John Wigneswaran

John Wigneswaran, MD, MBA, is a physician-executive whose career spans nearly three decades at the intersection of clinical medicine and large-scale healthcare operations. Wigneswaran graduated from Tufts University School of Medicine and earned an MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management. He completed undergraduate studies at Cornell University, a nephrology fellowship at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, and an internal medicine residency at Rhode Island Hospital/Brown University. Wigneswaran has more than a decade of clinical experience as a practicing nephrologist and served as a renal fellowship preceptor in the Division of Nephrology at Rhode Island Hospital/Brown University.

Wigneswaran’s transition from bedside medicine to executive leadership included roles across the healthcare industry. Early in his career, he served as director of medical affairs for Scios Inc., a heart failure company, contributing to the clinical team’s achievement of significant sales and its acquisition by Johnson & Johnson. He subsequently held positions in the pharmaceutical, medical device, pharmacy benefit management, and healthcare services industries, including roles at Express Scripts/Cigna, DaVita, Fresenius Medical Care, Gambro, Nephroceuticals, and Johnson & Johnson. He served as chief medical officer of pharmacy-benefits manager Express Scripts, which was acquired by Cigna.

At Walmart, Wigneswaran served as chief medical officer for Health & Wellness, where he was responsible for building a national quality and safety framework for the company’s pharmacies and clinics. Previously, as chief clinical officer for Optum Rx, a division of UnitedHealth Group, he oversaw clinical services for prescription benefits, managed clinical product development, and directed specialty medication strategy. His appointment to the National Kidney Foundation board of directors during this period reflects his commitment to patient advocacy. Wigneswaran has stated that he was drawn to nephrology because of the unique needs of the patient population, particularly those in underserved communities, and the opportunity to make an impact as an advocate.

The American Medical Association appointed Wigneswaran as chief operating officer. In this role, he oversees business operations, health solutions, information technology, AMA Insurance, and JAMA Publishing, and provides executive leadership for new ventures and innovation initiatives for the nation’s largest physician organization. Wigneswaran brings experience from executive positions at Walmart, UnitedHealth Group, Cigna/Express Scripts, and Fresenius Medical Care, where he led core business operations across payer, provider, pharmaceutical, and retail sectors. His background combines frontline clinical experience with enterprise-level leadership, positioning him as a knowledgeable voice in healthcare management, physician leadership, and health system innovation.