Jennifer Bryan, M.D.

I’ll be participating as a panelist at the Mississippi Chapter of ACHE Leadership Summit on January 29.

I’ll be joining the panel titled “The Next Frontier for AI in Healthcare.”

I’m excited for the opportunity to take part in the discussion and to join colleagues from across the field.

Sincerely appreciate the renewed attention on nutrition in health care. CMS already covers medical nutrition therapy for diabetes, kidney disease, and obesity counseling, but that's just a start.

Doctors know nutrition matters, yet pretending we can do everything alone dismisses the expertise of dietitians and nutritionists. These colleagues are essential, but patients too often lack access or coverage to see them.

If we're serious about prevention and public health, CMS and insurers should expand coverage so evidence-based, team-based nutrition care is truly available. Physicians want to fully utilize our medical support teams to give patients the nutrition guidance they deserve.

I’ve been honored to serve on the Mississippi Legislative Insurance Study Committee as we look closely at whether GLP-1 medications (like Ozempic and Wegovy) should be added to the state employee health plan.

These are not easy questions. On one hand, these medications can be life-changing for people with serious health risks such as heart disease and diabetes. On the other hand, the cost to the plan is significant, and every decision we make has to balance access with sustainability.

In my comments, I suggested that one way forward may be to start with high-risk patients first, track the outcomes, and re-evaluate as more data and eventually lower-cost generics become available.

I’m thankful to work alongside thoughtful colleagues on this committee who are weighing the evidence and putting people first. Mississippi has some of the toughest health challenges in the nation, but careful, step-by-step policy decisions can make a real difference over time.

You can read the Magnolia Tribune’s coverage of our recent meeting here:

Legislative committee weighs cost, benefit of adding GLP-1 drugs to Mississippi state employee health plan Obesity and diabetes rates in Mississippi are near the highest in the U.S.

AI is changing how we document, diagnose, and deliver care. As a family physician, I’ve seen firsthand both the incredible potential and the quiet risks.

Technology can help us reduce burnout, support clinical reasoning, and increase access to care. But it must also preserve what matters most: human judgment, clinical authorship, and trust…and then build from that foundation.

Ethical AI isn’t a future concept. It’s a current responsibility. And in medicine, it begins right here at the bedside.