Nicholas Archer, Vice President of Innovation Ventures at Cincinnati Children’s

Summary

Becker’s Healthcare Podcast Summary
Episode: Nicholas Archer, Vice President of Innovation Ventures at Cincinnati Children’s
Host: Chris Sosa
Release Date: August 15, 2025

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Introduction

In this episode of the Becker’s Healthcare Podcast, host Chris Sosa engages in an insightful conversation with Nick Archer, the Vice President of Innovation Ventures at Cincinnati Children’s. Released on August 15, 2025, the discussion delves into Archer's role in fostering innovation within one of the leading pediatric healthcare institutions in the United States.

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Nick Archer’s Background and Path to Cincinnati Children’s

Nick Archer begins by sharing his extensive background, highlighting over two decades of experience in finance, strategy, and innovation across both large health systems and venture-backed startups. This unique combination has endowed him with the ability to bridge the gap between the academic and commercial realms effectively.

"I've been fortunate to work across both large health systems, work for a venture backed startup, and that dual perspective has shaped how I approach innovation."
— Nick Archer (00:23)

Archer emphasizes how his past experiences have prepared him to contribute significantly to Cincinnati Children’s, an institution renowned for its commitment to child health and transformative care delivery.

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Building the Commercialization Engine at Cincinnati Children’s

Upon joining Cincinnati Children’s six months prior to the interview, Archer discusses his pivotal role in enhancing the institution's commercialization efforts. He underscores the transformation in commercialization within Academic Medical Centers (AMCs) over the past decade and aims to accelerate the transition of research discoveries to clinical applications.

"The opportunity to really accelerate the work at Cincinnati Children's, to increase kind of the velocity at which we take research discoveries and move them to the bedside is just a really exciting task."
— Nick Archer (02:25)

With a dedicated team and strong executive support, Archer is focused on leveraging existing platforms to amplify the impact of research initiatives.

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Key Projects: Translational Research and Regenerative Tissues

Archer highlights several projects that are poised to make significant advancements in pediatric care. A primary focus is on translational research, particularly in the development and application of organoids and regenerative tissues. These innovative platforms aim to address some of the most complex pediatric conditions, offering new avenues for treatment and care.

"There's new platforms that we want to establish to treat some of the most complex pediatric conditions. And that's very, very exciting thinking about the difference that that can make for patients."
— Nick Archer (02:36)

This emphasis on cutting-edge research underscores Cincinnati Children's commitment to pioneering solutions that can revolutionize patient care.

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Vision for the Future: Sustainable Ventures and Global Impact

Looking ahead, Archer envisions a robust pipeline of ventures and partnerships that ensure sustainable growth and widespread impact. He emphasizes the importance of creating pathways that not only support the organization but also extend the benefits of research to children beyond the local community.

"What I hope my role looks like in five years is that we've built a sustainable pathway that supports the organization, helps harness the power of the research that's happening, but also is impacting lives not just locally in Cincinnati, but across the country and even tied to our aspirations and the work Cincinnati Children's is doing across the globe."
— Nick Archer (03:32)

This forward-looking approach aims to solidify Cincinnati Children's position as a global leader in pediatric healthcare innovation.

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Addressing Healthcare Challenges: Bridging the Translation Gap

Archer identifies a critical issue in the healthcare landscape: the prolonged delay in translating pediatric research into tangible, real-world solutions. He points out that it can take years, sometimes decades, for breakthroughs to reach the patients who need them most.

"One issue that really deserves more attention is the lag in translating pediatric research into real world solutions. It can take years, sometimes decades, for a breakthrough to benefit children who need it most."
— Nick Archer (04:36)

To combat this, Cincinnati Children's is actively fostering collaborations with other leading pediatric institutions, including those within the same state and national affiliations. These partnerships aim to expedite clinical trials and advance pediatric devices, ensuring that innovations reach the bedside more swiftly.

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Fostering Collaboration and Partnerships

A significant theme of the conversation is the importance of collaboration in driving healthcare innovation. Archer elaborates on Cincinnati Children's open approach to partnerships, emphasizing the integration of intellectual property (IP) and the creation of novel working relationships.

"I think my approach is very open. Whether it's how do we bring IP together, how do we create new novel partnerships and ways of working, what are non traditional ways of approaching problems?"
— Nick Archer (05:52)

Archer invites other organizations to engage in conversations and share insights, fostering an environment where collaborative efforts can lead to breakthrough solutions that benefit children on a broader scale.

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Conclusion

The episode concludes with Chris Sosa acknowledging Archer's forward-thinking and open-minded approach to healthcare innovation. Archer's vision for Cincinnati Children's is one of sustainable growth, impactful research, and extensive collaboration, all aimed at advancing pediatric care both locally and globally.

"We're open to really kind of any conversation. We love to learn from other institutions... create a lot of success that benefits kids everywhere."
— Nick Archer (05:52)

This collaboration-driven strategy highlights the pivotal role that Cincinnati Children's plays in transforming pediatric healthcare through innovation and strategic partnerships.

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Key Takeaways:

• Nick Archer brings a unique dual perspective from both large health systems and venture-backed startups to his role at Cincinnati Children’s.
• The focus is on accelerating the translation of research discoveries to clinical applications, particularly in translational research and regenerative tissues.
• Addressing the lag in translating pediatric research through strategic partnerships is a priority to ensure timely benefits to patients.
• Cincinnati Children’s maintains an open and collaborative approach, inviting partnerships that can lead to significant advancements in child health.

