Meet:  Sanji Fernando is a senior vice president at Optum, where he leads the Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Analytics Platforms team for Optum Enterprise Analytics (OEA).  He is responsible for developing platforms that support the design and development of leading-edge AI models and analytic tools for the enterprise. Previously, Sanji was a vice president at OptumLabs and led the OptumLabs Center for Applied Data Science (CADS).  The CADS team applied breakthroughs in AI and machine learning to solve complex health care challenges for UnitedHealth Group (UHG) by developing and deploying software product concepts. CADS pioneered using deep learning to streamline administrative processes in revenue cycle management and developed graph analytics tools to support provider network design, among other innovations. Sanji joined OptumLabs in 2014 from Nokia, where he created Nokia’s first data science team.  His team launched the first big data computing cluster at Nokia, using cluster derived insights on user activity and engagement to design new product concepts.  Before that, Sanji spent 9 years at Nokia in a variety of corporate roles with Nokia’s Multimedia Division, Nokia Research Center, and Nokia Ventures. Prior to Nokia, Sanji was a co-founder and VP of Engineering at Vettro, a venture-backed mobile software company.  Sanji began his career in consulting with Viant and Accenture. Sanji is a graduate of Trinity College with a bachelor’s degree in computer science.  He lives in the Boston area with his wife and their three boys.  In his free time, Sanji enjoys coaching his sons in basketball and baseball.   He also serves on the board of his local Little League. What you’ll learn: Evaluating the value of AI solutions Growth of AI in the healthcare space Establishing short and long term goals Sanji mentioned our annual survey on AI in health care and we recently shared the findings from our 3rd annual survey; we have both a press release and special report on that. If you would like to reach out to Sanji about anything he discussed on the podcast, please reach out to him via: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sanjifernando/