Amazon Appoints Roy Schoenberg to Lead Healthcare Division as Neil Lindsay Retires
Amazon has announced a significant leadership change within its healthcare segment, marking a new chapter for the company. Renowned digital health executive Roy Schoenberg, MD, will take the helm as Neil Lindsay, a long-time Amazon veteran, steps down after 15 years of service.
Neil Lindsay’s Legacy at Amazon
Lindsay, who previously spearheaded global marketing for Kindle and played a crucial role in Amazon’s Prime division, transitioned to the healthcare sector in late 2021. Under his leadership, Amazon developed and expanded its healthcare offerings, including Amazon Pharmacy, Amazon Care, and Diagnostics. As Doug Herrington, CEO of Worldwide Stores, noted in a company news post, Lindsay is retiring to focus on personal projects and consulting roles.
Herrington commended Lindsay for laying the groundwork for an AI-driven healthcare company. “Under his leadership, we grew from early experiments in healthcare to a company serving millions of customers through Amazon Pharmacy, One Medical, Health AI, Health Benefits Connector, and more. He built the team, shaped the strategy, and earned the trust of customers, physicians, and partners along the way,” Herrington wrote.
Roy Schoenberg’s Appointment
In a strategic move, Amazon selected Dr. Roy Schoenberg, co-founder of the prominent telemedicine company Amwell, as Lindsay’s successor. Schoenberg, who stepped down from his role at Amwell in 2024, brings a wealth of experience in virtual care and health technology. Earlier this year, he founded Aileen, an AI-powered health companion designed for older adults.
Schoenberg is set to join Amazon Health Services on July 1. Herrington emphasized Schoenberg’s unique blend of clinical expertise, technological acumen, and business-building experience. “Neil will work with Roy to transition responsibilities over the summer and will be available in an advisory capacity through the end of 2026. I look forward to working with Roy to continue to grow and innovate our healthcare business,” Herrington stated.
Lindsay’s Perspective on Schoenberg
In the company post, Lindsay expressed confidence in Schoenberg’s ability to elevate Amazon’s healthcare initiatives. “Roy is quite simply one of the most accomplished healthcare executives of his generation. He is a physician, entrepreneur and digital health pioneer,” Lindsay wrote. Under Schoenberg’s leadership, Amwell became a leading telehealth platform, collaborating with major health systems, national payers, and public health agencies.
Amazon’s Evolving Healthcare Strategy
Amazon has been at the forefront of transforming the pharmacy and healthcare landscape. Its acquisition of PillPack in 2018 and the subsequent launch of Amazon Pharmacy in 2020 marked significant milestones. In 2021, Lindsay took charge as Amazon consolidated its healthcare ventures, including the virtual care service Amazon Care.
Initially launched as a primary care service for Amazon employees, Amazon Care expanded to serve third-party employers across more than 20 cities before its discontinuation in late 2022. The service evolved into Amazon Clinic, a virtual medical clinic launched in November 2022, offering nationwide telehealth services and video consultations.
Under Lindsay’s guidance, Amazon made substantial investments in its healthcare division, notably acquiring One Medical for $3.9 billion in February 2023. This acquisition enabled the integration of Amazon Clinic’s telehealth services with One Medical’s primary care platform.
Innovations and Future Prospects
Amazon Health Services has prioritized reimagining the pharmacy experience, launching healthcare programs, expanding collaborations with health systems, and introducing innovations such as prescription drug kiosks at One Medical locations. The company has also advanced its AI capabilities, launching an agentic health AI assistant in the One Medical app and expanding Health AI functionality on its website and app.
Lindsay, who entered Amazon Health Services without a healthcare background, emphasized the company’s customer-centric approach. “What I brought to this work was a deep belief in working backwards from the customer and a belief that the mechanisms Amazon has developed to simplify other areas of people’s lives can be applied to the one area that has remained stubbornly and unnecessarily complex for our customers: healthcare,” he wrote.
As Lindsay steps back, he expressed optimism for Schoenberg’s leadership, stating, “Now is the time to step back and pass the baton to a leader who knows better than me how to manage the next phase of this journey. I look forward to doing so.”
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