As artificial intelligence continues to transform healthcare, its impact is being felt far beyond commercialization strategies and digital transformation roadmaps. On the PR’s Top Pros Talk podcast, Doug Simon, CEO of D S Simon Media, spoke with John Duffield, health futurist and patient survivor, former SVP of technology experience at Omnicom Health about an extraordinary journey redefining what’s possible across the healthcare ecosystem.

John’s perspective is shaped by years at the forefront of healthcare marketing and technology. “As a former technology executive at Omnicom Health, my role was really helping guide some of the largest health and pharma brands into the digital transformation age,” he explained. That work evolved into helping organizations understand “what does the new way to go to market using artificial intelligence and the benefit that it can provide beyond drug discovery, from the lens of what does the next era of the patient experience look like?” That lens became intensely personal when John discovered he had been born with a heart condition that had worsened over time. “I did not plan on being a case study, a walking, talking case study,” he said. Suddenly, AI was no longer a business tool, it became a lifeline. “AI initially helped me make sense of the clinical complexity associated with heart valve disease, aneurysm, and regurgitation, because the emotional journey is real, the anxiety is real, and it absolutely takes over.”

For John, one of AI’s most powerful benefits was delivering clarity without chaos. “I didn’t want to go down the rabbit hole of Google, running into misinformation,” he said. “I wanted answers coming to me that were clear, practical, and made sense.” The need for understanding extended beyond himself to his family, especially his children. Faced with explaining a serious heart condition to his children, John turned to AI for help meeting them where they were emotionally. “How on earth can we possibly explain what’s happening with daddy’s heart?” he recalled. His solution blended technology, creativity, and empathy. “I went to ChatGPT and said, can you help me do this in the vein of Taylor Swift lyrics and trivia?” The result was more than an explanation; it was a connection. “It was just magical,” John said. “Seeing my daughter’s reaction to not only something that was created purposely for her, but to help her make sense of all the confusion and the worry, it was really incredible.” He later took it a step further by turning the AI-generated narrative into a song using Suno AI, titled “An Aortic Story.”

As his treatment progressed, through two open-heart surgeries in just 20 days, AI continued to play a central role in his recovery. “One of the darkest moments I found is the weight and the gap between clinician visits,” John shared. To fill that gap, he built a highly focused AI agent trained on cardiac conditions. “I had somewhere to go for answers and conversation, without fear of judgment. I could ask the same thing 60 times in different ways and not annoy anybody.” That experience reshaped his thinking about healthcare at large. “If this can help me make sense of the complicated journey and really help me from a mindset anxiety standpoint,” he said, “this could be helpful for any other patient going through a similar condition.” When John shared his AI-generated insights with his surgeon, the response was telling. The surgeon was “very impressed with the fact that I was using AI to translate the complexities of the patient experience,” John said. “He said, ‘We can’t be with you every moment during your recovery.’ So, the fact that AI could play a role in that intermediate period, that became of particular interest.”

A major focus of John’s work now is addressing anxiety, one of the most pervasive and costly challenges in patient care. “I learned that 60% to 80% of surgical patients who come in experience anxiety,” he explained, noting that unmanaged anxiety can add thousands of dollars in additional medical costs per patient. His vision is not to replace clinicians, but to support them. “Imagine if I could have a highly trained, focused patient app that is a conversational companion to help patients, just maybe, we can reduce their anxiety a little bit.”

Ultimately, John believes AI’s greatest promise in healthcare isn’t rooted in data alone. “For me, the power of AI comes from not a data and accuracy and answers standpoint, but from an emotional guidance support,” he said. Reflecting on meaningful conversations with hospital chaplains during his recovery, he added, “If I could just bottle up that magic and help scale that using AI, then I think that’s one of the true areas that I’ve found real magic from an AI perspective in healthcare.” By meeting patients where they are emotionally, John’s story shows how thoughtfully applied technology can transform not just how healthcare is delivered, but how it is experienced.

View all of the interviews in the “PR's Top Pros Talk” series. Interested in taking part? Contact Doug Simon at [email protected].

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Josh Moed is a Marketing Specialist at D S Simon Media, a leading firm specializing in satellite media tours.