Christopher Coburn

  • Chief Innovation Officer, Partners HealthCare

Chris Coburn is Chief Innovation Officer, Partners HealthCare System. Based in Boston, Partners is the largest academic research enterprise in the United States with $12 billion in revenue and over $1.6 billion in annual research expenditures. The Partners HealthCare system consists of Harvard University Affiliates Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital and McLean Hospital as well as community hospitals and a managed care organization. Partners faculty are appointed at Harvard Medical School.

Mr. Coburn leads a business development team of more than 110 tasked with the worldwide commercial application of the unique capabilities and discoveries of Partners’ Harvard faculty and its over 60,000 employees. His unit’s responsibilities include industry collaborations, investing, international consulting, company creation, licensing, and innovation management. 2016 commercialization revenue exceeded $118 million. More than 210 companies have been spun-off and more than $300 million in capital is under management for investment in companies based on Partners developed technologies.

Prior to joining Partners, Mr. Coburn founded Cleveland Clinic Innovations and served for 13 years as its Executive Director. During his tenure Cleveland Clinic spun off 57 companies that raised more than $700 million in equity financing. Cleveland Clinic had no technology based spin-offs before Coburn’s arrival. He also implemented a national Innovation Alliance in which Cleveland Clinic manages technology commercialization for healthcare systems throughout the United States.

Mr. Coburn has been a member of numerous corporate and community boards including Explorys (acquired by IBM), Autonomic Technologies, and the U.S. Enrichment Corporation (NYSE:USU). He currently serves on the Boards of NEHI and the Museum of Science, Boston (Overseers). He is a former Vice President and General Manager of Battelle Memorial Institute. He has consulted, testified and spoken on innovation throughout North America and in more than 30 countries. He and his wife, Nancy, have three grown children.

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