Robert Brunswick, Chairman of the Board at Hoag Hospital and Co-Founder of Hoag Innovators

Summary

Becker’s Healthcare Podcast: Interview with Robert Brunswick, Chairman of the Board at Hoag Hospital & Co-Founder of Hoag Innovators

Date: November 2, 2025
Host: Chanel Bunger
Guest: Robert Brunswick

---

Episode Overview

This episode centers on Robert Brunswick’s journey with Hoag Hospital and the innovative philanthropic group, Hoag Innovators. Brunswick shares insights into what inspired the founding of Hoag Innovators, the unique investment-like model for funding healthcare innovation, successful projects to date, and advice for other health systems seeking to emulate this approach. The conversation is rich with examples, results, and philosophical takeaways for healthcare leaders and philanthropists.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction to Robert Brunswick and Hoag Innovators

[00:20 – 01:02]

• Robert’s background: Real estate investment manager at Buchanan Street Partners; 15+ years of involvement with Hoag in various capacities; currently Chairman of the Hoag Hospital Board.
• Founding Hoag Innovators: Co-founded in 2017 with his wife, Kitty, to advance philanthropy in healthcare through direct, discretionary investment in innovation.

2. How Hoag Innovators Works: A “Shark Tank Meets TED Talk” Approach

[01:12 – 06:31]

• Founding philosophy: Desire to move beyond traditional ‘grateful patient’ giving, allowing donors direct input and visibility into outcomes.
• Growth and success: 120 members; $30M+ contributed; 28 investments to date. Growth is accelerating.
• Funding model: Combines elements of Shark Tank (doctors pitch innovations), TED Talk (sharing of knowledge), and private equity (investment mindset) to select which projects receive funding.
  • "Let's make a donation into innovation. Let's maintain discretion as to where our money goes, let's bring to bear results, let's treat our investment like an investment..." – Robert Brunswick [01:33]
• Impact: Attracts clinicians interested in working where innovation is institutionally supported.

Notable Funded Innovations and Outcomes

• Vectra360 (Whole Body 3D Imaging Technology):

  • First in California to adopt this tech, uses 92 cameras for full-body imaging in under 2 seconds.
  • Improved skin cancer detection and reduced unnecessary biopsies.
  • "This has been a game changer" – Robert Brunswick [02:26]

• Handheld Digital Dermascopes:

  • Supplements conventional practice with improved lesion analysis.

• Perigen Vigilance (AI Fetal Monitoring System):

  • AI-driven system for analyzing maternal and fetal data in real time; reduces errors and delays.
  • Contributed to a 15–20% drop in unnecessary C-sections at Hoag, demonstrating tangible results.
  • "Despite clinical expertise, manual assessments by doctors can be sometimes delayed and errors can be made. So this Perigen Vigilance is kind of an AI powered system..." – Robert Brunswick [03:34]

• Translational Research Lab:

  • Enables "bench to bedside" innovation, e.g., testing new cancer treatments.
  • Also supports the world's first blood test project for early-stage multiple sclerosis detection.

• Continuous Pitch Events:

  • "Just last week, four doctors pitched to us and we awarded a million dollars to three new forms of innovation..." [05:53]
  • Demonstrates ongoing engagement and excitement among Hoag's physicians.

3. The “Shark Tank” Dynamic: Member Engagement and Decision Making

[06:31 – 07:30]

• "Who's the Kevin in the organization?"—A playful reference to Kevin O’Leary from Shark Tank.
• Brunswick explains that all 120 members vote, ask tough questions, and directly engage with clinicians:
  • "There’s many Kevins and others in the room because... they all have a vote... They have a say, they have discretion, they learn, and they have access to these doctors." [06:38]

4. Vision for the Future: Growth, Permanence, and Spreading the Model

[07:33 – 09:48]

• Focus is on long-term sustainability, creating an endowment for perpetual funding.
  • “The hardest part of innovators has been established... where can we go from here? ...Building this so it has permanence and we have an endowment in perpetuity.” [07:49]
• Hoag’s hybrid identity as a “privateemic” institution allows for nimble innovation, combining qualities of both academic and community hospitals.
  • “We have clinicians that now can have a quicker path to success in onboarding their innovation... compared to a more academic, slower moving, more bureaucratic institute.” [08:45]
• Interest from other institutions is growing; being featured on podcasts like this is helping spread the word.

