Dr. Jeff Davis

Jeffrey R. Davis, MD is the founder and CEO of Exploring 4 Solutions, LLC, and a visiting fellow of the Laboratory for Innovation Science at Harvard (LISH) at the Harvard Institute for Quantitative Social Science. In 2017, Jeff joined the board of the nonprofit Girlstart. He is a recognized international leader, educator, speaker, author and consultant in collaborative innovation, human system risk management in health care systems, and space and aviation medicine. He provides deep technical knowledge based on more than 30 years of experience in NASA, commercial aviation and academia. He has strong skills in the risk management of complex healthcare system

Prior to his CEO role, Jeff served as the Director, Human Health and Performance, and the Chief Medical Officer for the NASA Johnson Space Center. In these roles he provided technical leadership and management for medical care, biomedical research and technology development for space exploration. Jeff also promoted the use of open innovation in NASA to enhance problem solving and organizational development. He initiated the NASA Human Health and Performance Center (NHHPC) in 2010 and served as its director until 2017. The NHHPC is a major collaborative center for NASA with over 150 members in public, private, academic and nonprofit sectors. Along with partners, Jeff established the Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation (CoECI) in 2011 and served as the deputy director until 2017. CoECI provides consulting expertise to NASA and other federal agencies for the use of open innovation.

Dr. Davis received his B.S. degree in Biology from Stanford University, an M.D. degree from the University of California at San Diego, and a Master of Science degree from Wright State University. He is certified by the American Board of Preventive Medicine and holds an active Texas medical license. Past positions include Professor, Preventive Medicine and Community Health at the University of Texas Medical Branch; Corporate Medical Director, American Airlines; and Chief, Medical Operations, NASA Johnson Space Center. His national board participation included service as the chair of the American Board of Preventive Medicine; chair of the Residency Review Committee for Preventive Medicine; and president of the Aerospace Medical Associations in space flight, aviation and occupational health environments, and organizational change through collaborative and open innovation efforts. Jeff’s unique experience and insights across government, academic, corporate and non-profit settings provide a depth of technical knowledge that builds bridges between various disciplines and partners.

Jeff coauthored “Open Innovation at NASA: A New Business Model for Advancing Human Health and Performance Innovations” in 2015, describing his approach and successes in building a culture of innovation at NASA.