Dr. Anjali Bhagra is Professor of Medicine and Physician Chair of Enterprise Automation and the Office of Belonging at Mayo Clinic. She also serves on Mayo Clinic’s Executive Operations Team.
A nationally and internationally recognized physician executive, Dr. Bhagra advances healthcare transformation through her expertise in AI, automation, organizational resilience, leadership, and belonging. She has held multiple leadership roles at Mayo Clinic and serves with national and global organizations focused on healthcare innovation, medical education, and inclusion, including the Medical Industry Leadership Institute, the Minnesota Medical Association Health Equity Community Practice Group, the National IGNITEMed Program, and the World India Diabetes Foundation.
How did your career in healthcare start?
My career in healthcare began with a deep interest in people—their stories, their resilience, and the systems that either support or limit their ability to thrive. Medicine gave me a way to combine science with service, and over time, that interest expanded from caring for one patient at a time to improving care delivery at scale. I would not say that my path was intentional but I would say that it was not rigid, and it has certainly evolved in ways I could not have fully predicted. The common thread has always been the same: improving the experience of patients and the people who care for them.
You hold several leadership roles at Mayo Clinic. How do you find balance between them all?
I think less about balance as an equal distribution of time and more about alignment of purpose. My roles may look different on paper, but they are connected by a shared goal: advancing better care, supporting our workforce, and helping Mayo Clinic continue to lead in a rapidly changing healthcare environment.
For example, my work in AI and automation, workforce transformation, and belonging often intersects around the same question: how do we design systems that make it easier for people to do their best work? I rely on building strong teams, clear priorities, and disciplined decision-making about where my attention is most needed. I have also learned that leadership requires both urgency and restraint—knowing when to move quickly and when to create space for others to lead.
How has the work you have led around AI and automation improved patient outcomes and experience?
The most meaningful impact of AI and automation is not the technology itself; it is what the technology makes possible. We are using these tools to create more capabilities for cure and connection, reduce friction in care delivery, remove repetitive administrative work, and create more opportunities for healthcare staff to focus on patients.
One example is using automation to reduce manual, repetitive administrative tasks that slow down care teams and create avoidable delays for patients. By streamlining these workflows, we have improved patient access, consistency, and communication while giving clinicians and staff more capacity to focus on direct patient care. All of these shape patient outcomes and experience. For me, the standard is clear: AI and automation must serve human needs, strengthen trust, and make healthcare more responsive and more humane.
What might the WBL network be surprised to know about you?
People may be surprised to know that much of my leadership philosophy has been shaped by transition—across countries, cultures, disciplines, and roles. Those experiences taught me to listen carefully, adapt quickly, and pay attention to who is included in the room and who is not. I am energized by complex systems, but I am equally motivated by human connection. At the end of the day, my work is grounded in the belief that progress in healthcare depends as much on relationships and courage as it does on innovation.
On a personal note, I am married to my high school sweetheart, who is also a Mayo Clinic physician. Outside work, you are most likely to find me at a live concert, watching a Formula 1 race, playing pickleball, or cheering our son on the tennis court.
