Rohit Mishra: Driving Healthcare Innovation with AI and Empathy

The healthcare industry stands at a crucial inflection point where technology and patient care increasingly converge. Those who can navigate both worlds are driving meaningful innovation that improves outcomes while increasing efficiency. Rohit Mishra, Head of Product Operations at Komodo Health, exemplifies this new breed of healthcare technology leader. With experience spanning engineering, consulting, and product development, he's focused on leveraging AI to transform healthcare delivery while maintaining the human element at its core.

Building Impact Across Industries

Rohit's professional journey began with early entrepreneurship alongside his studies in India. "Together with my brother, we founded a consulting firm called Tempus, which gained early traction," he recalls. Despite this success, he felt something was missing in his skillset and headed to the U.S. for his master's degree.

After graduation, Rohit took a position in oil and gas but quickly realized he wanted to work with a broader impact. This led him to a project transforming logistics for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. "I served as a project lead for several VA hospitals, an experience that was both rewarding and eye-opening," he says. When funding changes cut the program, Rohit didn't just look for another job—he made a deliberate pivot. "The most significant change in my career was driven by a desire to pursue work that delivered greater impact," he explains. This motivation pushed him toward roles where he could tackle meaningful challenges in logistics, energy, and eventually healthcare.

Delivering Value Without Perfection

Through his work managing transformation programs and technical leadership roles, Rohit developed a practical philosophy about product evolution. He's seen firsthand how resistance emerges when updating established products. "Internal teams may advocate for additional time to refine the product, while external users resist change because they're comfortable with the current version," he notes. His solution? Stop chasing perfection.

"Striving for perfection can often become the enemy of progress," Rohit says. "It's critical to deliver the next version to users as early as possible to accelerate feedback loops and drive continuous improvement." This approach has served him well. By engaging key partners early and addressing critical concerns proactively, he's managed product transitions affecting millions of users while maintaining retention above 95%.

Leading Through Alignment and Trust

A turning point in Rohit's leadership approach came during a particularly challenging product transition. Despite careful planning and technical effort, the project stalled. "Despite the technical rigor put into solving for the end user and cross-functional complexity, early momentum stalled due to misaligned expectations across teams," he remembers. "We did a full reset and made sure all teams and their concerns were heard and sorted for." The experience shifted his perspective fundamentally. "This reinforced my belief that leadership is about unleashing your people, not just working through a checklist or a plan." This lesson shaped his current leadership style, which he describes as "grounded in fostering mutual respect, trust, and accountability." His focus has evolved from pure execution to creating environments where people feel empowered to contribute their best work.

Harnessing AI to Improve Healthcare

At Komodo Health, Rohit helps reduce disease burden through accurate patient insights and AI-powered software. The intersection of healthcare and technology keeps him motivated, particularly as AI advances. "I'm especially energized by the transformative potential of artificial intelligence and machine learning," he shares. "I believe these technologies will fundamentally reshape every aspect of healthcare, including clinical decision support, personalized medicine, operational efficiency, and patient engagement." He sees the current moment as similar to the early 2000s tech wave—"a once-in-a-generation opportunity to contribute to meaningful, technology-driven change!"

For those looking to enter similar fields, Rohit offers practical advice: "Approach the industry with both the right skill set and the right mindset. Actively reach out to your professional network, primarily second-degree connections on LinkedIn. These conversations often open doors to new opportunities and provide valuable perspectives." His business philosophy cuts to the heart of his approach: "Perfection is the enemy of profitability." Instead, he advocates building with customers through early validation and rapid testing—an approach that seems to be working well both for Rohit and the healthcare technologies he helps develop.

Follow Rohit Mishra on LinkedIn to learn how he's blending technology and empathy to shape the future of healthcare.