Mr Iain Hennessey | Clinical Director of Innovation
Alder Hey Childrens N.H.S. Foundation Trust

Iain Hennessey is a consultant paediatric surgeon and director of innovation at the new Alder Hey Children’s Health Park. He graduated from the University of Edinburgh with honours degrees in Medicine, Surgery and Anatomical sciences, before going on to train as a paediatric surgeon in the United Kingdom and Australia. He has always been interested in innovation, helping found a startup surgical simulation company as a trainee and then progressing to become the clinical director of innovation at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital. Notable achievements have included forming partnerships with large multi national companies such as Sony and IBM, building a unique underground 1000sqm innovation facility for collaboration with the tech sector and developing a team of clinician entrepreneurs to drive change within the NHS. All of this was recognised nationally with the prestigious Health Service Journal Improving care with technology award.

He is currently developing a long term strategy to build the worlds first “Living hospital” by adapting emerging technologies to enable the building to care for the children within it, both medically and holistically. This work has encompassed artificial intelligence, advanced sensors, virtual reality and other consumer entertainment technologies.