When the ethicists of our founding health systems convened to discuss guiding principles, we quickly found a shared belief that the use of emerging technology and artificial intelligence in health care should be driven by a commitment to preserving and advancing human dignity, justice, and the common good. We hold these values close, as our mission is first and foremost to serve patients’ interests and to promote healthier communities.

And it is with this commitment in mind that I am so pleased to share Dave Heiner has joined the Truveta team as Chief Policy Officer and General Counsel. I worked with Dave throughout my 21 years at Microsoft. During this time, he was Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, responsible for antitrust, privacy, accessibility, human rights, online safety, telecommunications and the company’s work with international standard-setting organizations. Building on that public policy foundation, when AI emerged as a major driver of technology innovation, Dave co-founded Microsoft’s internal AI advisory board which developed Microsoft’s AI principles relating to fairness, reliability, privacy, inclusiveness, transparency, and accountability. I am looking forward to partnering with Dave again to build Truveta into the most trustworthy organization we can be.

“Truveta presents a tremendous opportunity to improve people’s lives at scale through data. I’m grateful for the opportunity to help Truveta become a leader in ethical healthcare innovation,” said Dave.

Like many other employees at Truveta, Dave’s mission-driven motivation also stems from personal experience. His second child was diagnosed at birth with Tetralogy of Fallot, a heart defect that often requires surgery within the first year of life. This was in 1992, and at that time, the required open-heart surgery on infants had only become possible in the previous few years. Dave appreciates his family was fortunate to have an early diagnosis and a pediatric cardiologist who was well connected to one of the few surgeons in the country doing this kind of surgery. Yet he recognizes every family doesn’t have the same journey to an early diagnosis or state-of-the-art treatment options. That is one reason why he wants to help advance health equity with Truveta.

“Data can help shine a light on inequities in the health care system and show the way to solutions,” Dave said. “I feel like we were the lucky ones, and it shouldn’t be about luck.”

Dave currently chairs the board of Pro Bono Net, a national non-profit dedicated to improving access to the justice system for all. He also serves on the board of the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, co-chairs the advisory board for Measures for Justice (data for criminal justice), and volunteers with the Seattle Clemency Project (serving prisoners) and the WAVE Foundation (serving victims of sex trafficking and domestic violence).

I am honored to have Dave join the Truveta team and contribute to our vision of Saving Lives with Data. For more from Dave in his own words, visit A Conversation with Dave Heiner, Truveta Chief Policy Officer and General Counsel.

– Terry