Curriculum vitae
Brian Kolowitz, D.Sc.
Founder · Healthcare technology executive · Carnegie Mellon faculty
I have spent 20+ years architecting and launching enterprise-scale software, applied AI, and commercial products. I have led cross-functional teams of 60+, delivered work that returned 3x on investment, and stood up a national emergency-care network in six days. Today I build the products, platforms, and strategy that raise performance, and run ventures on them through AscenHD.
Experience
Now
Founder & Principal
AscenHD
Founded and lead a company built to drive performance and growth. I build the products, platforms, and strategy that get clients there, then run ventures on them: production platforms, shipped iOS and web products, and regulated-grade product strategy. The tools are whatever works best, AI-native today.
2024–Now
Co-Founder & Head of Technology
Medical aesthetics & wellness practice
Co-founded a tech-forward practice and built the full stack hands-on: public website, practice management, CRM, and marketing automation, plus custom AI-driven workflows for treatment planning and business automation. It scales with no dedicated marketing, IT, or operations hires.
2022–Now
Technical Director, 3rd-Party Clinical Apps
Major U.S. health system
Set technology strategy for 225+ clinical applications and lead the technical path for a system-wide EHR migration across 60+ systems. Chair the AI imaging governance review, which evaluated 20+ AI projects and advanced 5 to implementation, and oversee reliability for critical imaging systems managing 6 petabytes of radiology data.
2018–2022
Senior Director, Technology Strategy & Software Development
Innovation arm of a $26B health system
Directed imaging technology strategy for a $26B health system's innovation arm, leading a 60+ person organization of product managers, architects, and AI engineers. Took a national tele-critical care platform from concept to launch in six days, scaling to 40+ hospitals and cutting connection times by 92%. Restructured a partnership with a global imaging vendor for a 3x return.
2013–2018
Director, Product Management
Innovation arm of a $26B health system
Ran the developer experience for an enterprise healthcare operating system and cut developer onboarding from six weeks to under four hours with a redesigned API platform, self-service sandbox, and OpenAPI/OAuth2 governance. Co-led a next-generation imaging partnership with a global imaging vendor and managed the organization's IP portfolio.
2009–2013
Principal Architect & Software Engineer, Enterprise Imaging
Enterprise health system
Architected a first-of-its-kind imaging platform that federated 13 separate archives into one patient history for 40,000 users and 2.5 million annual exams, saving an estimated 20,000+ clinical hours a year. Recognized as a #1 Healthcare Innovation by InformationWeek 500.
Education
D.Sc., Information Systems & Communications
Robert Morris University
Highest Honors · 4.0 GPA
M.B.A. & M.S., Management Information Systems
University of Pittsburgh, Katz Graduate School of Business
Outstanding Student of the Year
B.S., Computer Engineering
Penn State University
Patents
6 US patents and applications
- System and method for processing healthcare information US 10,510,439
- Apparatus and method for viewing medical information US 9,471,747
- System and method for processing healthcare information US App. 16/711,864
- Radiology contextual collaboration system US App. 14/554,578
- Apparatus and methods to recommend medical information US App. 14/554,665
- Display screen graphical user interface US App. 29/582,541
Selected publications
- Kolowitz, B. J., et al. Workflow continuity: moving beyond business continuity in a multisite 24/7 healthcare organization. Journal of Digital Imaging.
- Kolowitz, B. J., et al. Clinical social networking: a new revolution in provider communication. Journal of Digital Imaging.
- Shaikh, F., Kolowitz, B. J., et al. Value-based assessment of radiology reporting using a two-way feedback system. Journal of Digital Imaging.
- Shaikh, F. A., Kolowitz, B. J., et al. Technical challenges in the clinical application of radiomics. JCO Clinical Cancer Informatics.
- Pantanowitz, L., Kolowitz, B. J., et al. Exploring Oculus Rift for viewing whole slide images in a virtual reality environment. Laboratory Investigation.
Recognition & teaching
- #1 Healthcare Innovation, InformationWeek 500 (2010)
- Best Paper of the Year, Journal of Digital Imaging (2014)
- Invited speaker, RSNA and SIIM
- Named on 6 US patents and applications (2 granted), author of 13 peer-reviewed publications
Faculty at Carnegie Mellon University, Heinz College since 2017, teaching Data-Focused Python, Python for Developers, and the Information Systems Project. Earlier adjunct appointments at the University of Pittsburgh, California University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Maryland.
Range
How I work
I build systems that hold up in the real world.
I have spent twenty years shipping software into places where it has to work: hospitals, regulated platforms, real businesses with real stakes. That bias runs through everything I build. Design for adoption, build with purpose, make progress that compounds.
AI did not change that. It raised the ceiling. The teams that win will be the ones who build disciplined systems around these tools, not the ones chasing the next demo. That is the work I care about, and the work I teach.
Tell us where you want to perform higher.
We build the proof. You’ll get a clear next step, fast.