One Year. One Lakehouse. What It Really Takes to Modernize Enterprise Data

Dr. Michael Y. Uohara, Chief Data & Analytics Officer at Hospital for Special Surgery, is leading an enterprise transformation focused on redefining how data is structured, governed, and activated across the organization. As the nation’s leading orthopedic hospital, HSS launched an 18-month initiative to implement a modern Lakehouse architecture capable of supporting enterprise-scale analytics, intelligent applications, and decision-making. A former surgeon turned data executive, Dr. Uohara brings a unique perspective to enterprise data strategy. Rather than building around isolated reporting needs, his team adopted a long-term architectural approach centered on full-system ingestion, reusable data assets, and shared enterprise standards. The result is a scalable environment designed to support both rapid delivery and increasingly sophisticated analytical capabilities across all data domains. In this session, Dr. Uohara will discuss the vision behind the organization’s Lakehouse strategy, the principles that shaped its execution, and the cultural shifts required to sustain transformation at scale. He will share lessons learned around empowering teams with autonomy, establishing clear engineering practices, and creating an operating model that balances speed, flexibility, and governance without sacrificing trust or consistency. Attendees will leave with practical insights on building a modern data organization – one that enables faster decision-making, accelerates development of comprehensive applications, and creates the foundation for long-term enterprise innovation.