Rashmi Kandwal, PhD, MBA, Executive Director, HealthcareMN

What’s your current role?

I am the Executive Director of HealthcareMN, a Minnesota-based nonprofit working to accelerate healthcare innovation through grassroots efforts, making it affordable, inclusive, and actionable for all. I have been involved with HealthcareMN since 2015 and relaunched the organization in 2023 with a renewed focus on building a stronger healthcare innovation ecosystem.

My work centers on bringing people together across healthcare systems, startups, research institutions, investors and the broader business community. Through events, programs, partnerships and our Patient Innovations podcast, we create opportunities for people to exchange ideas, build relationships, and help promising healthcare innovations move forward. I am particularly interested in how we can better connect early-stage companies with the expertise, customers, capital and partnerships they need to grow in Minnesota.

Why did you join the Women’s Health Leadership TRUST?

I first joined the TRUST in 2018 because I wanted to connect with the incredible healthcare network we have here in Minnesota. As a major healthcare hub, Minnesota has a remarkable depth of expertise, organizations, and leaders. The TRUST felt like a natural place to meet women across the industry, learn from their experiences, and build meaningful relationships.

What I have come to appreciate is that the TRUST is more than a professional network. It is a homegrown community where women can learn from one another, exchange perspectives, and build relationships that extend beyond their individual roles and organizations.

I’m thrilled to be joining the TRUST Board of Directors, with my term beginning in January 2027! I look forward to bringing the TRUST and HealthcareMN communities closer together to foster meaningful connections and advance healthcare innovation.

What has been your favorite part of being a member of the TRUST?

When I first joined the TRUST, I saw it as a natural place to connect with the incredible healthcare network we have here in Minnesota. As a major healthcare hub, Minnesota is home to a remarkable range of expertise, organizations, and leaders and the TRUST offered an opportunity to meet and learn from women whose experiences and perspectives differ from my own.

Healthcare is a complex, interconnected industry, and no one person or organization can solve its challenges alone. Having a community where women can share experiences, learn from one another and build genuine relationships is incredibly valuable.

As someone who spends much of my time connecting people across Minnesota’s healthcare innovation ecosystem, I see firsthand how powerful these relationships can be. Sometimes, a conversation, a fresh perspective or an introduction becomes the starting point for something much bigger.

What is the best career advice you’ve received?

The best career advice I have received is simple: “It never hurts to ask. The answer may be no, but you will have the satisfaction of trying.” I try to live by that. Whether it is reaching out to someone, exploring a new opportunity, or starting a conversation, I believe it is always worth asking. You never know where it might lead.

Can you share a pivotal moment in your career that significantly influenced your leadership style or professional path?

Rather than one defining moment, my leadership perspective has evolved through experiences across research, consulting, nonprofits, academia and industry, spanning three continents: Asia, Europe and North America.

Working across these different environments gave me an appreciation for how interconnected systems work—and how much progress depends on the ability to connect people, ideas and resources across boundaries.

Over time, I became increasingly interested not just in solving individual healthcare challenges, but in understanding the broader systems in which innovation happens. Why do some promising ideas gain traction while others struggle? What relationships, resources and structures help turn an idea into something that makes a difference?

These questions have shaped my work with HealthcareMN and my approach to ecosystem building. Today, I see my role as bringing the right people into the room, creating opportunities for unexpected connections, and helping turn conversations into action.

I have learned that leadership is not always about being the person with the answers. Sometimes, it is about seeing connections others may not see and creating the conditions for people to find better answers together.

What emerging trend in healthcare are you most excited about and why?

I am excited about the potential of artificial intelligence to improve healthcare. The field is evolving rapidly, and the possibilities are significant. What interests me most, however, is how we move beyond experimentation to meaningful, responsible implementation.

AI has the potential to support clinical decision-making, improve workflows, accelerate research, and create new approaches to patient care. At the same time, realizing that potential requires us to address challenges around data governance, trust, accountability, equity and implementation across different healthcare settings.

I am particularly interested in bringing together clinicians, researchers, startups, health systems, investors and policymakers to explore these questions. Through HealthcareMN’s AI in Healthcare Forum, we are creating space for the community to examine both the opportunities and the challenges and identify ways to move forward together.

For me, the exciting part is not simply the technology itself. It is what becomes possible when we bring the right people together to ensure that innovation translates into meaningful impact for patients and communities.

What project or initiative have you led that you are particularly proud of?

I am proud of the evolution of HealthcareMN. What began as a grassroots community has grown into a nonprofit focused on strengthening Minnesota’s healthcare innovation ecosystem. Today, we connect a community of nearly 3,500 people across our platforms and bring together stakeholders who might not otherwise have the opportunity to work together.

Our work includes healthcare innovation events, startup showcases, ecosystem-building initiatives and the Patient Innovations podcast, which brings patient experiences and the perspectives of clinicians, researchers, and innovators into the conversation.

What makes me proudest is not any single event or program. It is the opportunity to create a platform where relationships can develop, ideas can be shared, and innovators can find the people and resources that help them take their next step.

My vision is for HealthcareMN to serve as a connecting bridge for healthcare entrepreneurs, helping them move from ideas and early traction toward partnerships, customers, funding, and growth. I want Minnesota to be a place where innovators can find not only the expertise to build great healthcare solutions, but also the connections and support they need to succeed.

How do you foster innovation and creativity within your team or organization?

I believe innovation often begins with asking questions and recognizing patterns. I pay attention when I hear the same challenge or frustration from multiple people. When a problem surfaces repeatedly across conversations, I see it as an opportunity to ask whether there is a more creative way to address it.

At HealthcareMN, I try to create spaces where people can share ideas, ask questions, and explore potential collaborations without needing to have everything figured out at the outset. I also believe in experimentation. Not every idea will become a successful program, but each effort can teach us something about what the community needs and where we can have the greatest impact.

For me, fostering innovation means staying curious, listening carefully, connecting people intentionally, and being willing to adapt as we learn.

Words of wisdom to live by?

“Get that coffee.”

It is a simple phrase, but it captures a lot of how I approach relationships and ecosystem building. Take the time to meet someone, ask questions, exchange ideas and be curious about what they are working on. You do not need to have a specific agenda or know what the outcome will be.

Some of the most meaningful opportunities begin with an informal conversation. A coffee can lead to an introduction, a partnership, a new idea or a solution to a problem you have been trying to solve. You may not see the impact immediately, but you never know what a simple conversation can set in motion.