As the University of Iowa’s first Chief Innovation Officer, Jon’s responsibilities include supporting faculty, staff and trainees interested in solving society’s unmet needs by commercializing inventions, services offerings or process improvements. Mr. Darsee leads the Office of Innovation which includes UI Ventures, Protostudios, University of Iowa Research Park Corporation, Iowa MADE, the Translational Research Incubator and coming soon -the Medical Innovation Hub. His focus is developing a comprehensive, sustainable foundation of programs and networks to support Hawkeyes interested in translating their research and clinical insights into real world impact. This support leans heavily on a community of committed individuals from industry who have had transformational success as entrepreneurs -particularly in the biosciences.

Jon returned to the University of Iowa with more than 20 years of experience as an executive in the healthcare industry. He has held positions at six med-tech startups in the US and Europe. Most recently, Jon spent ten years at iRhythm Technologies, Inc (NASDAQ: IRTC) in various executive management roles. A developer of digital bio-sensing technology, artificial intelligence and cloud-based data analytics to diagnose and manage cardiac arrhythmias, iRhythm licenced technology birthed at Stanford University’s renowned Byers Center for Biodesign. Jon joined the San Francisco based company when it had a staff of three and retired in 2018 having helped build iRhythm into a 600-employee company with roughly $100 million in annual revenue. Jon was responsible for creating and executing the reimbursement strategy that was pivotal to the firm’s successful IPO in 2016.

A graduate of the University of Iowa with a Bachelor of General Studies degree, Jon was a member of Iowa’ 1980 Final Four basketball team; he later played professional basketball in Brazil. Jon is a frequent essayist who writes about sports, the arts and culture. He lives in Iowa City with his wife Polly Price and a delightful but stubborn Boxer/Wolf Hound mix named Belle.