5. Advice for Replicating Hoag Innovators’ Model in Other Health Systems

[09:48 – 11:57]

• Core principle: Continuous reinvention is key in both business and philanthropy.
• Vital ingredients: Passionate leadership and ongoing engagement to fuel innovation.
  • "All of these... reinventions, if you will, this innovation of philanthropy, we call ourselves innovators, but we've innovated philanthropy, and you need to continue to innovate philanthropy..." [10:23]
• Appealing to new generations: Average age of Hoag Innovators is 10–15 years younger than typical donors. They desire active engagement and learning over traditional ROI.
  • “They want to learn, they want engagement, they want psychic income. They don’t need an ROI of conventional means.” [11:25]
• Structure: Advisory board brings in new ideas and maintains dynamism.

---

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On Innovation Philanthropy:
  • “Let’s treat our investment like an investment and let’s see if we can attract other like minded givers to that concept.” – Robert Brunswick [01:37]
• On Donor Engagement:
  • “In philanthropy, you give your money and you never really know where it goes exactly... We're trying to provide a younger set of innovators or philanthropists with something that's more engaging, where they have a vote, they have a say, they have discretion…” [06:45]
• On Hoag’s Unique Model:
  • “We kind of have the best of both worlds where we have clinicians that now can have a quicker path to success in onboarding their innovation than what they might otherwise be able to obtain at a more academic, slower moving, more bureaucratic institute.” [08:45]
• Advice for Others:
  • “You need to continue to innovate philanthropy and reinvent that. So I would just task everyone with that knowledge that every day there's a new chapter in this evolution…” [10:41]

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:20] Robert Brunswick’s introduction and background
• [01:12] Hoag Innovators’ mission and growth
• [02:26] Vectra360 technology and impact
• [03:34] AI fetal monitoring and maternal health innovations
• [04:50] Translational research and early MS detection
• [05:53] Ongoing pitch days and recent awards
• [06:38] Voting and “Shark Tank” atmosphere among members
• [07:33] Vision for the next phase of Hoag Innovators
• [09:48] Advice for health systems looking to build similar programs
• [11:25] How new philanthropists differ from traditional donors

---

Final Thoughts

Robert Brunswick’s conversation offers a compelling vision of how healthcare philanthropy can be innovative, participatory, and results-oriented. The Hoag Innovators’ model stands out for its transparency, member engagement, and measurable impact on patient care. Brunswick encourages other health systems to adopt a reinvention mindset, providing opportunities for both donors and clinicians to be directly involved in transformative change.

The episode closes with mutual appreciation and a hope to inspire similar models elsewhere.

---

Transcript

[A]

Hello and welcome to the Becker's Healthcare Podcast. My name is Chanel Bunger. Today I have the pleasure of speaking with Robert Brunswick Hogue Hospital chairman of the board and co founder of Hogue Innovators, who joins the podcast today to share insights into his background trends. He's watching advice for leaders and a bit more. Robert, thank you so much for joining me today.

[B]

My pleasure, Chanel. Glad to be with you.

[A]

Perfect. And before we get into everything, can you introduce yourself and tell us a bit about how Hogue Innovators came to life?

[B]

Sure, I'd be happy to. So, Robert Brunswick, My day job is running a real estate investment management business called Buchanan Street Partners. But I've been involved with Hogue in different capacities for the last, oh gosh, 15 years, at one point being its chairman of their Hogue foundation board. And now I'm the chairman of the Hogue Hospital board and loving it. And, and my wife and I started in 2017, Hogue Innovators, which I think is the primary purpose of today's call and conversation.

