Laura Prichard

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

ABOUT LAURA PRICHARD

Manager of the Advanced Analytics team within UCLA Health IT, leading a centralized data science team that supports clinical, operational, and financial AI initiatives across the UCLA Health system. I joined UCLA Health as a data scientist in 2022 and now manage the team, which strongly shapes how I lead. My focus is on clear communication, collaboration, and building a service-oriented team of AI experts that partners closely with IT teams and stakeholders to support effective, responsible use of AI across the health system. My role centers on working with partners across UCLA Health to identify high-value AI use cases and move them forward in a thoughtful, practical way. This includes supporting an AI Development Lab model and leading internal hackathons that encourage experimentation, cross-functional collaboration, and shared learning. I hold a PhD in Astrophysics from the University of Oxford and previously worked as a Staff Scientist at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Maryland, supporting instruments on board the Hubble Space Telescope. That background influences how I approach complex problems, uncertainty, hypothesis testing, and model validation when working on healthcare AI. I’m also active in AI education and public speaking, with a focus on AI innovation, responsible AI, and practical adoption in healthcare.