Thomas Osborne

Tech Champion of the Year

Thomas Osborne’s job is to get better care to veterans, looking to the latest in emerging technology to find new healthcare innovations. This year, he brought the first 5G hospital online in California, giving doctors more data and new tools to work with patients. This early success had to stand alone this year, as the VA pivoted away from pursuing emerging technologies to putting all of its efforts into supporting the battle against COVID-19. “We did not expect to pivot away from a number of previously planned successful projects that were gaining momentum. However, very early on into the pandemic, we took the risk of changing course, which enabled us to have a head start on a multipronged battle against this new disease,” said Osborne, director of the National Center for Collaborative Healthcare. Beyond just carrying for veterans, the VA also had to support overwhelmed private health care.