[A]

Perfect. Thank you so much for that introduction. And I'm moving into the meat of the podcast a bit. Can you tell us more about what Hogue Innovators does and maybe give a few examples of specific innovations you funded?

[B]

Yeah. Hogue Innovators is a byproduct of my wife and I wanting to make a donation and, and be a donor. And I think like many, it's either, you know, they're drawn to making a donation to a hospital because they're a grateful patient, or they want to provide a legacy for their family in that regard. So for my wife and I, Kitty, we wanted to build something that heretofore did not exist in the philanthropic world. So it was the build it and they will come. Meaning let's make a donation into innovation. Let's maintain discretion as to where our money goes, let's bring to bear results, let's treat our investment like an investment and let's see if we can attract other like minded givers to that concept. So having no idea. And fast forward to Today, we have 120 members, we've generated over $30 million of contributions and it's growing now dramatically. And you know, simply said, our events are like a shark tank meets TED Talk meets private equity, where doctors stand up and pitch to us their needed innovation suggested innovation that can be game changing to their practice on a day to day basis. So we've been doing this now for better part of seven years. We've made 28 investments, I call them again, investments. You asked about a couple so I could talk about all of them, but I'll bring three to bear that might have some variety to them. The first one is something called the Vectra360. It's a whole body 3D imaging technology that really has transformed skin cancer detection. Ironically, innovators has also helped attract new clinicians to come join Hoag because of innovators and because of the ability for those doctors, clinicians to have innovation aligned with their practice. So this particular investment allowed Hoog to become the first institution in California to adopt a whole body 3D imaging. It uses 92 cameras to capture kind of a full body image in under two seconds, allowing clinicians to much more predictably track lesions, areas of concern, detect melanomas and skin cancers, and and most importantly, reduce many unnecessary biopsies. So this has been a game changer with that. We also kind of brought to bear some handheld digital dermascopes, which also allow the clinician to kind of better analyze versus maybe conventional practice. A second one is something, I don't know if you know this, but Hoag delivers more babies than any hospital in California, some 8,500 the past 12 months. So as the largest delivery area, we were very taken by something called Perigen Vigilance, which is an AI fetal monitoring system that allows lives to be saved in delivery room. So despite clinical expertise, manual assessments by doctors can be sometimes delayed and errors can be made. So this Perigen vigilance is kind of an AI powered system that provides an analysis about maternal and fetal data and distress to really prompt more expedited decision making. So with that, Hoag has seen a significant drop, some 15 to 20% in unneeded cesareans as an example. And one of the things we're most proud about is doctors, after we grant them this innovation, make an investment in what they're asking for, they've got to come back and provide the results. So in all these cases, there's results. The last one I would tell you is most telling of the evolution of innovators. And that is really hoax translational research lab that we have now funded, allowing our clinicians to do what they like to do, which is bench to bedside innovation, where we combine kind of the clinicians expertise with patient samples. And we're discovering in that lab today and testing new cancer treatments. And most recently we funded something else that can take part in our translational lab, which is multiple sclerosis early detection, where we're looking to develop the first world's first blood test to detect Ms. In its earliest stages before a lot of the disability and damage occurs, allowing clinicians to treat it more predictably earlier. So a bit long winded, but I wanted to give you those technologies. Just last week, four doctors pitched to us and we awarded a million dollars to three new forms of innovation that we're very excited about. So we're often running with our program as the ecosystem at Hogue now has really adopted innovators. And more and more Doctors of the 2000 that have practice rights at Hoag now can't wait to present their form of innovation to innovators.

[A]

That's truly amazing. And now that you brought up the Shark Tank reference, I'm curious to know who's the Kevin in the organization?

