Raise the Line

How AI Could Strengthen the Doctor-Patient Relationship: Dr. Ashwin Vasan, Senior Fellow in Health Policy and Global Affairs at Yale School of Public Health

Apr 9, 2026
Dr. Ashwin Vasan, physician, epidemiologist, and former NYC Health Commissioner now at Yale, shares big-picture views on AI in medicine. He discusses AI freeing clinicians for human connection. He warns about inequities and rising costs. He calls for clinicians to shape implementation and for public-health values to guide technology.
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ANECDOTE

Early Family Influence Shaped Clinical And Systems View

  • Vasan credits his mother, a neonatologist, for inspiring his clinical compassion and long-term patient relationships.
  • He also credits his engineer father for teaching systems thinking that shaped his policy career.
ANECDOTE

COVID Taught That Trust And Social Conditions Matter

  • As NYC Health Commissioner during COVID, Vasan learned that public trust is essential for effective public health action.
  • He notes NYC's innovations like mobile treatment delivery and that public health must address social determinants.
INSIGHT

AI Can Restore Clinician Time For Patients

  • AI can free clinicians from administrative burdens so they can focus on patient connection and counseling.
  • Ashwin Vasan cites ambient scribes, automated reads, and synthesis of large data as tools to restore time and presence with patients.
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