Jodi Akin is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Hawthorne Effect, Inc.

Jodi began her career as a clinician, working at the bedside and developing a deep empathy for patients with critical illnesses. As an advanced critical care nurse at University of California San Francisco, she became involved in clinical trials and was recruited by Dr. Paul Yock, a cardiologist and inventor, to Stanford when he created the Stanford Center for Research in Cardiovascular Interventions and what is now Stanford Biodesign.

At Stanford, Jodi developed a deep understanding of intersection between clinical research and introduction of novel therapies into clinical practice. Her passion for high quality data propelled her to join Rich Ferrari and the founding team of CardioThoracic Systems (CTS), the market leader in minimally invasive cardiac surgery that went public in 1996 after only 7 months, the fastest of any medical technology company in history. CTS was acquired by Guidant in 2001.

Hawthorne Effect is Jodi’s 3rd startup. Previously, after a 3-year stint as President and CEO of Vasconnect, a developer of automated, sutureless blood vessel connectors, from 2000-2003, Jodi served as CEO of NOvoVascular, Inc. which developed technology for releasing nitric oxide from the surfaces of medical devices which underwent a successful tech transfer to Duke University. From 1998-2006, Jodi also ran preEminent, LLC, an incubator and consultancy she founded to provide clinical, regulatory and product development consulting to venture capitalist portfolio companies. During this time, Jodi acquired eight medical device patents and led multiple innovations to market.

In 2006, Jodi was recruited to Edwards Lifesciences, LLC to serve as Vice President, Global Clinical Affairs, where she led seminal global clinical trials and approvals of transcatheter heart valve therapy, pioneering a radical collaboration between cardiac surgeons and cardiologists with the PARTNER trials. Her role culminated with FDA approval for Edwards' SAPIEN Transcatheter Heart Valve which set a new standard for heart valve therapy and clinical trial conduct and ultimately patient outcomes. At Edwards, Jodi conceived of the idea for Hawthorne Effect after experiencing firsthand the challenges sponsors, investigators and patients experience in how clinical trials are conducted.

Jodi has also served as global humanitarian, leading international healthcare initiatives in underserved geographies including Heart To Heart International Children's Medical Alliance, The Heart Lung Institute of the East Bay, and The Nahapetov Friendship Foundation. She was co-founder of the China Heart Group, a joint venture with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization.

Jodi holds a BS in Foreign Service from Georgetown University, an MS in Physiology/Nursing from Pace University, New York and certification in Advanced Critical Care Medicine from University of California, San Francisco.

Jodi is an avid yogi, cook and traveler. She is a dual citizen of Italy and is actively reconnecting with her ancestral roots. Jodi and her family have enjoyed hosting foreign exchange students and immensely enjoy sharing their home and culture.