[B]

Yeah, well, interesting you say that because there's many Kevins and others that are in the room because as you can imagine, with 120 members, they all have a vote. So one of the things they're most excited about is typically in philanthropy, you give your money and you never really know where it goes exactly, and you don't know its outcomes. So we're trying to provide a younger set of innovators or philanthropists with something that's more engaging, where they have a vote, they have a say, they have discretion, they learn, and they have access to these doctors. So there's many Kevins in the room to use your question. And after the doctors present, those Kevins are given the chance to ask hard questions of the doctors to really understand how their innovation can be game changing.

[A]

Got it, got it. Thank you for bearing with me on that one.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And now we're closing in on the end of 2025 and moving into 2026. Can you talk about what you're most focused on and excited about either at Hogue Innovators or anywhere in your professional career?

[B]

Yeah, well, I think my professional careers has a couple of of aspects to it. Both my philanthropic engagement, where I'm really involved in a second career in the public policy of healthcare, and then certainly my day job at Buchanan street as a day to day investor. And both of those I thoroughly enjoy. But I think given the program's orientation to healthcare, what I'm most excited about is our future. Is the hardest part of innovators has been established. We have a beachhead of capital, we have a beachhead of investors, and now where can we go from here? And where we go from here is building this so it has permanence and we have an endowment in perpetuity. So Every year, we can give several million dollars to innovation to these doctors that are passionate about what they think can differentiate their practice and they can proudly bring to bear. And with that, I think the next 12 months can really further affirm what I would call hoag's ecosystem of 10,000 employees and their knowledge and an alignment with just an innovative, privateemic institute, different than maybe pure academic and different than maybe a community hospital. We kind of have the best of both worlds where we have clinicians that now can have a quicker path to success in onboarding their innovation than what they might otherwise be able to obtain at a more academic, slower moving, more bureaucratic institute. So that is being affirmed every day with our innovators, and that's very exciting to me, and I think it's a bright future. What's happening is we're getting on podcasts like yours, and more and more institutes are wanting to learn about innovators and which I think is a compliment. Certainly.

[A]

Got it for sure. And I'm curious to hear from your perspective as an entrepreneur. You're an executive. Leadership, philanthropy, et cetera. What advice would you give to health systems looking to implement something similar to hog innovators?

[B]

Sure. I think, you know, I learned early in business school, the best companies continually work on, you know, they excel at what they're good at, that pays the bills and gives them their. Their core foundation and brand, but they spend an equal amount of time on reinventing themselves. So I know at Hogue and in my own life and beliefs with innovators is we need to continue to reinvent ourselves. And with that, I think people that would take on this task needs to make sure that there are passionate leaders and thought leaders and that can continue to catalyze the innovation or the activity that gets started. Because all of these, you know, these reinventions, if you will, this innovation of philanthropy, we call ourselves innovators, but we've innovated philanthropy, and you need to continue to innovate philanthropy and reinvent that. So I would just task everyone with that knowledge that every day there's a new chapter and in this evolution, as you think about doing these things, but there's an audience out there, there's a customer in philanthropist, in this case, a point that's becoming younger. We look at our innovators, and our average innovators is 10 to 15 years younger than the average donor in the past at Hogue. So that's interesting. They want to learn, they want engagement, they want psychic income. They don't need an roi of conventional means. But so those that think about building this track in their institute just needs to think about the customer, what they want and something that's tangible and to you know have we have an advisory board that we're constantly bringing new ideas to bear as we build this out into its next chapters.

[A]

Excellent advice and I love to hear it. Well Robert, I want to thank you for your time today but before I let you go, is there anything else that listeners should know?

[B]

No. I think it's great that you thought enough of our innovator group and Hogue to have us on your program. I read all of Becker's updates and I thoroughly enjoy the service you provide and we appreciate your interest in innovators and hope others can build something similarly.

[A]

Likewise. Well Robert, I want to thank you once again for your time today and for sharing your insights on the Beckers healthcare podcast. Thank you so much.

[B]

Thank you so much.