Northwell Makes 2022 List Of World's Most Innovative Companies

NEW HYDE PARK, NY — Northwell Health has made it onto Fast Company's list of the World's Most Innovative Companies for 2022, earning the No. 3 spot in the health care category.

The business media brand's list — which was published Tuesday — recognizes companies making the biggest impact on their industry and thriving in "today's global environment amid an ever-changing economic climate and the COVID-19 pandemic," according to a press release. This year's list features 528 organizations recognized across 52 categories.

"Northwell has always had an innovative, team-oriented, and collaborative culture, but the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 certainly put our health system and staff to the test," said Michael J. Dowling, president and CEO at Northwell Health. "With New York City being at the epicenter of the pandemic, our 78,000 employees in every department across our health system marshalled their talents to treat a tremendous influx of patients into our facilities as well as keep patients and staff safe."

He added that the pandemic allowed Northwell to deliver new ideas to treat patients and help the communities it serves. Those efforts included offering faster testing and providing equitable access to vaccines, according to a press release.

With this list, Northwell joins the ranks of Walgreens, Microsoft, SpaceX, and other companies making breakthroughs in their industries.

"I'm extremely proud of all our team members whose direct action and caring helped propel Northwell to the top of Fast Company's World's Most Innovative Companies in the health care sector," said Maxine Carrington, Northwell's senior vice president and chief human resources officer. "To achieve this type of global recognition – especially during such unprecedented times in health care — is a testament to our collective creativity and resilience."

To determine the list, Fast Company reviewed hundreds of companies that distinguished themselves for their breakthrough ideas and innovations over a span of 18 months.

The following is a list of innovations Northwell was recognized for:

• Treating more than 300,000 COVID-19 patients since March 2020 and searching for new life-saving techniques and therapies amid a backdrop of supply chain issues
• In April 2020, when ventilators were in short supply, ICU clinicians converted bi-level positive airway pressure machines into ventilators for COVID-19 patients
• The Feinstein Institutes for Research, the Manhasset-based research arm of Northwell, received more than $98 million in funding to support its studies and clinical trials in 2020, which was a record
• The Feinstein Institutes collaborated with FitBit as part of a $2.5 million award to develop wearable tech that can detect COVID-19