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MHRA appoints CDTO
The regulator has hired Jason Bonander as its chief digital and technology officer (CDTO) to help deliver its five-year strategy
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has appointed a new chief digital and technology officer (CDTO). Jason Bonander, who will take on the role in late May 2026, joins the agency as the MHRA prepares to launch a five-year strategy aimed at modernising regulations to ensure the regulator is fit for the future.
MHRA chair Anthony Harden said that with regulation evolving in “rapidly changing technology landscape”, the MHRA wants to be on the forefront of using data and digital tools to safeguard patients.
“Jason’s proven track record will be invaluable in taking forward our work to protect and promote public health, ensuring people have confidence in their medicines and healthcare products,” he said.
Bonander will join the MHRA from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) where he was CIO and led the organisation’s global technology and cyber security operations. In his new role, he will be responsible for supporting the MHRA’s plans of remaining a world-leading regulator through modernised regulation of medicines, AI and other technologies.
Commenting on his appointment, Bonander said: “Throughout my career, I’ve seen how modern digital capabilities can transform how institutions serve the public. The MHRA sits at the heart of a complex health and life sciences ecosystem – protecting patients while enabling innovation.
“I am excited to join the MHRA, work with colleagues across the agency and the ecosystem to strengthen digital and data capabilities that make regulation more agile, insight-driven and responsive, accelerating access to safe and effective products while maintaining the highest standards of public trust.”
In December 2025, the MHRA launched a call for evidence on artificial intelligence (AI) regulation in the NHS, which will inform the future of health AI regulation and has had significant input in its new five-year strategy.
It also created a National Commission into the Regulation of AI in Healthcare, which brings together experts from the technology industry, the NHS, law, patient groups, the government and the public, with the aim to tackle the most important issues around AI regulation in healthcare.
In May 2024, the MHRA launched an AI sandbox to test regulatory issues for standalone AI medical devices, with the aim of balancing appropriate oversight to protect patient safety with the agility needed to respond to the challenges these products bring, ensuring regulation does not act as a barrier to innovation.
In April 2024, the MHRA set out its AI regulatory strategy, outlining its approach to ensure patient safety and industry innovation. The agency also launched a roadmap for regulations on medical technologies in January 2024, explaining plans for a new framework.
The framework covers both existing technologies, as well as future ones, including new implantable devices, the use of AI software, and any diagnostic technologies used for early detection and prevention of disease.
In October 2025, a study by the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology (BJCP) looked at how reforms by the MHRA – including the use of AI and digital platforms – had helped to more than half the time it takes to approve new therapies and clinical trials.
The MHRA reviews trials based on their level of risk, which includes a fast-track route for lower-risk studies, meaning trials can be approved in as little as two weeks. Through the reforms, the average time for approval has reduced from 91 to 41 days.
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