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John Kenagy, MD, MPA  

Vascular Surgeon, Healthcare Innovator, Author

Dr. John Kenagy is well-versed in healthcare as a physician, executive, scholar, advisor, and patient. He brings over 20 years of experience as a vascular surgeon and has also served as Chief of Surgery, Chief of Staff, and Regional Vice President for Business Development for a multi-state, nonprofit healthcare delivery system. His firsthand experience as a patient, recovering from a broken neck sustained in a fall from a tree, deeply influenced his perspective on healthcare inefficiencies and sparked his dedication to systemic improvement.

His quest for innovative solutions led him to become a Visiting Scholar at Harvard Business School where he worked alongside Professor Clayton Christensen to develop disruptive innovation strategies for healthcare, mirroring the success models of resilient, highly adaptive companies like Toyota, Intel, and Apple. Kenagy's significant contribution to healthcare methodology is the development of Adaptive Design, a self-sustaining system for developing, doing, and improving patient care within and across disciplines. His book, "Designed to Adapt: Leading Healthcare in Challenging Times," serves as a seminal guide in this area and was named the 2011 Book of the Year by the American College of Healthcare Executives.

Beyond his scholarly achievements, Kenagy holds academic positions as a Clinical Professor of Surgery at the University of Washington and an Adjunct Associate Professor of Pharmacy and Therapeutics at the University of Pittsburgh. He is also a faculty member of the Masters of Science in Pharmacy Business Administration program at the School of Pharmacy, University of Pittsburgh. His notable insights into healthcare have garnered attention from major platforms, including Forbes Magazine, which featured him as "the man who would save healthcare." Dr. Kenagy's commitment to practical, patient-centered innovation continues through his writing, workshops, and the development of online learning courses such as the Experience Adaptive Design Learning System and the Adaptive Design Lean Leadership Learning System, designed to enhance healthcare delivery by optimizing organizational resources and creativity.

Speech Topics


The Game Changer: How to Take Control of 21st-Century Healthcare

Delivering on the Promise: The Truly Accountable, Patient-Centered Point of Care

Quality-Centered Healthcare: Act Your Way to a New Way of Thinking

From CEO to the Frontline: Developing People as the #1 Resource

Adaptive Innovation Insights: Building Success & Innovation in 21st Century Healthcare

Knowing What To Do To Lead in the New World of Healthcare

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Will South Dakota Do What Others Won’t? Diagnosing the Problem

The Path to an Adaptive Hospital Business Model

The Flaw in the Professor’s Theory: Disruptive Innovation 101

Seeing Through New Eyes: Discovery-Driven Design for Healthcare Innovation

New Opportunities for 21st Century Healthcare Information Technology

New Business Opportunities in 21st Century Healthcare

Management Innovation for 21st Century Healthcare

Leading Healthcare in Challenging Times Leaving a Legacy: Designed to Adapt for 21st Century Healthcare

Innovation, the Human Brain, and Healthcare

How To Do What Others Won’t: Sustainable Innovation for 21st Century Healthcare

Doing What Others Won’t: Creating Adaptive Labor/Management Relationships

Designed to Adapt: Leading Healthcare Education in Challenging Times

Designed to Adapt: Leading by Doing What Others Won’t

Designed to Adapt Consulting: Enabling Your Clients to Do What Their Competitors Won’t

Delivering on the Promise: Getting Patients Exactly What They Need at Continually Lower Cost

Adaptive Information Technology Strategy for 21st Century Healthcare Competitive Advantage

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