Boston Children’s has been at the forefront of pediatric innovation since its founding in 1869, serving as the site of revolutionary advances in pediatric surgery, breakthroughs in oncology, and the foundation of widespread vaccination adoption. Today, that legacy of harnessing innovation to meet the needs of the moment continues across the hospital, most notably through its innovation team. Led by its chief innovation officer, the team has been instrumental in developing and deploying AI-driven solutions, including the launch of a customized ChatGPT platform designed to assist clinicians and staff, with a wide range of use cases currently under development. The team routinely serves as an early development partner to tech companies, most recently in developing CyranoHealth, an immersive training application for Apple Vision Pro that simulates medical equipment usage to improve frontline staff preparedness and ease onboarding anxiety. The team develops and deploys innovative products internally, including a real-time forecasting system that predicts emergency department admissions within minutes of triage, supporting capacity management and helping to reduce overcrowding. In addition, innovations are deployed externally through incubating and spinning out companies like Early Bird and Ladder Health. The cross-functional nature of the innovation team plays a pivotal role in these initiatives, bridging the gap between medical professionals, administrative staff, researchers and software developers, and supporting innovation across the hospital.
