Richard Clarke
Chief Analytics Officer, Highmark Health
Richard Clarke, Ph.D., is senior vice president and chief
analytics officer of Highmark Health, a $26 billion national,
blended health organization that includes one of America’s
largest Blue Cross Blue Shield insurers and a growing
regional hospital and physician network. Highmark Health’s
42,000 employees serve millions of customers nationwide
through Highmark Inc., Allegheny Health Network, HM
Insurance Group, United Concordia Dental, enGen, and
Helion.
As chief analytics officer, Dr. Clarke focuses on delivering
innovative data and advanced analytic solutions that fulfill
Highmark Health’s Living Health strategy—a model that
blends the payer-provider ecosystem; provides more
proactive, personalized, and cost-effective care for patients;
and allows for better experiences for clinicians. Dr. Clarke is
at the forefront of artificial intelligence and data strategy in
health care and works closely with Highmark Health’s
strategic partner, Google Cloud, to develop the next
generation of high-quality care that will help solve for key
issues such as data interoperability, patient flow, and social
determinants of health.
Dr. Clarke initially trained as a neuroscientist and
biophysicist. Since moving out of academia, his experience
includes large-scale data/analytic transformations, building
and scaling advanced analytic products, and building and
managing data science teams. Dr. Clarke is passionate about
delivering business impact through advanced analytics,
growing leaders that connect analytics to business priorities,
and building diverse teams.
Prior to arriving at Highmark Health in 2016, Dr. Clarke
served in a leadership role at McKinsey & Company.
Dr. Clarke holds a B.S. in Neuroscience from Allegheny
College and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the Center for
Neural Basis of Cognition, a joint program between Carnegie
Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh. During his
doctoral work, he published 4 peer-reviewed articles to
investigate the functioning of NMDA receptors, which are
neuronal mechanisms believed to be the basis of memory
formation.
Based in the Pittsburgh area, Dr. Clarke and his wife, Shauna,
have two children and one very loved dog. When not at work,
Dr. Clarke enjoys golfing, fishing, and reading fantasy novels.
Thought Leadership Topics:
• Transforming health care with generative AI/AI
• Using AI to transform the workplace
• Responsible and ethical use of data
• Integrating advanced analytic insights into workflow
systems
• Adoption and use of analytic solutions
• Building and maintaining Data Science teams
• The new role of the Analytic Translator
• Large scale data and analytic transformations
• Healthcare interoperability
• Predictive and Prescriptive modeling