Joe Kiani

Joe Kiani is the Founder and CEO of Willow Laboratories. He is also Founder, Chairman and CEO of Masimo® — a leader in noninvasive patient monitoring technology. Joe and his team hold over 600 patents and their inventions have empowered clinicians, athletes, and consumers from around the world. As an inventor and entrepreneur, Kiani founded Masimo with the mission to solve a problem that was threatening patient safety: how to accurately monitor patient blood oxygen levels. He successfully designed Masimo Signal Extraction Technology®, or Masimo SET, which today is often considered the gold standard for “modern” pulse oximetry. Masimo SET brings ease to the lives of clinicians by allowing them to monitor blood oxygenation more precisely without the interference of patient movement and has helped them eliminate blindness in NICU babies, detect critical congenital heart disease in newborns, and opioid overdoses in the post-surgical wards.

Willow Laboratories was spun out of Masimo in 1998 and has since invented noninvasive hemoglobin, carbon monoxide and other monitors that have led to reductions in patient mortality. The company has 150 granted patents.

Other Experience

Committed to improving patient safety, Kiani founded the Patient Safety Movement Foundation in 2012, an organization dedicated to reducing preventable patient deaths in the U.S. In a continued effort to improve patient safety, as well as solve some of the world’s more challenging social issues, he lead the Masimo team in designing technology like the Masimo Opioid Halo™, a first-of-its-kind device that monitors for signs of an opioid overdose and provides alerts to those that may need help. Joe serves as a respected and leading advocate for patient safety and care.

Recognition and Awards

Joe has received numerous awards for his work in technology and patient safety. In 2023, he received the Robert Wears Patient Safety Award from University of Florida Health. He has also received the Hubert H. Humphrey ‘Dawn of Life’ Award (2014), which is presented by the Newborn Foundation to individuals who have significantly impacted infant mortality rates. In addition, Joe was honored with IP Champion Award in December 2018, the Society of Critical Care Medicine Innovation Award in 2000 and Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year: Life Sciences Award in 2012.

Education and Background

Joe received his Bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering from San Diego State University (SDSU). He also earned his Master’s in Electrical Engineering from SDSU. Joe has received Honorary Doctorate Awards in Science from San Diego State University and Chapman University. Joe holds more than 600 patents related to patient monitoring technology and Masimo technology is used to monitor more than 200 million patients worldwide each year. Kiani remains tirelessly dedicated to improving patient safety.

To learn more about Joe and to keep up with his latest ventures, consider following him on Twitter, LinkedIn, or YouTube.

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