A consultancy
that cares

We take the mystery out of innovation and help organizations tackle complex challenges.

Chris McCarthy

Founder + Principal

In his 20+ year innovation career, Chris built innovation & design infrastructure yielding award-winning, impactful interventions.

He empowered and guided his teams to tackle complicated challenges like loneliness in young people, resilience in queer teens, safer medication administration for patients, and more robust shift changes for nurses. His work has been featured in the Harvard Business Review, FastCompany, and the New York Times.

Advisors and Contributors

Our History

Chris McCarthy launched the ILN in 2005 at Kaiser Permanente after receiving a grant to create a one-year, national healthcare “innovation learning network”. Some highlights over the last 15+ years:

  • 2005: ILN hosts their first event in partnership with CIMIT. A small but mighty group of 32 innovators gather in Cambridge, MA.

  • 2007: ILN gathers Brighams-Mass General, Alegent, Veterans Affairs, and Kaiser Permanente and demonstrates the power of coopetition.

  • 2009: ILN expands to 30+ member organizations including the first international member, the National Health Services (NHS) in the U.K.

  • 2012: Harvard Business Review features the ILN as part of effort to democratize healthcare innovation.

  • 2018: The Nurse Administration Quarterly publishes an article about the ILN and it quickly becomes the most downloaded journal article.

  • 2019: ILN and VSP host an event in Sacramento where participants prototype an intervention to improve restaurant workers’ mental health. Kaiser Permanente funds and scales the program nationally, ultimately being featured on PBS News Hour.

  • 2023: Chris McCarthy re-launches the ILN as a strategy and innovation consulting firm.

Publications and Awards