The Tech Guru: Dr. Gerard Burns

Six years ago, Gerard A. Burns was as tech-phobic as any doctor. A trauma surgeon at Yale School of Medicine, he had his secretaries read him his e-mails while he was scrubbing up for surgery. So how did the 44-year-old become a key player in turning Hackensack into a leading e-hospital? He got bored. In 1999 he left for business school and ended up landing a job at a medical software company. When Hackensack in 2002 was looking for someone to get its 1,285 docs to adopt digital medicine, Burns jumped at the chance.

Hiring an M.D. for the job may have been one of Hackensack's canniest decisions. Burns's degree gives him instant credibility with the physicians as he prods them to use the hospital's fast-evolving tech systems. "You have to be part diplomat and part hard-ass," says Burns.