Rady Children's Hires Walmart Health Executive Pravene Nath
Dr. Pravene Nath joins Rady Children's Health as chief innovation and physician executive, starting November 16, 2026.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in People
Rady Children's Health has hired Dr. Pravene Nath from Walmart Health as its chief innovation and physician executive in a senior vice president role. Nath starts on November 16, 2026, following the hire announced November 5, 2026.
Why it matters
The role is tasked with guiding strategy to translate scientific discoveries and emerging technologies into advances in patient care at the San Diego health system. Nath brings experience in digital health, artificial intelligence, and electronic medical records from her prior roles.
The appointment is effective November 16, 2026, and was announced November 5, 2026, eleven days earlier. No revenue, headcount, or budget figures were disclosed for the position.
The players
Rady Children's Health
A San Diego-based pediatric health system that operates children's hospitals and clinics in the region.
Walmart Health
The healthcare clinic division of Walmart, where Nath oversaw digital health, AI, and data-driven care initiatives before joining Rady Children's.
The details
Nath is an emergency medicine and clinical informatics specialist and a board-certified physician who earned her medical degree and a master's in biomedical engineering from the University of Michigan. She previously served as chief information and digital officer at Stanford Health Care, where she led implementation of the Stanford MyHealth electronic medical records system, and oversaw digital health ventures and AI initiatives at Walmart Health.
Timeline
November 5, 2026: Rady Children's Health announces the hire.
November 16, 2026: Nath starts as chief innovation and physician executive.
Leadership Trajectory
Nath's background spans the shift from hospital-based electronic medical records, as in her Stanford MyHealth work, to retail-clinic digital health at Walmart Health. Her move to Rady Children's brings that digital experience into a pediatric system focused on translating research into patient care.
For patients and families using Rady Children's Health, the appointment signals a stronger focus on applying new technologies and digital tools to pediatric care. The source does not specify any immediate changes to services, pricing, or appointment access.
The takeaway
Leadership hires that combine clinical training with digital health experience can signal where a health system plans to focus its innovation efforts. Tracking how Rady Children's Health defines the chief innovation role after November 16 will show what projects follow.
What happens next
Nath is scheduled to begin her role on November 16, 2026.
Further reading
Explore more San Diego leadership moves in the People section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by San Diego Union-Tribune.
