Dr. Andrew Watson is a fourth-generation surgeon and the eighth in his family. He earned his master’s degree at the University of Oxford and attended medical school at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. He completed his surgical training and fellowship at UPMC. He is an actively practicing colorectal surgeon specializing in minimally invasive inflammatory bowel disease and complex reoperative abdominal surgery. He is a professor of surgery and works within the division of colorectal surgery. He is widely published and recognized as a telemedicine expert, and he uses digital health extensively in his clinical practice.

He spends the majority of his time working for corporate UPMC. He is the senior medical director for digital health at the UPMC Health Plan, focusing on digital health strategy for Health Plan members. This includes work across all lines of business and at both the individual and population health levels. He is a senior medical advisor for UPMC Enterprises, focusing on digital health innovation and investment opportunities. He routinely works with multiple portfolio companies. In this role, he engages with early-stage companies and provides digital clinical advice on investment opportunities. He initiated and leads the Total-Telemedicine Pathway, an interdepartmental collaborative approach that engages and risk-stratifies new pre-surgical patients without unnecessary travel, thereby expanding virtual access to safe, high-quality surgical care.

He actively uses and helps develop telemedicine at UPMC and has personally conducted over 1500 telemedicine visits for pre- and post-surgical patients. He is the past president of the American Telemedicine Association. He is the past chair of the American College of Surgeons Healthcare IT committee. He serves on the American Heart Association advocacy coordinating committee and supports multiple telehealth initiatives. He reviews articles for multiple journals and speaks globally on digital health and telemedicine. He is serving a term as a special government employee at the FDA. He worked extensively in Norway for three years, focusing on national digital transformation, and later expanded this work to include Denmark and Sweden.

He currently lives in Pittsburgh, PA, where he maintains his portfolio career of surgery, insurance, and innovation.