As innovation becomes a mainstay in the healthcare industry, organizations are carving out leadership positions devoted exclusively to innovative processes and projects.
The number of innovation executives is still relatively low, but it is growing. Here are 15 chief innovation officers to know at hospitals and health systems throughout the United States, presented alphabetically.
Note: Chief innovation officers were selected based on editorial judgment and discretion. Individuals did not pay for inclusion on this list.
Sajid Ahmed, Chief Information and Innovation Officer, Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Hospital (Los Angeles). Mr. Ahmed leads MLK Community Hospital's $70 million health IT initiatives. He is also at the helm of launching an innovation hub on the MLK Medical Center Campus. Prior to joining MLK Community Hospital, Mr. Ahmed was the director of health IT and innovation for L.A. Care Health Plan. During his time with L.A. Care Health Plan, he helped create the Health Information Technology Regional Extension Center for Los Angeles County.
David Bates, MD, Senior Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer, Brigham and Women's Hospital (Boston). In addition to his executive leadership roles, Dr. Bates is a practicing general internist, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston and a professor of health policy and management at Harvard School of Public Health, also in Boston. He co-directs the program in clinical effectiveness at Harvard School of Public Health. Dr. Bates is the editor of the Journal of Patient Safety.
John Brownstein, PhD, Chief Innovation Officer, Boston Children's Hospital. Dr. Brownstein serves as an associate professor in the pediatrics department at Harvard Medical School in Boston, director of the computational epidemiology group at Children's Hospital Boston and a research scientist with Partners Healthcare, also in Boston. He has provided real-time public health surveillance data guidance to the World Health Organization, Institute of Medicine, HHS and U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Dr. Brownstein has authored more than 100 articles on disease surveillance.
Anthony Chang, MD, Chief Intelligence and Innovation Officer, Children's Hospital of Orange (Calif.) County. Dr. Chang is a pediatric cardiologist. In addition to his roles as chief intelligence and innovation officer, he is director of the pediatric cardiac intensive care service at CHOC Children's and the cardiology division chief at CHOC Children's Specialists. Additionally, Dr. Chang is a founding member of the Asia-Pacific Pediatric Cardiac Society.
Marco Costa, MD, PhD, Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer, University Hospitals (Cleveland). Dr. Costa is a practicing interventional cardiologist. In addition to serving as chief innovation officer at University Hospitals, he is the director of the health system's Interventional Cardiovascular and Research and Innovation centers. He has served as chief innovation officer since 2014 and has been with University Hospitals since 2007.
Mark Coticchia, Vice President and Chief Innovation officer, Henry Ford Health System (Detroit). In his leadership positions, Mr. Coticchia leads the Henry Ford Innovations unit, Henry Ford Innovation Institute, Davidson Center for Digital Health and Henry Ford Health System's global initiatives. He has previous experience as vice president of research, technology management and economic development at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, as well as director of technology transfer and adjunct professor of entrepreneurship at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. He has more than 30 years of venture development and technology-based economic development experience.
Peter Fleischut, MD, Associate Chief Innovation Officer, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. An anesthesiologist by training, Dr. Fleischut has dedicated much of his career to patient safety and care quality initiatives, earning several awards and leading numerous initiatives in this realm. He is a founding member Housestaff Quality Council, an NYP organization that incorporates housestaff participation in patient care and safety projects, and he also served as resident quality and patient safety officer for NYP. Dr. Fleischut was named associate chief innovation officer in March 2014.
Thomas Graham, MD, Chief Innovation Officer, Cleveland Clinic. Board-certified in orthopedic surgery, Dr. Graham joined Cleveland Clinic's Department of Orthopaedic Surgery in 1994. He served in numerous clinical leadership positions at other hospitals before returning to Cleveland in 2010 as chief innovation officer. Dr. Graham also was an exercise physiologist with the United States Olympic Committee from 1991 to 1994 and has served as the hand surgery consultant for all the professional sports teams in Cleveland.
Thomas Kruse, Chief Strategy, Integration and Innovation Officer, CHI Franciscan Health (Tacoma, Wash.). Mr. Kruse assumed his current position in May, prior to which he was executive vice president and chief strategy officer at Hackensack (N.J.) University Health Network and Medical Center. Additionally, Mr. Kruse served as vice president and chief strategy officer at Harrison Medical Center (now part of CHI Franciscan Health) in Bremerton, Wash., from 2007 to 2011 and oversaw strategy functions at Northwest Indiana's Methodist Hospitals and San Diego-based Sharp Healthcare.
Gregory J. Moore, MD, PhD, Chief Emerging Technology and Informatics Officer, Geisinger Health System (Danville, Pa.). In addition to serving as CETIO, Dr. Moore is also the director of the Institute for Advanced Application and director of the IAA Center for Emerging Technology and Informatics at Geisinger. As IAA director, he oversees the institute's three centers: Center for Healthcare Systems Re-Engineering, Center for Clinical Innovation and Center for Emerging Technology and Informatics. In these leadership roles, Dr. Moore focuses on disruptive technology and informatics initiatives. He also continues to practice as a diagnostic neuroradiologist.
Jerry Mourey, Vice President, Chief Innovation Officer, Southern Illinois Healthcare (Carbondale). Mr. Mourey has more nearly three decades of IT experience. He was appointed vice president and chief innovation officer of Southern Illinois Healthcare in July, prior to which he was an executive consultant with G2 Works, a health IT analytics company. Mr. Mourey also served as CIO of Fort Wayne, Ind.-based Parkview Health; Wausau, Wis.-based Aspirus and was interim CIO for Owensboro (Ky.) Health.
Roy Rosin, Chief Innovation Officer, University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia). Mr. Rosin assumed chief innovation officer duties at Penn Medicine in May 2012. For the prior 18 years, he was vice president of innovation at software company Intuit. At Penn Medicine, Mr. Rosin helps foster the design, testing and implementation of new healthcare delivery models.
Rasu Shrestha, MD, Chief Innovation Officer, UPMC (Pittsburgh). Dr. Shrestha has been with UPMC since 2007 when he joined the system as medical director of radiology informatics. In September 2010 he was named vice president of medical information technology, and then in August 2014 he assumed the role of chief innovation officer. Dr. Shrestha is also executive vice president of UPMC Enterprises, the health system's commercialization arm.
Mark Smith, MD, Chief Innovation Officer, MedStar Health (Columbia, Md.). In addition to his role as chief innovation officer of MedStar Health, Dr. Smith is also director of the Medstar Institute for Innovation, the health system's innovation arm. Dr. Smith is a co-founder of Project ER One, MedStar's initiative to develop design specifications for an emergency care facility optimized to manage mass casualty incidents. He is also a professor of emergency medicine at Georgetown University School of Medicine, also in Washington, D.C.
Michael Sutter, Chief Innovation Officer, Carle Foundation Hospital (Urbana, Ill.). Mr. Sutter was appointed chief innovation officer in May 2014. He previously served as the health system's executive director of IT and as clinical director of Carle's Epic EHR, initiating the first electronic record for the system's physician practice. Mr. Sutter also is a certified nurse anesthetist and was involved in some health technology projects with the U.S. Army.
Note: This article was updated Sept. 18.
More articles on innovation:
The pain points of innovation
Hospital innovation centers think outside the box to solve healthcare's biggest problems
The innovation paradox: Those who most need it can't get it