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Underwriting Evolved: A DUO Podcast

Underwriting Evolved: A DUO Podcast

By: RGA Reinsurance Group of America
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Step into the future of risk evaluation with Underwriting Evolved – a Digital Underwriting Optimization (DUO) podcast – and pull back the curtain on the evolving world of underwriting. Hosted by RGA's Adam Lorentzen, each episode features candid, insightful conversations with the trailblazers redefining how we assess and manage risk. Benefit from access to the minds moving the industry forward.Copyright © 2026 RGA Reinsurance Company. All Rights Reserved. Economics
Episodes
  • From Patient Scans to Predictive Models: How a Neurologist-Turned-Underwriting Chief Is Rewiring Life Insurance With AI

    From Patient Scans to Predictive Models: How a Neurologist-Turned-Underwriting Chief Is Rewiring Life Insurance With AI
    Sep 21 2026
    He started in a doctor's office. Now he runs underwriting for one of the biggest names in life reinsurance. In this episode of Underwriting Evolved, host Adam Lorentzen sits down with Dr. Dave Rengachary, Head of Underwriting for RGA's US Individual Markets, to unpack the AI revolution reshaping risk classification. From physician to insurance executive, Dr. Dave pulls back the curtain on how carriers are using emerging data sources, why the underwriter still owns the decision, and what it really takes to build with AI before your competitors do. Tune in to hear how he's empowering the modern-day underwriter to work alongside AI models. Key Highlights
    • Doctor to dealmaker: How Dr. Dave traded a stethoscope for an executive suite — and why life reinsurance was never in the plan.
    • Data is the new differentiator: No two carriers use emerging data sources the same way — they're using data to tell their own brand story.
    • AI accelerates, underwriters decide: The model may over-call, but the human underwriter still owns the final call. The goal is empowerment, not replacement.
    • The shift to sub-model reinsurance: It's no longer just about assuming mortality risk — it's about sharing operational risk with clients.
    • Soft skills are the new hard skills: Critical thinking, communication, and collaboration are what recruiters will chase as AI takes the routine work.
    • Just get started: Dave's blunt advice for the cautious — build crude agents, get your hands dirty, move the ball forward. Waiting is the real risk.
    • Get in the room: The RGA Tech Symposium (November) features a hands-on "Build With AI" session — experiential learning, not just lectures.
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    26 mins
  • From Serving Drinks to Ordering Evidence: The Innovator Behind RGA's Digital Underwriting Evidence Playbook

    From Serving Drinks to Ordering Evidence: The Innovator Behind RGA's Digital Underwriting Evidence Playbook
    Aug 18 2026
    She ran trivia nights. She slung drinks. She wanted to be a news anchor. Now Jackie Waas, VP of Underwriting R&D at RGA, is helping rewrite the rules of evidence ordering for life insurance — and the new episode of the DUO Podcast takes you inside how it happened. The Digital Underwriting Evidence Playbook (the "DUE Playbook") started with a simple question: Why are underwriters waiting 30–60 days for evidence when some clinical data can be retrieved digitally in minutes? What followed was years of research — mortality studies, coded-data analysis, and condition-centric frameworks designed to get underwriters the right information at the right time. Fewer pages to sift through. Faster decisions. Lower costs. Less friction for applicants.
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    17 mins
  • Antique Cars, Old Homes, and Lessons for the Future of Underwriting

    Antique Cars, Old Homes, and Lessons for the Future of Underwriting
    Jul 22 2026
    What can 35 years in underwriting - and a history in construction - teach us about the future of the profession? In this episode, we sit down with a veteran leader known as the "MacGyver of underwriting." From separating fact from fiction in the AI era to leading a team of creative problem solvers, he shares lessons on innovation, leadership, and how restoring antique cars and historic homes offers unexpected insights for tackling today's underwriting challenges while preparing for what's ahead.
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    21 mins
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