpsters for computer parts and a Stanford student who helped prototype early multimedia networks long before the internet entered everyday life. In this episode, he sits down with host Geoffrey Rubin, MD, MBA, FACR to trace his remarkable journey across emergency medicine, Silicon Valley entrepreneurship, and national health IT policy. Along the way, he built one of the first web-based electronic health records, helped shape interoperability standards that enable modern data exchange, and pioneered federated analytics (empowering global health systems to collaborate on AI development while keeping patient data local and protected ) and digital care models now being adopted around the globe. Dr. Halamka reflects on the mentors, risks, and resilience that propelled his career, and shares how adaptability, curiosity, and a simple mantra – “All will be well” - continue to guide his leadership philosophy in a rapidly evolving healthcare landscape. Behind the Mic: Dr. John Halamka is an alpinist (a mountain climber who specializes in difficult and challenging ascents, often involving mixed terrain), rock and ice climber. He and his wife also share a deep love for animals and run Unity Farm Sanctuary (unityfarmsanctuary.org) which provides lifetime care for farm animals in need. Located in Sherborn, Massachusetts, Unity Farm Sanctuary is currently home to 400 large animals including gentle giant Dudley the Scottish Highland Bull, affectionate Marky Goat, shy Gypsy Minihorse, and social butterflies Turnip Turkey and Blackbeard Rooster.