Robert T. Adamson, Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer at RWJBarnabas Health, has been recognized by Becker’s Hospital Review as one of 135 hospital and health system CIOs to know in the United States for 2026. This marks the second year in a row that Adamson has received this recognition.
The annual list from Becker’s Hospital Review highlights IT leaders who manage high-performing teams and oversee initiatives such as enterprise IT strategy, artificial intelligence integration, telehealth expansion, and cybersecurity improvements. According to the publication, these leaders are driving meaningful changes for both patients and healthcare providers.
As CIO of RWJBarnabas Health, New Jersey’s largest academic health care system, Adamson is responsible for all information technology projects and strategic planning. He also serves as the Operational Leader for the implementation of the Epic Electronic Health Record (EHR) system across the organization.
Adamson led the $855 million “Epic Together” rollout throughout RWJBarnabas Health’s hospitals. Under his leadership, the system achieved a “Gold Star Level 10” status with Epic immediately upon activation—a first in Epic’s global history. During the Covid-19 pandemic, he introduced a “strategic pause” that increased project efficiency by 43%. The health system earned 15 out of 19 Epic operational excellence trophies and received “Level 10 Most Wired” recognitions from the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives at 11 facilities.
A pharmacist by training, Adamson previously served as Chief Pharmacy Officer at RWJBarnabas Health. He holds a Bachelor of Science in pharmacy from St. John’s College of Pharmacy and a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Rutgers University College of Pharmacy, where he currently teaches as an adjunct instructor.
RWJBarnabas Health is New Jersey’s largest academic health system, serving over five million people each year through its network of 14 hospitals and more than 700 patient care locations. The organization is known for its focus on quality, safety, and addressing social determinants of health by providing food assistance, housing support, and economic opportunities to vulnerable populations. It also maintains a partnership with Rutgers University that includes collaboration with Rutgers Cancer Institute—the only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in New Jersey—and Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
With more than 44,000 employees, RWJBarnabas Health is one of New Jersey’s largest private employers and contributes over $5.5 billion annually to the state economy. More information can be found at www.RWJBH.org
“Dr. Adamson bridges clinical and IT priorities with precision and vision,” according to the press release.
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