Cottage Health has appointed Ryan Kelly, as its first chief innovation officer, a newly established role designed to advance innovation across the health system and strengthen strategic partnerships.
Kelly will lead the Compton Center for Medical Excellence and Innovation, where new healthcare technologies and ideas are developed and brought into practice.
He will guide the center’s strategy and operations, help advance Cottage Health’s innovations into real-world use and build partnerships with industry and other organizations to support the future of healthcare.
Kelly is a healthcare and med-tech innovation executive with some 20 years of experience building platforms, teams, and partnerships at the intersection of technology, life sciences, and healthcare delivery.
He has a track record of translating complex challenges into practical, scalable solutions that benefit health systems and the communities they serve, Cottage Health said.
Prior to joining Cottage Health, Kelly served as chief Iinnovation officer at Inneo, formerly The Innovation Institute, where he led a cross-functional team in developing a first-of-its-kind nationwide med-tech innovation platform tailored for community healthcare systems.
He also held commercialization and innovation roles at Cleveland Clinic, City of Hope, and the Scripps Research Institute, gaining experience in early-stage biotechnology and technology transfer.
Kelly holds a Ph.D. in immunology from the University of Minnesota, an executive MBA from the University of Southern California, and a bachelor of science in biochemistry from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. He is also a published author and frequent speaker on healthcare innovation.
Based at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, the Compton Center for Medical Excellence and Innovation focuses on applying promising clinical, educational, research and digital advances to healthcare delivery.