Mario Aguilar covers technology in health care, including artificial intelligence, virtual reality, wearable devices, telehealth, and digital therapeutics. His stories explore how tech is changing the practice of health care and the business and policy challenges to realizing tech’s promise. He’s also the co-author of the free, twice weekly STAT Health Tech newsletter. You can reach Mario on Signal at mariojoze.13.

The Food and Drug Administration has tapped a former executive from a health artificial intelligence company to lead its digital health center.

Rick Abramson, formerly a chief medical officer at a subsidiary of Harrison.ai, which develops AI products to interpret radiological images, is the new director of the Digital Health Center of Excellence, according to two people familiar with the appointment. The move comes as the agency wrestles with the future regulation of AI.


STAT Plus: AI doctors are coming. Should FDA make sure they’re safe?

Abramson has since last summer been working as a senior adviser in the commissioner’s office. In January, the agency announced it would soften the regulation of AI products that support clinician decision-making, and allow more wellness products to avoid FDA review. Three agency employees told STAT at the time that the push to deregulate was led by Abramson and two other officials in the commissioner’s office: Jared Seehafer and Shantanu Nundy. 

STAT+ Exclusive Story

STAT+



This article is exclusive to STAT+ subscribers
Unlock this article — and get additional analysis of the technologies disrupting health care — by subscribing to STAT+.

Already have an account? Log in

Individual plans

Group plans

View All Plans

To read the rest of this story subscribe to STAT+.

Subscribe