Karthik Adapa

Dr. Karthik Adapa is a distinguished physician-scientist specializing in digital health, governance, and artificial intelligence, with a career spanning government, academia, and international organizations. As an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, he held pivotal leadership positions, including Health and IT Secretary for Punjab, where he spearheaded India’s first blockchain-based recruitment system in healthcare, conducted the first-ever population-level real-world evaluation of AI-driven health interventions, and implemented transformative digital health initiatives, such as AI-based fraud detection in health insurance and digital public infrastructure for primary healthcare across 2,400 facilities.

Currently serving as the Regional Adviser for Digital Health at WHO South-East Asia Regional Office, Dr. Adapa led the development of national digital health blueprints for six countries across two continents, making the South-East Asia Region the first WHO region to achieve 80%-member state coverage in digital health strategy development.

An accomplished academic and researcher, he holds a Ph.D. in Health Informatics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he also serves as an Adjunct Faculty member. With over 100 peer reviewed publications, he has secured more than $150 million in research grants from US federal agencies. A recognized thought leader, he serves on the editorial boards of five leading scientific journals, including Nature, has co-authored WHO technical briefs, and has delivered keynote addresses at prestigious global forums such as the Global Partnership on AI Summit. As a Fulbright Scholar and recipient of multiple international awards, Dr. Adapa continues to drive innovation in AI for clinical applications, patient safety, and digital health transformation worldwide.