All Access Healthcare | From Innovation to Impact: Exploring AI's Role in Healthcare

Dr. Kavita R. Dhanwada is the Founding Dean of the NewYork-Presbyterian Iona School of Health Sciences at Iona University, bringing over 30 years of academic experience as both a faculty member and administrator. She earned her BS in Microbiology from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and her PhD from Loyola University Chicago.
Dr. Dhanwada’s career spans significant roles in higher education, including serving as faculty in Biology and as an administrator at the University of Northern Iowa, as well as Founding Dean of the Borra College of Health Sciences at Dominican University in Illinois. Known for her commitment to innovative curriculum development, interprofessional education, and experiential learning, she has been instrumental in establishing healthcare partnerships and community engagement initiatives that equip students for impactful careers in health sciences.
Dr. Dhanwada is also a strong advocate for evidence-based teaching and faculty development. As Dean, she is dedicated to advancing the mission of the NewYork-Presbyterian Iona School of Health Sciences by fostering a supportive, inclusive environment focused on academic excellence, student-centered learning, and collaborative healthcare education.

Nicholas V. Cagliuso, Sr., PhD, MPH, a leading international human services scholar-practitioner of more than 30 years, is Clinical Assistant Professor and Founding Director of the Master of Science in Public Health program in the School of Nursing and Health Sciences at Manhattanville University in Purchase, New York. Dr. Cagliuso also serves as Senior Advisor for Emergency Management at MDB, Inc., a Washington, D.C.-based consultancy.

Fueled by his beginnings as an Emergency Medical Technician in Brooklyn, New York in 1991, Dr. Cagliuso has led efforts in the Fire Department, City of New York’s Emergency Medical Service, The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System, and Continuum Health Partners.

A survivor of the 9/11 attacks on New York City – he was on the 86th floor of One World Trade Center – Dr. Cagliuso is the former founding Senior Assistant Vice President for Emergency Management at NYC Health + Hospitals (2014-2020), the nation’s largest municipal healthcare delivery system. He built a team overseeing finance, administration, Continuity of Operations (COOP), planning, operations, training, exercises, resilience and recovery and countless grants. In 2015, he created its System-wide Special Pathogens Program and served as Liaison Officer for the System’s response to the city’s confirmed Ebola patient. From 2015 through 2020, Dr. Cagliuso was founding core faculty of the National Emerging Special Pathogens Training and Education Center (NETEC) and served as Co-Principal Investigator (2018-2019). In 2018, he assumed responsibility for System-wide Security and Hospital Police, including its Hospital Police Academy and, in 2020, he activated the System’s Incident Command System (ICS) in response to COVID-19.

Dr. Cagliuso is an accomplished university faculty member, holding appointments as Adjunct Assistant Professor of Health Administration at New York University’s (NYU) Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, where he teaches online and in-person in New York and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE). He is also adjunct faculty at Adelphi University, designing and teaching courses in emergency management, research methods and overseeing capstone projects.

He is a Founding Member of the Westchester Public Health Network (WPHN), a member of the NewYork-Presbyterian / Westchester Behavioral Health Community Advisory Board,  and a member of the Association of Healthcare Emergency Preparedness Professionals (AHEPP) Advisory Board. Renowned for his ambition, Crain’s New York Business Magazine named him to its prestigious “40 under 40” list of New York City’s rising stars (2007).  He is an editorial board member of the Journal of Business Continuity and Emergency Planning (JBCEP), and a peer reviewer for Qualitative Health Research (QHR), Journal of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (JHSEM), and Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness (DMPHP).

Dr. Cagliuso earned a B.S. in Fire Science, cum laude, from John Jay College, a Master of Public Health in Emergency Medical Services from New York Medical College, and a Ph.D. in Health Care Administration, with distinction, from Capella University. His doctoral dissertation explored the lived experiences of U.S. hospital emergency preparedness stakeholders through a qualitative, phenomenological lens.

Sanchita Jain is vice president of emerging technologies at Northwell Health, where she shapes enterprise-wide efforts such as the institutional AI strategy, governance, and transformation through emerging technologies. She partners with innovators across the organization to enable the next-generation of digital experiences, operationalize frameworks, and deliver new business value through technology-enabled solutions.

Prior to joining Northwell Health in 2023, Ms. Jain served as executive director of innovation at MD Anderson Cancer Center, where she oversaw a portfolio spanning virtual care, patient and constituent engagement and chaired multiple institutional committees, advancing patient care.

Earlier in her career, she held senior leadership roles in technology and investment management at Invesco and BlackRock, driving large-scale digital transformations, technology strategy, and development of large scale platforms for commercialization.

Ms. Jain holds an MBA from NYU’s Stern School of Business and a BS in Computer Science. She is a published co-author in academic journals, and the work she led has been recognized with prestigious awards, including the Gartner Eye on Innovation Award, Press Ganey Leading Innovators for Virtual Care, and multiple peer and institutional accolades.

Executive Summary

Accomplished healthcare executive with 20+ years of progressive leadership, specializing in hospital and health system operations, enterprise growth, and physician alignment. Recognized by boards and CEOs as a trusted partner capable of scaling organizations, optimizing performance, and executing complex strategic initiatives. Proven track record delivering measurable results in revenue growth, operational efficiency, patient experience, and quality outcomes.

Key Leadership Highlights

• Operational Leadership: Oversaw daily operations of hospitals with $300M+ budgets, 600+ FTEs, and 20+ service lines.
• Strategic Growth & Capital Projects: Directed construction of a $60M ambulatory surgery center, $30M Emergency Department renovation, and $19.8M parking garage with on-time, on-budget delivery.
• Revenue & Performance Impact: Secured $10M+ in federal/state grants, captured $9.3M in new faculty practice revenue, and implemented system-wide nurse staffing reforms yielding significant cost savings.
• System Integration & IT Transformation: Led Epic EHR go-lives (2019 & 2023), streamlining operations and achieving $1.2M in IT cost reductions.
• Physician Alignment & Clinical Partnerships: Dyad leadership of 110-provider faculty practice, improving performance 18% and reducing referral leakage from 82% to 14%.
• Awards & Recognition: ACHE Connecticut President’s Volunteer of the Year; consistently ranked top senior leader in employee satisfaction.