Radio Advisory

252: Contain, extract, recover: Inside the Ardent Health cyberattack


Listen Later

In this special live episode from the 2025 Advisory Board Summit, Ardent Health Services President & CEO Marty Bonick and Chief Digital and Transformation Officer Anika Gardenhire recount the harrowing story of a ransomware attack that brought their 30-hospital system to a standstill on Thanksgiving Day 2023.

Cyberattacks on healthcare systems are becoming more frequent, more sophisticated, and more devastating. Just 60 days into her role, Anika led the charge to contain the breach, extract the threat, and recover operations in a record-setting 12 days. From ransom messages appearing on medical devices to disconnecting their entire system from the internet, this episode explores what it takes to lead through crisis, act decisively, and build true cyber resilience.

This candid conversation underscores why leaders must embrace transparency even when sharing worst-case scenarios. Because learning from difficult moments is how health leaders build stronger, more resilient systems.

Links:

  • Ardent Health
  • Cybersecurity in healthcare
  • Paint a picture of a cyber-resilient organization
  • Cybersecurity in healthcare demands resiliency, not reactivity
  • Advisory Board Summits
  • Radio Advisory’s Tech and AI playlist

    A transcript of this episode as well as more information and resources can be found on RadioAdvisory.advisory.com.

    ...more
    View all episodesView all episodes
    Download on the App Store

    Radio AdvisoryBy Advisory Board

    • 4.8
    • 4.8
    • 4.8
    • 4.8
    • 4.8

    4.8

    168 ratings


    More shows like Radio Advisory

    View all
    Freakonomics Radio by Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher

    Freakonomics Radio

    32,283 Listeners

    Hidden Brain by Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam

    Hidden Brain

    43,483 Listeners

    Radical Candor: Communication at Work by Kim Scott, Jason Rosoff & Amy Sandler

    Radical Candor: Communication at Work

    708 Listeners

    The Daily by The New York Times

    The Daily

    111,917 Listeners

    KFF Health News' 'What the Health?' by KFF Health News

    KFF Health News' 'What the Health?'

    478 Listeners

    Worklife with Adam Grant by TED

    Worklife with Adam Grant

    9,188 Listeners

    An Arm and a Leg by An Arm and a Leg

    An Arm and a Leg

    1,083 Listeners

    Becker’s Healthcare Podcast by Becker's Healthcare

    Becker’s Healthcare Podcast

    184 Listeners

    The Journal. by The Wall Street Journal & Spotify Studios

    The Journal.

    5,942 Listeners

    Tradeoffs by Tradeoffs

    Tradeoffs

    391 Listeners

    Raising Health by Andreessen Horowitz, a16z Bio + Health

    Raising Health

    147 Listeners

    The Ezra Klein Show by New York Times Opinion

    The Ezra Klein Show

    15,321 Listeners

    ReThinking by TED

    ReThinking

    612 Listeners

    NEJM AI Grand Rounds by NEJM Group

    NEJM AI Grand Rounds

    54 Listeners

    The Headlines by The New York Times

    The Headlines

    492 Listeners