About the Authors
Ed Marx
The youngest child of Holocaust survivors, Ed moved to the United States at age 10. At 16, he served as a medical clinic janitor where he discovered his healthcare calling. Ed took successive positions as a combat medic, anesthesia tech, strategic planner, and technology manager. He quickly learned how the convergence of clinical, business, and digital saved lives. His passion ignited, and he jumped feet first into technology and operations in the C-Suite of Cleveland Clinic, NYC Health & Hospitals, Texas Health Resources, and University Hospitals.
Intermixed, Ed served the supplier side as well. He was CEO of consulting firm Divurgent, global CDO for Tech Mahindra Health & Life Sciences, and CIO of the Advisory Board. Concurrently, he served 15 years as an Army combat engineer officer and combat medic. Today, Ed is focused on his own advisory practice.
Ed does a fair amount of speaking, writing, and podcasting. He authored healthcare bestsellers including “Voices of Innovation” and “Healthcare Digital Transformation”. He is currently writing a book for The Mayo Clinic on “Patient Experience” and “Voices of Innovation - Payers”. His podcast “DGTL Voices” is “Top 3%” globally. His Blog, CEO Unplugged, surpassed 1M views. Ed recently started a YouTube channel to expand his audience.
Most importantly, Ed is husband to Simran who holds a Doctor of Nursing (DNP). They love to dance and climb mountains. They have 5 grown children and 5 grandchildren. To stay fit, he is captain of TeamUSA Triathlon.
Cris Ross
Cris Ross is the Chief Information Officer of Mayo Clinic. Before joining Mayo Clinic in 2012, he held business and technology leadership roles with Surescripts, CVS Health/MinuteClinic, and UnitedHealth Group. Before entering the healthcare industry in 2003, he was a tech entrepreneur, finance manager, and Congressional aide. He was voted Healthcare CIO of the Year in 2022 by Inspire CIO/ORBIE. A two-time cancer survivor, he writes and speaks about the improvement of the patient experience. He has served on advisory boards for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Veterans’ Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other industry groups. He is past chair of the Board of HIMSS and currently serves on the boards of CaringBridge and Minnesota Opera. He has degrees from the University of Minnesota and Yale University.
Cris also keeps a vintage boat on the Mississippi River, where Ed and Cris retreated twice to write their book.