UnHack (the Podcast): Zero Trust and the Identity Perimeter with Mary Dickerson and Gordon Groschl

Ernst & Young exposed 4TB of client data on an unsecured database, highlighting data hygiene failures even at major consulting firms. India's cybercrime villages have transformed entire communities from agriculture to organized online fraud operations. New AI browsers from Perplexity and ChatGPT lack critical security controls, creating risks as they access cookies, session tokens, and sensitive files. Healthcare leaders must treat these emerging tools like untrusted interns and supervise everything they touch.Remember, Stay a Little Paranoid X: This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer 

November 4, 2025: Identity has become the foundation of healthcare security, but managing it is more complex than ever. In part two of this UnHack (the Podcast), Mary Dickerson, Associate VP and CISO of UTHealth Houston & Gordon Groschl, CISO and Director of HTM at Texas Children’s Hospitals, explore how organizations are shifting from prevention to resiliency. They also share candid career advice for aspiring cybersecurity professionals, challenging the industry's unrealistic entry-level requirements and explaining why passion matters more than credentials. From volunteer firefighting to CISO leadership, discover the unconventional paths and practical strategies shaping healthcare security today.Key Points:00:24 Identity as the New Perimeter04:09 Transition from Prevention to Resiliency09:17 Behavior Analysis in Cybersecurity12:17 Lightning Round: Personal Insights15:35 Advice for Aspiring Cybersecurity ProfessionalsX: This Week HealthLinkedIn: This Week HealthDonate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer

November 3, 2025: What are healthcare IT leaders really concerned about? Fresh from three 229 Project summits across the country, Bill Russell, Sarah Richardson, and Drex DeFord pull back the curtain on the most pressing conversations happening right now. From simplifying AI governance with a two-track vendor approach to rethinking hiring strategies for an agent-driven future, this episode captures the pulse of healthcare leadership in real time. Discover why some organizations are solving hundreds of problems while others struggle with their first five, and learn the one-word qualities leaders are seeking in their next hires to thrive in today's rapidly changing landscape.Key Points:04:24 AI Success Factors09:57 Balancing Moonshots and Practical Solutions14:37 Sourcing Strategy and Engagement22:32 Building Organizational Culture26:27 Leadership and Succession PlanningX: This Week HealthLinkedIn: This Week HealthDonate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer

October 29, 2025: When UNC Health embarked on integrating 14 hospitals and hundreds of clinics across North Carolina, they needed more than just technology—they needed a scalable playbook. Brent Lamm, SVP and CIO at UNC Health, joins Glen Phares, National Director for Healthcare Solution Delivery at Experis Health Solutions, to reveal how UNC Health built repeatable processes for rapid M&A integration. From consolidating nine different payrolls into one ERP system to managing infrastructure migrations that enable innovation. With strategic staffing partner Experis, they've transformed what could be overwhelming growth into a competitive advantage. Key Points:02:24 UNC Health's Mission and Growth05:20 Experis Health Solutions06:43 Challenges and Strategies14:47 The Role of Infrastructure18:36 Future of Burnout in HealthcareX: This Week HealthLinkedIn: This Week HealthDonate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer

Drex explores how Niantic's Pokemon Go used gameplay to crowdsource geospatial AI training data, including strategically placing Pokemon at hospitals and clinics to map sensitive facilities. Players unknowingly volunteered location data, camera scans, and movement patterns through terms of service agreements most never read. A cautionary tale about digital consent and the hidden costs of "free to play" apps in healthcare settings.Remember, Stay a Little Paranoid X: This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer 

October 28, 2025: Mary Dickerson, Associate VP and CISO of UTHealth Houston & Gordon Groschl, CISO and Director of HTM at Texas Children’s Hospitals, discuss the current research landscape. Identity has become the ultimate battleground in healthcare security, but most organizations still don't have the fundamentals right. From securing non-human identities to enabling research without compromising compliance, these CISOs share hard-won lessons from the frontlines. Key Points:03:36 Challenges in Integrating Research and Clinical Services06:10 Building Secure and Agile Research Environments10:04 Collaboration Across Institutions for Research12:11 Top Projects: AI in Radiology14:58 Merging Identity and Security OperationsX: This Week HealthLinkedIn: This Week HealthDonate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer

October 27, 2025: Bill, Drex, and Sarah discuss the realities of implementing AI agents across organizations. The group tackles uncomfortable questions about workforce displacement, the critical thinking skills being lost to automation, and the massive energy demands threatening AI sustainability. From simplifying complex systems to understanding what innovation really means under constraint, This Week Health explores the practical and philosophical challenges facing healthcare technology leaders today. Key Points: 01:28 Upcoming Summits and Expectations05:22 AI Transparency and Critical Thinking17:20 Economic and Quality of Life with AI21:56 Balancing Innovation and Resource Constraints25:57 The Role of Simplicity in Innovation31:10 Healthcare System Complexities X: This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer

The future of AI resilience isn't just about firewalls and backups—it's about ensuring power grids, chip fabrication facilities, and cloud infrastructure can withstand attacks and disruptions. As AI becomes critical infrastructure, the question isn't whether it will change everything, but whether we can power and protect it without creating catastrophic business liabilities.Remember, Stay a Little Paranoid X: This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer

Multi-factor authentication isn't the bulletproof security measure it once was. Preston Duren, VP of Threat Services at Fortified Health Security, explores how cybercriminals are outsmarting traditional MFA through sophisticated phishing tactics and MFA bombing. The conversation shifts to the debate over platform consolidation—does fewer mean safer, or are we creating attractive single points of attack? With AI rapidly transforming both offensive and defensive capabilities in cybersecurity, the panel tackles the controversial question of whether human oversight will soon become obsolete. Plus, the evolving landscape of cyber insurance and why some health systems are choosing to self-insure. Key Points: 01:20 The Role of MFA in Cybersecurity07:46 Platform Vulnerabilities and Cyber Attacks13:57 Human vs. AI in Cybersecurity24:06 Bug Bounties and Ethical Hacking28:35 Cyber Insurance: Trends and Challenges X: This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer

Cybercriminals are hijacking employee paychecks by exploiting outdated MFA systems in payroll platforms like Workday. Drex breaks down how attackers use sophisticated phishing techniques—including MFA fatigue attacks and session hijacking—to bypass traditional two-factor authentication. Learn why text-based and push notification MFA are no longer secure, and discover how phishing-resistant authentication methods like FIDO2 keys and passkeys can protect your organization from paycheck theft. CISA and NIST recommend upgrading now—before your team's direct deposits sail off with the pirates.Remember, Stay a Little Paranoid X: This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer