Hoag Hospital Health System

Michael Brant-Zawadzki

Through this article, Dr. Michael Brant-Zawadzki shares how the CATALiST model is redefining the intersection of medicine, technology, and entrepreneurship. He explains how physician involvement in innovation, “living labs,” and industry collaboration are accelerating medtech development, improving patient outcomes, and shaping a more efficient, patient-centered future for healthcare.

Bridging Innovation and Patient Care Through CATALiST

Coming from an academic and physician-research background in medical imaging, I recognized early on how innovation can transform healthcare delivery and reduce costs. When the opportunity arose to apply that experience in a real-world setting at Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach, I embraced it wholeheartedly.

Hoag has evolved into a forward-thinking health system that combines the resources of an academic institution with the accessibility and efficiency of a community hospital— what we describe as a “priva-demic” model. This unique environment laid the groundwork for one of our most exciting developments: CATALiST, the Center for Accelerating Technology and Life Sciences Translation.

CATALiST was born from my passion for helping early-stage biomedical companies bring new technologies to life. It serves as an innovation hub where ideas rush from concept to clinical application— accelerating R&D, optimizing medtech, diagnostics, software, and AI solutions, and supporting FDA approval and commercialization. I redcruited Ms. Haleh Armian from the Draper Lab in Cambridge, who helped operationalize CATALiST with the strategy that “when clinicians and innovators work side by side, ideas move faster from premise to practice—transforming how healthcare is delivered.” Additionally, CATALiST together with our administrative and IT leaders help co-develop early stage operational and revenue cycle products that enhance system efficiency and improve value and the overall patient experience.

Uniting Clinical Insight with Innovative Design

The ideal relationship between health system innovation hubs and physician entrepreneurs is one of true collaboration—where clinical insight and technical innovation meet. Physician entrepreneurs bring a rare combination of frontline experience and creative vision. They understand the real challenges faced by practitioners, patients, and payors, which allows them to identify unmet needs and design solutions that genuinely improve care delivery.

By pairing that expertise with the engineering and technical resources of industry partners, we can co-develop technologies that are both clinically relevant and operationally efficient. Physicians also lend credibility and validation to these innovations, ensuring they integrate seamlessly into real-world workflows while accelerating regulatory approval and adoption. This market-pull model—driven by clinical need rather than technological novelty— ultimately produces more practical, effective, and cost-efficient solutions for the healthcare.

Transforming R&D Hubs into Dynamic Living Labs

The most effective innovation happens when technology, engineering, and business-driven entrepreneurship intersect with clinically grounded expertise. This collaboration creates what I call “living labs”—environments where ideas are constantly designed, tested, and refined in real-world conditions.

“When clinicians and innovators work side by side, ideas move faster from concept to care— transforming how healthcare is delivered.”

In these living labs, clinicians and innovators collaborate to validate concepts, iterate rapidly, and optimize solutions before they reach patients. This model not only accelerates development and translation but also ensures that every new technology is both clinically meaningful and operationally viable from day one.

Designing Solutions That Serve Patients and Systems Alike

A deep, firsthand understanding of both patient and payor challenges is essential to designing meaningful medtech solutions. Innovation must always begin with patient relevance— creating tools that enhance the quality of care, improve outcomes, and elevate the overall experience.

At the same time, we must consider the broader value proposition for those who bear the financial responsibility for healthcare—insurance providers, hospital systems managing population health, and ultimately, the patients themselves. When technology is developed with this balance in mind, it delivers solutions that not only advance care but also make it more accessible, efficient, and sustainable for everyone involved.

The Rise of Clinician-Innovators in Modern Medicine

We’re witnessing a decisive shift in how physicians view their role in healthcare innovation. Medical school graduates today are increasingly exposed to R&D, clinical trials, and entrepreneurial collaboration—working alongside startups, industry leaders, and grant agencies to explore new pathways in biomedical technology.

While many still devote their careers to direct patient care, a growing number are drawn to the creative and problem-solving aspects of medical innovation. This new generation of clinician-innovators is uniquely positioned to bridge the gap between clinical insight and technological advancement, shaping a future where physicians help design the very tools that redefine how care is delivered.

Empowering Physician Innovators to Redefine Healthcare

My advice to health systems and investors is straightforward—create environments that enable visionary, entrepreneurial physicians to collaborate directly with industry partners. Establishing “living labs” within health systems allows for real-time testing, iteration, and validation of new ideas. These spaces not only attract and retain creative, quality-driven physicians but also accelerate the development of patient-centered innovations.

Such collaborations have the power to transform care delivery—leading to more clinically validated technologies, improved workflows, better outcomes, and lower costs. To fully realize this potential, health systems must provide structured support for physician entrepreneurs, ranging from mentorship to access to resources. When nurtured properly, this ecosystem unleashes the creativity and expertise of physicians who are uniquely positioned to drive the next generation of biomedical breakthroughs.