Understanding the Role of a Health Futurist (ft. Zayna Khayat)

12 Feb 2026 · 33 min
DGTL Voices with Ed Marx

12 Feb 2026 · 33 min

0:00

In this Digital Voices podcast episode, host Edward Marx interviews health futurist Zayna Khayat. The conversation weaves together Khayat’s personal narrative – daughter of Lebanese immigrants, early life in Windsor, Ontario, a brief foray into medicine, a PhD in diabetes research, and a pivot to strategy consulting at BCG – with her evolution into a multi‑faceted career as a professor at Rotman, futurist‑in‑residence at Deloitte, keynote speaker, and chief program officer for a Canadian AI‑in‑health foundation. Khayat explains what a health futurist does, contrasting "nowism" (short‑term, trend‑based planning) with foresight‑driven backcasting, and argues that foresight should be a core competency for boards and senior leaders. She outlines practical ways to embed futurism into strategy (e.g., allocating at least 10 % of planning to future‑informed scenarios, using backcasting, building a competency ladder for boards). The discussion moves to the future of primary care – redefining it beyond episodic, reactive visits to a four‑legged model of episodic care, chronic care management, coordination, and prevention – and the future of hospitals, which she reduces to the core functions of OR, ER, and ICU, envisioning hospitals as porous health hubs. Khayat shares leadership insights: focusing on purpose over title, unlocking others’ potential, being a polymath, and acting as a "super‑connector". She also reflects on paradoxes in health technology and system adoption, questioning why advanced tools have limited impact on population health. Throughout, she intersperses personal anecdotes (DJing, reading fiction, life mantras) that illustrate her creative approach to work and life.

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