Modernizing Healthcare IT for Underserved Communities with Padmaja Sastry

Guest Introduction:

Padmaja Sastry serves as Chief Information Officer at Lowell Community Health Center, a federally qualified nonprofit provider that delivers care to more than 33,000 patients annually across Massachusetts. Trained originally as a dentist in India, Sastry transitioned to health informatics and administration after moving to the United States, combining clinical insight with technical expertise. At Lowell CHC, she leads IT strategy, cybersecurity, and modernization initiatives while managing the challenges of limited budgets, regulatory compliance, and digital equity. Her leadership underscores the role of technology in delivering equitable healthcare for underserved populations.

 

Here’s a Glimpse of What You’ll Learn

• How Lowell CHC manages IT for more than 33,000 patients

• The impact of limited budgets on healthcare technology investments

• Why equity and patient access shape every IT decision

• Lessons from implementing telehealth during the pandemic

• Strategies for bridging the digital divide in underserved communities

• How Padmaja’s career path from dentistry to CIO informs her leadership style

 

In This Episode:

This episode explores the role of IT in ensuring healthcare access for underserved populations. Padmaja explains how Lowell CHC balances budget constraints while still delivering reliable and secure systems that support critical patient services. Her approach emphasizes selecting technology based on measurable value rather than novelty, ensuring investments improve patient experience and compliance outcomes.

She also discusses the challenges of digital equity, especially during the pandemic when telehealth became a lifeline. With many patients lacking devices or reliable internet, Lowell CHC secured grants to provide smartphones, bridging access gaps and improving patient connectivity. This initiative highlights how targeted IT solutions can advance healthcare delivery in communities facing systemic barriers.

Padmaja’s background adds a unique dimension to her leadership. Her transition from clinical dentistry in India to CIO in the United States gives her an understanding of both patient needs and IT strategy. This perspective allows her to align technology decisions with real healthcare outcomes, demonstrating the value of multidisciplinary experience in leadership roles.