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This detailed summary encapsulates the essence of the conversation between Chris Sosa and Nick Archer, providing valuable insights into the innovative efforts underway at Cincinnati Children’s to revolutionize pediatric healthcare.

Transcript

[Chris Sosa]

Welcome to the Becker's Healthcare Podcast. I am Chris Sosa, your host and I'm thrilled to be joined today by Nick Archer. He is the Vice President of Innovation Ventures at Cincinnati Children's. Nick, thank you so much for joining us today.

[Nick Archer]

Thanks for having me.

[Chris Sosa]

Wonderful. Nick, for those in our audience who are not familiar with you, could you please simply share a little bit about your background and what led you to this position at Cincinnati Children's in particular?

[Nick Archer]

Yeah, I've been fortunate to work across both large health systems, work for a venture backed startup, and that dual perspective has shaped how I approach innovation. And so spending 20 years working in finance, strategy and innovation, but then also helping scale a venture backed healthcare company through high growth, just provides me, I think, with a unique perspective and kind of fluency in translating between an academic and commercial world. And so having the opportunity to work for an organization like Cincinnati Children's and apply that lens, you know, across like a world powerhouse and research was just really interesting. And the institution is deeply committed to child health and transforming care delivery, which is something that our country really needs. And so I saw the chance to help extend that impact by, you know, building a great commercialization team and engine to support discoveries and impact children and families.

[Chris Sosa]

When you got to Cincinnati Children's, Nick, so that engine that you talk about, how much influence did you have in building that? What exactly is your role as far as that is concerned?

[Nick Archer]

Yeah, well, I'm six months in, so the work is ongoing. But like I said, there's a great platform that exists at Cincinnati Children's and kind of work that's happened historically. I think the world of commercialization within AMCs has changed a lot over the last 10 years. And so again, there's a foundation, foundational kind of chassis that exists and, you know, that opportunity to really accelerate the work at Cincinnati Children's, to increase kind of the velocity at which we take research discoveries and move them to the bedside is just a really exciting task. And I've got a great team and, and phenomenal executive leadership support to kind of get that done.

[Chris Sosa]

Excellent. I think that's a great segue into my next question, Nick. And now that you have been there six months, you've got your feet under yourself a little bit. So what projects are you most looking forward to initiating?

[Nick Archer]

You know, I think for me, there's a lot of work we're doing to take our foundational clients and move to translational research. And so one of the areas where the organization has made a lot of investment and there's a lot of promise is in organoids and the promise of regenerative tissues and what that can mean for the, for the provision of care. And so, you know, there's new platforms that we want to establish to treat some of the most complex pediatric conditions. And that's very, very exciting thinking about the difference that that can make for patients.

[Chris Sosa]

Nick, you mentioned that you come from a startup realm, so your perspective is a little bit different from maybe others who have been in healthcare for a very long time. I just could ask you to look into your crystal ball here a little bit. In addition, I should say, to the projects that you have going on now, what do you think your role is going to look like in a few years, five years or so?

[Nick Archer]

Well, you know, for us, we're focused on building what I would say as a pipeline of ventures and partnerships that can be sustainable. So I think with impacts in the funding landscape and others, some of these things have a disproportionate impact on child health. And so what I hope my role looks like in five years is that we've built a sustainable pathway that supports the organization, helps harness the power of the research that's happening, but also is impacting lives not just locally in Cincinnati, but across the country and even tied to our aspirations and the work Cincinnati Children's is doing across the globe.

[Chris Sosa]

Nick, because again, I lean on your perspective here a little bit and just how it's a little bit different from other executives and leaders. So when you look at the health care landscape, is there an issue or maybe a few issues that you think merit a brighter spotlight? And related to that, how can Cincinnati Children's address those issues?

[Nick Archer]

Yeah, that's a great question. You know, one issue that really deserves more attention is the lag in translating pediatric research into real world solutions. It can take years, sometimes decades, for a breakthrough to benefit children who need it most. And, you know, we're attacking that from a number of different perspectives. One way is some of the partnerships we have with other leading pediatric institutions, even those in our state, and advancing pediatric devices and taking the lead on clinical trials. But it's also happening with national partnerships that we're forming, even with adult hospitals. What are ways that we can take innovations, either move them from things that we've done on the pediatric side where there's adult application, or taking adult applications and pulling them back and seeing where we can make impact. Our goal is really to speed these discoveries to the bedside. And so looking at new partnerships and new ways of doing that, and that takes collaboration. And so, yeah, we're really focused on who can we partner with to make that happen.

[Chris Sosa]

I'm so glad you just mentioned that aspect of collaboration and partnerships. My last question for you is simply, what should other organizations know about collaborating with Cincinnati Children's on any of the endeavors that you just mentioned or any that you might not have mentioned?

[Nick Archer]

Yeah, I think my approach is very open. Whether it's how do we bring IP together, how do we create new novel partnerships and ways of working, what are non traditional ways of approaching problems? I think the first step in success is being open to bringing others in and to collaborate to create new opportunities, but finding new ways to work. So I would say we're open. We're open to really kind of any conversation. We love to learn from other institutions. I think another great thing is Cincinnati Children's has a history of sharing its insights and innovations. And so we want to be the best partner out there. And we think in doing that, we can create a lot of success that benefits kids everywhere.

[Chris Sosa]

Fantastic. Yeah, I think to your point, I think the openness in healthcare is not that it was never there, but I think that has accelerated in a lot of ways, and I think someone in your position can certainly enhance that, that aspect of it. Nick, thank you so much for joining us today. We cannot wait to share your insights with the audience. And obviously we hope this is not the last time we connect with you.

[Nick Archer]

Thank you so much, Chris.