Subscribe

Executives2026

48 Hospital and Health System Chief Innovation Officers to Know | 2026

Becker’s Healthcare is delighted to highlight pioneering chief innovation officers from hospitals and health systems across the country.

These forward-looking leaders help their organizations stay ahead in an evolving care landscape by championing inventive, strategic and future-focused solutions. From introducing transformative technologies and refining patient care approaches to cultivating impactful collaborations, chief innovation officers are accelerating meaningful progress throughout healthcare.

Note: This list is not exhaustive, nor is it an endorsement of included hospitals, health systems or associated healthcare providers. Leaders and organizations cannot pay for inclusion on this list. Leaders are presented in alphabetical order. We extend a special thank you to Rhoda Weiss for her contributions to this list.

We accepted nominations for this list. Please contact Anna Falvey at afalvey@beckershealthcare.com with any questions or comments.

A

Alexander Khalessi, MD, MBA

Chief Innovation Officer

UC San Diego Health

San Diego, CA

Read More

Andro Herrera-Mendoza

Senior Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer

PAM Health

Enola, PA

Read More

Anthony Chang, MD

Chief Intelligence and Innovation Officer

Children’s Hospital of Orange County

Orange, CA

Read More

Anthony Keck

Executive Vice President for System Innovation and Chief Population Health Officer

Ballad Health

Johnson City, TN

Read More

B

Barry Stein, MD

Chief Clinical Innovation Officer

Hartford HealthCare

Hartford, CT

Read More

Becky Buchen

Senior Vice President for Innovation and Transformation

OSF HealthCare

Peoria, IL

Read More

Bill Sheahan

Senior Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer

MedStar Health

Columbia, MD

Read More

Brian Weirich, DHA, MSN, RN

Chief Nurse Innovation Officer

Bon Secours Mercy Health

Cincinnati, OH

Read More

C

Charles Bruce, MB, ChB

Chief Innovation Officer

Mayo Clinic Florida

Jacksonville, FL

Read More

Chris Coburn

Chief Innovation Officer

Mass General Brigham

Boston, MA

Read More

Chris Waugh

Chief Innovation Officer

Sutter Health

Sacramento, CA

Read More

Craig Anderson

Vice President of Innovation

BayCare Health System

Clearwater, FL

Read More

D

D. Geoffrey Vince, PhD

Chief of Cleveland Clinic Innovations and Department Chair of Biomedical Engineering

Cleveland Clinic

Cleveland, OH

Read More

Dan Shoenthal

Chief Innovation Officer and Vice President of Innovation

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Houston, TX

Read More

David Higginson

Executive Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer

Phoenix Children’s

Phoenix, AZ

Read More

David Sylvan

Chief Strategy, Innovation and Marketing Officer

University Hospitals

Cleveland, OH

Read More

David Twitchell, PharmD

Senior Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer

Boston Medical Center Health System

Boston, MA

Read More

E

Elizabeth Hagerman, PhD

Chief Innovation Officer

UW Health

Madison, WI

Read More

F

Feby Abraham, PhD

Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer

Memorial Hermann Health System

Houston, TX

Read More

H

Harlan Levine, MD

President of Health Innovation and Policy

City of Hope

Duarte, CA

Read More

I

Ingrid Gerbino, MD

Chief Innovation Officer

Virginia Mason Franciscan Health

Tacoma, WA

Read More

J

Jason Naidich, MD

Senior Vice President and Chief Learning and Innovation Officer

Northwell Health

New Hyde Park, NY

Read More

Jerry Vuchak

Former Executive Vice President and Chief Information and Innovation Officer

Children’s Nebraska

Omaha, NE

Read More

John Brownstein, PhD

Senior Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer

Boston Children’s Hospital

Boston, MA

Read More

K

Kiran Avancha, PhD

Chief Innovation Officer

HonorHealth

Scottsdale, AZ

Read More

Kristen Murtos

Chief Innovation and Transformation Officer

Endeavor Health

Evanston, IL

Read More

L

Lisa Prasad

Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer

Henry Ford Health System

Detroit, MI

Read More

M

Mark Coticchia

Vice President of Corporate Innovation

Baptist Health South Florida

Coral Gables, FL

Read More

Mark Kandrysawtz

Senior Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer

WellSpan Health

York, PA

Read More

Mark Zhang

Chief Innovation Officer

Veterans Health Administration

Washington, DC

Read More

Mary Tolikas, PhD

Senior Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Boston, MA

Read More

Michael P. Ast, MD

Chief Medical Innovation Officer, Chief of the Knee Service and Director of Ambulatory Surgery Center Strategy

Hospital for Special Surgery

New York, NY

Read More

Myra Davis

Executive Vice President and Chief Information and Innovation Officer

Texas Children’s Hospital

Houston, TX

Read More

N

Neil Ray, MD

Chief Innovation and Technology Officer

Duke Health Integrated Practice

Durham, NC

Read More

Nicholas Gavin, MD

Chief Clinical Innovation Officer

Mount Sinai Health System

New York, NY

Read More

P

Peter Najjar, MD

Vice President of Clinical Innovation

Johns Hopkins Health System

Baltimore, MD

Read More

R

Rasu Shrestha, MD

Executive Vice President, Chief Innovation and Commercialization Officer

Advocate Health

Charlotte, NC

Read More

Richard Milani, MD

Chief Clinical Innovation Officer

Sutter Health

Sacramento, CA

Read More

Richard Roth

Chief Strategic Innovation Officer

CommonSpirit Health

Chicago, IL

Read More

Roberta Schwartz

Executive Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer

Houston Methodist

Houston, TX

Read More

Ryan M. Cameron, EdD

Executive Vice President and Chief Information and Innovation Officer

Children’s Nebraska

Omaha, NE

Read More

S

Sandra Powell-Elliott

Vice President and Chief Innovation and Commercialization Officer

Hackensack Meridian Health

Edison, NJ

Read More

Sangeeta Bardhan Cook, PhD

Chief Innovation Officer

Fox Chase Cancer Center

Philadelphia, PA

Read More

Scott Arnold

Executive Vice President and Chief Digital and Innovation Officer

Tampa General Hospital

Tampa, FL

Read More

T

Todd Ponsky, MD

Chief Innovation Officer

Cincinnati Children’s

Cincinnati, OH

Read More

Tom Wilton

Senior Vice President of Innovation Ventures

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Philadelphia, PA

Read More

W

Warren D’Souza, PhD

Senior Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer

University of Maryland Medical System

Baltimore, MD

Read More

Newsletter

Join the 500,000+
healthcare executives
who start their day with
Becker’s

You can unsubscribe from these communications at any time. For more information, please review
our Privacy Policy.
More Newsletters