Scott Schell

About Scott Schell

I serve as Chief Medical Officer at Cognizant, where my focus is translating advanced technologies into clinical and operational impact. I focus on AI-driven documentation, value-based care analytics, and the resilience of provider and payer systems, ensuring that innovation moves from pilot to scale and delivers measurable outcomes. With training in surgical oncology, molecular genetics, and health management, I bring a perspective that crosses science, practice, and enterprise leadership. I have led innovation and transformation programs at Cleveland Clinic, UPMC, and Alere Health, and I have built health technology ventures from startup through scale, giving me a vantage point across the continuum of care and enterprise growth. Today, my work is about collapsing the distance between truth, translation, and execution, ensuring that healthcare organizations can adopt new models faster, safer, and with greater trust.

Experience

1. Chief Medical Officer

   Cognizant

   Aug 2023 — Present

   As Chief Medical Officer, I guide Cognizant’s global healthcare and life sciences strategy with a focus on scaling advanced technologies into measurable outcomes. My work spans product innovation, clinical operations, and enterprise transformation—bringing clinical credibility and business acumen together in one role.Highlights of my impact include-Shaping market adoption of agentic AI across analytics, delivery, and payment platforms, reducing the lag from pilot to enterprise scale-Embedding AI-driven insights into clinical workflows to improve documentation, elevate decision-making, and expand patient access-Advising provider, payer, and life sciences leaders on strategies that balance financial performance with resilience, compliance, and care quality-Representing Cognizant on global stages as a thought leader in the future of AI-enabled healthcare.I draw on experience as a surgeon, health system executive, and technology entrepreneur to cross boundaries that often slow innovation. The through-line in my work is collapsing the distance between discovery, adoption, and sustained impact.

Education

• University of Oxford

  Registrar, Surgery

• The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine

  MD, Medicine

• University of Michigan - Stephen M. Ross School of Business

  Masters of Business Administration, Business Administration

• University of Chicago

  PhD, Molecular Immunology

• The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

  Residency and Fellowship Training, Surgery, Surgical Oncology

• University of Chicago

  A.B., Biology