Chris Coburn is Vice President of Partners Innovation at Partners HealthCare systems inc. Based in Boston, Massachusetts, Partners is the nation’s largest academic research enterprise with nearly $1.5 billion in research. Mr. Coburn leads a team of 80 tasked with the commercial application of the unique capabilities and discoveries of Partners’ 60,000 employees.

His unit’s responsibilities include technology business development, company creation, management and commercialization of all breakthroughs of Partners’ Harvard Medical School appointed faculty and its core hospitals – Harvard University affiliates Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital and McLean Hospital.

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 managed technology commercialization for healthcare systems throughout the United States.

Mr.Coburn has served on numerous corporate and community boards including Autonomic Technologies, Explorys, and the U.S. Enrichment Corporation (NYSE:USU). He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences Committee on Assessing the Value of Research in Meeting National Goals. He is a former Vice President and General Manager of Battelle Memorial Institute. He has consulted, testified and spoken on innovation and commercialization throughout North America and in nearly 30 countries. He and his wife, Nancy, have three grown children.