Jonathan Chen

Jonathan H. Chen, MD, PhD is a physician, computer scientist, and leader in clinical artificial intelligence at Stanford Medicine, where he directs a clinical informatics research group and serves as Director of Medical Education in Artificial Intelligence. His work focuses on a practical question: How do we empower individuals with the collective experience embedded in real-world clinical data?

Dr. Chen's research combines human judgment and machine learning to discover and deliver the latent knowledge hidden in electronic medical records. He has published more than 100 peer-reviewed articles and received recognition from the National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine, American Medical Informatics Association, American College of Physicians, and International Brotherhood of Magicians.

Before entering medicine, he co-founded a company based on his computer science doctoral research that developed an expert system for organic chemistry, with applications ranging from drug discovery to education tools used by students worldwide.

Despite his deep engagement with data and algorithms, Dr. Chen continues to practice medicine, grounding his work in the lived realities of patient care. An award-winning magician as well, he is a highly sought keynote speaker for bringing unusual clarity, storytelling, and engagement to complex discussions of the promises and pitfalls of AI in healthcare.

Talk Topics

AI in Medicine: Real Magic or Illusory Imitations? What artificial intelligence can genuinely do for patients and clinicians today, where the hype outruns the evidence, and how to tell the difference. Drawing on his dual life as a hospitalist and a computer scientist, Dr. Chen separates real breakthroughs from technological sleight of hand.

Compelling (Scientific) Communication How to deliver talks that people remember and act on. A practical guide to structuring, telling, and performing a technical message, informed by a career in medicine, research, and magic.