Each year, we speak with a group of executives across the industry on what they think might change for the healthcare world at large as well as their own organizations.

Here’s what they had to say for 2026.

These interviews have been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Michael Betz, chief digital officer, Adtalem

The healthcare workforce shortage isn’t going away in 2026, but what’s shifting is the skill set employers are demanding. We’re at an inflection point similar to the internet boom: health systems are starting to prioritize AI-fluent healthcare professionals who can work alongside technology, not resist it.

And it’s not just about training new graduates—current nurses, social workers, mental health practitioners, and other allied health professionals will need to upskill or risk being left behind in a healthcare system that’s fundamentally changing how care is delivered.

See their full responses here.—NO

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Wound care is becoming increasingly important.

As methods like hyperbaric oxygen therapy to treat chronic wounds that aren’t healing on their own grow in use, awareness of the field is on the rise, too. Chronic wounds are also becoming more common due rising diabetes rates or simply because people are living longer.

As a result, Fortune Business Insights projects the global market will grow from $22 billion in 2025 to $36 billion by 2032.

To learn more about this growing field, we spoke with Leah Arentz, a registered nurse who works as clinical manager of advanced wound care center Healogics at the Baylor Scott and White Institute for Rehabilitation Lakeway Wound Care and Hyperbaric Center in Lakeway, Texas.

Find the full conversation here.—CC

Ken Bertini, pet medication compounding specialist at Sear’s Pharmacy in Oak Park just outside Chicago, has worked in retail pharmacy since 1965. He spent most of his career at Segreti Pharmacy, also in Oak Park, but moved to Sears after Segreti closed this January due to rising rents.

When he was starting out, Bertini wrote labels on a typewriter. Now, he not only uses a computer for that work but also took up new skills to stay strong in the evolving industry, including compounding, or making tailored medications for patients and pets.

“There’s not too many pharmacists around as long as I’ve been around,” Bertini said. “I remember way back when—when things were profitable, things were fun in the pharmacy—but now it’s very stressful. You don’t turn out numbers, you’re not going to survive.”

The pharmacy industry has grown significantly in recent years, up from about $317.2 billion in 2000 to nearly $1.7 trillion in 2024. But a study last year showed 1 in 3 retail pharmacies closed between 2010 and 2021, suggesting there’s increasing pressure to compete with the big names like CVS, Walmart, and Walgreens.

Travel back to the pharmacy industry 25 years ago…—CM