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Inside ViVE 2026 with Rich Scarfo (HLTH/ViVE) and Russ Branzell (CHIME) – Part 1

Inside ViVE 2026 with Rich Scarfo (HLTH/ViVE) and Russ Branzell (CHIME) – Part 1

Rich Scarfo

President, HLTH/ViVE

Rich Scarfo is a visionary leader and event innovator who has built his career on redefining how industries connect. As President of HLTH, he spent the past seven years transforming the startup into the world’s leading healthcare innovation event and helped launch HLTH Europe, now entering its second year. He was the driving force behind ViVE, launched in 2022, which has rapidly become the top event for C-suite leaders and decision-makers, and the industry’s brightest companies, in digital health and health IT.

Known for breaking industry norms, Rich has a storied background that includes senior roles at CES, where he helped expand the show into a broader consumer tech platform, and co-launching E3, which became the flagship event for the video game industry. He also held leadership roles at the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health and HIMSS, where he created the Personal Connected Health Alliance following HIMSS’s acquisition of his first event—the mHealth Summit. Across every chapter, Rich has built platforms that challenge the status quo and deliver real impact.

Russ Branzell

President and CEO, CHIME

Russell P. Branzell is the CEO and president of the College of Healthcare Information Executives (CHIME) and its affiliate associations: the Association for Executives in Healthcare Information Security (AEHIS), the Association for Executives in Healthcare Information Technology (AEHIT) and the Association for Executives in Healthcare Information Applications (AEHIA).

Prior to joining CHIME as president and CEO in April 2013, Branzell served as CEO of the Colorado Health Medical Group.  Prior to that, he was the vice president of information services and CIO at Poudre Valley Health System and the president/CEO of Innovation Enterprises (PVHS’ for-profit information services entity). Before joining PVHS, Branzell was the regional deputy CIO and executive director of information services for Sisters of Mercy Health System in St. Louis, Mo. Branzell served on active duty in the United States Air Force and retired from the Air Force Reserves in 2008. While on active duty, he served in numerous healthcare administration positions, including CIO for the Air Mobility Command Surgeon General’s Office. In 1996, he was selected for the Air Force Medical Service Fellowship program and completed a CIO internship at the Unity Health System in St. Louis.

A native of San Antonio, Branzell earned an undergraduate degree in business administration, specializing in human resource management and labor relations, from the University of Texas. In addition, he earned a master’s degree in aerospace science from Embry-Riddle University with an emphasis in management.

Inside ViVE 2026 with Rich Scarfo (HLTH/ViVE) and Russ Branzell (CHIME) – Part 1

ViVE was created to break the mold of healthcare conferences — fewer distractions, more meaningful conversations, and content leaders can act on. 

In this first episode of a special two-part series, Eric Glazer sits down with Rich Scarfo, President of HLTH/ViVE, and Russ Branzell, President & CEO of CHIME, to unpack the origin of ViVE, the CHIME + HLTH partnership, and what senior leaders can expect in 2026.

Together, they explore why executives needed a new kind of platform, what problems they’re trying to solve when they come to ViVE, and how topics like cybersecurity, cost pressure, operational performance, and real-world AI will show up in this year’s programming. They also get into how ViVE approaches content design, moving beyond big ideas to practical context and decision-support leaders can use when they get home.

If you’re a healthcare decision-maker evaluating which events matter in 2026, or how to make sense of a fast-changing landscape, this conversation offers clarity straight from the architects of ViVE.

Resources:

Take a look at what’s in store at ViVE 2026, taking place Feb. 22-25 in Los Angeles – https://hlth.com/events/vive/

Attend ViVE using discount code V26BSV for $250 off the General Attendee ticket – https://hlth.com/events/vive/register/

 

Rich Scarfo

President, HLTH/ViVE

Russ Branzell

President and CEO, CHIME

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