Eric Agdeppa

Brainstormer, Change Agent, Christian, Concerned citizen, Connector, Explorer, Idea generator, Inventor, Scientist, Technologist

Aiming to transform healthcare through research, development, and commercialization of cutting-edge products and technology, I've focused on molecular imaging of a variety of diseases and other modalities for sensing critical patient parameters for early and effective care. Since 1996, my industrial career includes research, development, product management, business development, and innovation at Hill-Rom, GE Healthcare, GE Global Research, and North American Scientific. Since 2011 I've been leading Hill-Rom’s efforts to develop new, game-changing technologies through internal development efforts and relationships with academic and strategic corporate partners. As the Executive Director of Innovation and part of Hill-Rom’s Senior Leadership Team, I lead two innovation groups (the Early Innovation and Global Technology Integration organizations) and one data science team that accelerate the company’s innovation efforts and drive value-added technologies into future healthcare products. I'm also the General Manager of Hill-Rom’s first incubated, intrapreneurial startup within Hill-Rom. Nurturing the broader ecosystem of health care innovation and STEM, I recently served on the Board of Directors for Alberta Innovates – Health Solutions (AIHS). As an internationally recognized catalyst for change in healthcare, AIHS is made up of national and international research and business leaders whose guidance of the corporation’s strategy and directions in health research and innovation activity yields improved health and well-being for Albertans. I still coach future scientists and engineers through his local involvement of a secondary school STEM program and advising master and doctoral students at UCLA. I received his B.S. in Biochemistry from UCLA, my Masters in Technology Management from Stevens Institute of Technology, and my Ph.D. in Biomedical Physics with a specialization in Biophysics/Nuclear Medicine also at UCLA.

Empowering the individual (others and self) and organizations to be bold in transforming oneself or community into uncomfortable, unfamiliar growth areas, especially in healthcare. Many research, educational, healthcare, and corporate institutions have the foundational elements to be catalyzed to achieve a holistic, high-context biomedical research. The catalyst that I create is acculturating and formalizing 1. operating frameworks for a unified language and process for high-context innovation; 2. coaching and mentoring programs focused on systems-thinking, customer empathy, and value-focused innovation; and 3. partnerships to gain broad insights from stakeholders, patients, providers, payers, social issues, and overall drivers in the life science, healthcare, medical device, and pharma industries.

High-Context Innovation in Healthcare Today, context awareness seems to be in vogue in high-technology circles, whether it be the internet of things, deep-learning algorithms, or big data. Yet, context awareness (i.e., a very broad systems viewpoint) has been the mainstay in my fields of biochemistry and molecular imaging for years. What I believe biomedical science is poised to leverage in the next 10 years is a honed nimbleness and agility to recognize and act on unrealized, broad interrelatedness seen through a systems/high-context acculturation between 1. new scientific discoveries across seemingly disparate disciplines; 2. knowledge of the human existence biologically, behaviorally, and socially; and, 3. economic and financial forces facing individuals, families, employers, medical device companies, pharma, payers, providers, and governments.

Back-end innovation, Front-end innovation, Molecular Imaging, Strategic Planning & Implementation, Technology Management

I was 10 years old watching television with my 5-year-old sister while studying for my spelling test the next day. At some point, she was complaining of a stomachache. What would any 10-year-old do in that situation? They wouldn’t do what I did. No, I didn’t tell my parents to help her. No, I didn’t take her to the bathroom. Yes, I did tell her to lie down. On her stomach. On my back. While I was lying on my stomach reading my book and watching television at the same time. Two minutes later she vomited on the back of my head and my book.   Even good intentions, when carried out, may have unintended consequences.

easily swinging between being a daydreamer and pragmatic.