Christopher Longhurst, MD, MS
Chief Clinical and Innovation Officer;
Executive Director, Jacobs Center for Health Innovation
Christopher Longhurst, MD, MS, serves as the chief clinical and innovation officer (CCIO) at UC San Diego Health, where his responsibility includes executive oversight for the Offices of the Chief Medical Officer, Quality and Patient Safety, Care Management, Information Services, and the Jacobs Center for Health Innovation.
With this unique portfolio, Dr. Longhurst is able to infuse UC San Diego Health’s digital strategy with its best-in-class bedside care, overseeing new advanced technologies, data-driven models and clinical research that drives quality outcomes for patients. He partners closely with leaders at UC San Diego Health, the School of Medicine, the Jacobs School of Engineering, and UC Health to improve care delivery and enhance the health system's reputation for delivering safe and innovative patient-centered outcomes.
Dr. Longhurst also serves as the executive director of the Joan & Irwin Jacobs Center for Health Innovation at UC San Diego Health (JCHI), an essential component of UC San Diego Health infrastructure. JCHI aims to serve as a hyper-connected hub that monitors patient health and safety through seamless integration of data streams from cameras, sensors, electronic health records, bedside monitors, imaging, wearables, and other sources. Work is in progress to develop AI algorithms and models that proactively improve personalized treatment, access, health equity, and patient experience, person by person. The center focuses on adapting, developing, and implementing transformative health technologies, from wearables to sensors, mobile apps, innovative new health service models powered by AI (e.g., UC San Diego Health's Mission Control Center), and more. He collaborates with providers, industry leaders and public companies to co-design solutions that meet patient needs.
With a rich background in medicine, quality improvement, informatics, and AI, Dr. Longhurst spearheads groundbreaking initiatives that drive positive change in healthcare delivery by embracing and promoting digital innovations such as telemedicine, remote monitoring, and predictive analytics. He is committed to helping transform the way health care is delivered and he strategically expanded the function and impact of the Office of the Chief Medical Officer, to create a high-functioning integrated team of experts focused on UC San Diego Health's journey to become a highly reliable, learning health system. Dr. Longhurst leverages the expertise within this talented portfolio to continue integrating new technologies, data-driven models and clinical research to maximize quality outcomes for our patients.
Dr. Longhurst serves as an associate dean at the UC San Diego School of Medicine, overseeing our education and research missions within the clinical environment. He directs the clinical activities of the academic medical center, working alongside other clinical leaders to guide the planning and execution of quality, safety, and performance excellence programs. Dr. Longhurst is also a faculty member in the Biomedical Informatics and Pediatrics departments at the School of Medicine, maintains an active clinical practice as a hospitalist for newborns, and pursues scholarship in care quality, patient safety, and health informatics.
Prior to his current role, Dr. Longhurst served in many leadership positions at UC San Diego Health. He served as the chief medical officer (CMO) and chief digital officer (CDO) from 2021-2023. As CMO and CDO, he was responsible for technology strategy and maintaining excellence in clinical care, including regulatory, patient and clinician satisfaction, quality and safety, and medical affairs. Dr. Longhurst served as the chief information officer (2015-2021) and associate chief medical officer for quality and safety (2018-2021), where he provided leadership in key functional areas to continuously improve efforts around operations, reputation and care.
Before joining UC San Diego Health, Dr. Longhurst served as chief medical information officer for Stanford Children's Health, where he led strategic efforts to improve children's health and provider workflow using information technology. Dr. Longhurst founded and led the nation’s first accredited clinical informatics fellowship at Stanford, where he was a clinical professor of pediatrics and biomedical informatics. He also staffed the quality committee of Stanford's hospital board and facilitated collaborative work on national quality improvement.
Dr. Longhurst completed his residency at Stanford University and earned his medical degree and Master of Science in Medical Informatics from UC Davis. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Molecular Biology from Revelle College at UC San Diego. He is a board-certified pediatrician and clinical informaticist. Dr. Longhurst is the author and co-author of many publications on using technology and data to improve the quality of care. He is an elected fellow of the prestigious American College of Medical Informatics.
Links
Research profile: Christopher Longhurst, UCSD Profiles
Twitter feed: @calonghurst