Episode 63 : From Bedside to Big Impact: Nurses Driving Healthcare Change with Dr. Susan D. Smith

Summary:

What happens when nurses help design AI instead of just using it?

In this episode of the Smart Care Team Spotlight, Colleen Mallozzi, Senior Vice President and Chief Nurse Informatics Officer at Jefferson Health, discusses how healthcare organizations can use AI and emerging technologies to redesign care delivery while reducing nurses’ burden. She explains why frontline nurses must be deeply involved in the design and deployment of new tools to ensure they truly support clinical workflows. She also shares early insights from Jefferson Health’s ambient listening pilot, which aims to reduce documentation time, lower cognitive load, and return meaningful time to clinicians at the bedside. Throughout the conversation, she emphasizes that successful innovation requires rigorous measurement, strong governance, and a focus on outcomes rather than just exciting technology.

Tune in to hear how thoughtful AI adoption can give nurses back time, improve care delivery, and help shape the future of healthcare.

About Colleen Mallozzi:
Colleen Mallozzi is Senior Vice President and Chief Nurse Informatics Officer at Jefferson Health, where she leads enterprise nursing informatics, digital transformation, and AI-enabled care redesign across a 30+ hospital academic health system. Working at the intersection of clinical operations, technology strategy, and workforce innovation, she partners with executive and physician leadership to modernize care delivery through EHR optimization, analytics, automation, and emerging AI solutions.

Before becoming a nurse, Colleen began her career in technology at Microsoft. She later practiced in the cardiac ICU and electrophysiology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and held multiple informatics leadership roles at Penn Medicine before becoming CNIO of Jefferson Health in 2022.

She holds an MBA from Pennsylvania State University, a Bachelor of Nursing and a BS in Information Systems from Drexel University, and is currently a Doctor of Nursing Practice candidate in Executive Leadership at Thomas Jefferson University.

She lives in the Philadelphia suburbs with her husband and three children and coaches girls’ travel soccer, using sports to help build confidence, leadership, and resilience in young female athletes.

Things You’ll Learn:

• Healthcare technology should only be implemented when it clearly improves workflows, reduces burden, or returns time to clinicians.
• Frontline nurses must be deeply involved in the design and development of healthcare technology to ensure it fits real clinical practice.
• Adopting AI in healthcare is an operational transformation that requires redesigning care models, integrating workflows, and strong change management.
• Reducing clinicians’ cognitive load is just as important as saving time when evaluating the success of new technologies.
• Successful innovation must be tied to measurable outcomes such as reduced overtime, improved throughput, better patient experience, and stronger safety metrics.
• AI literacy and digital fluency will become essential leadership competencies for nurses and healthcare professionals.
• When implemented well, healthcare technology should fade into the background, allowing clinicians to focus more fully on patient care and compassion.

Resources:

• Connect with and follow Colleen Mallozzi on LinkedIn.
• Follow Jefferson Health on LinkedIn and explore their website!