Chris Coburn is the Chief Innovation Officer at Mass General Brigham, an integrated health care system that includes Harvard University affiliates Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, two of the nation’s most prestigious teaching institutions. Mass General Brigham is the nation’s largest academic research enterprise, with over $13 billion in annual revenue, 1.5 million patient visits, and $2 billion in research expenditures. In addition, its 4,200 faculty are appointed at Harvard Medical School.
Chris leads a team of more than 140 that are tasked with the worldwide commercial application of the unique capabilities and discoveries of Mass General Brigham’s 82,000 employees. His unit’s business development responsibilities include investing, company creation, innovation management, industry collaborations, and licensing. Commercialization revenue exceeds $200 million annually, and more than 300 companies have been spun off from Mass General Brigham in the last decade. In addition, large-scale industry collaborations have been established in areas such as AI and drug development. His group also manages a nearly $500 million venture fund.
Prior to joining Mass General Brigham, Chris was the founding director of Cleveland Clinic Innovations and served for 13 years as its executive leader. During his tenure, Cleveland Clinic spun off 57 companies that raised over $700 million in equity financing. His team also managed an innovation alliance network in which Cleveland Clinic directly supported technology commercialization for health care systems throughout the United States.
Chris 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).