Koray Atalag, MD, PhD, FAIDH brings 25+ years of deep expertise in clinical informatics, interoperability standards (openEHR & HL7 FHIR), and value-based healthcare — from strategy through architecture to hands-on implementation.
One of very few people globally with command across both openEHR and FHIR at every level — strategy, governance, architecture, design, development, implementation and evaluation.
Full-spectrum interoperability consulting from national strategy and governance through clinical information modelling, architecture, technical implementation and evaluation. Part of the original openEHR team since 2001, elected member of the first Management Board, co-founder of HL7 Turkey, HL7 NZ Board member, and NZ representative in ISO TC/215. Advanced expertise in clinical terminologies (SNOMED CT, ICD, LOINC) and formal ontology for full semantic interoperability.
End-to-end VBHC expertise across all three levels: micro (clinical outcome measurement informing patient care), meso (institutional benchmarking and performance), and macro (health system, payor, regulator and life sciences — including value-based contracting). Deep ICHOM implementation expertise. Lead SME in Saudi Arabia's national PROMs strategy and roadmap. Co-lead of openEHR PROMs Working Group.
Fractional and project-based engagements for governments, health systems, vendors, NGOs, and start-ups.
National and organisational digital health strategy with focus on interoperability, VBHC and AI readiness.
Reference architectures, clinical information models, data governance frameworks and integration design.
Hands-on openEHR/FHIR implementation, full-stack development, clinical UI/UX and system integration.
Digital health product design, roadmapping, compliance (ISO 27001, HIPAA, GDPR) and go-to-market strategy.
Executive education, technical workshops, team mentoring on openEHR, FHIR, VBHC and clinical informatics.
Consortium formation, grant writing, RFP preparation and technical evaluation — proven track record of success.
Healthcare AI strategy, ML/analytics implementation, clinical decision support system design and evaluation.
Health tech start-up mentoring and consulting — flexible arrangements including equity-based engagement.
Hybrid computational physiology and AI-based digital twin applications for precision and personalised care.
Trained as a medical doctor, Koray refused to be part of a seriously broken healthcare system and embarked on a mission to fix it. With a PhD in health informatics and over 25 years' experience spanning research, development, consulting and entrepreneurship, he operates at the rare intersection of clinical medicine, health informatics and software engineering.
As a senior researcher and lecturer at the University of Auckland (global top 50), he taught one of the most advanced courses in the programme — healthcare decision support systems encompassing ML/AI — and spent 4 of his 14 years at the Auckland Bioengineering Institute, the world's leading centre for computational physiology, producing highly cited work on digital twins.
His passion is improving healthcare through meaningful, ethical use of AI built on sound data foundations. To this end, he has devoted his career to data and interoperability standards development and governance globally. He is among the very few experts worldwide with deep, hands-on command of both openEHR and HL7 FHIR across the full lifecycle, complemented by advanced expertise in clinical terminologies (SNOMED CT, ICD, LOINC) and formal ontology for full semantic interoperability.
In value-based healthcare (VBHC), Koray brings thought-leadership and implementation experience at every level — from clinical PROMs informing individual patient care (a rare skill) through institutional benchmarking to national strategy and health economics. As co-founder and Chief Health Informatics Officer at The Clinician, he led clinical informatics, research and shaped interoperability & integrations, forged strategic partnerships, and led winning multiple national and state-wide PROMs tenders and contracts. He was the lead subject matter expert for Saudi Arabia's national PROMs strategy and roadmap. He is now consulting top consulting firms and platform providers, advancing their 360-degree VBHC platform spanning CROMs, VBHC benchmarks, AI-driven clinical insights and automated value-based contracting.
Deep relationships in UAE & KSA — established network and track record
25+ years across NZ & Australian digital health ecosystem
Connected through openEHR, HL7 and ICHOM communities
Whether you're a government shaping national digital health strategy, a vendor navigating openEHR/FHIR, a health system pursuing value-based care, or a start-up seeking guidance — I'd welcome a conversation.
Pick a time that works for you — no commitment, just a conversation about how I can help.