Rutgers and RWJBarnabas Health to Launch Innovation Hub, Powered by Amazon Web Services

The collaboration establishes one of the nation's first technology innovation hubs that brings together a medical school, academic health system and cloud technology leader to advance patient care and medical education

Rutgers University and RWJBarnabas Health today announced the launch of the Rutgers/RWJBarnabas Health Innovation Hub, powered by Amazon Web Services. 

This collaboration will provide opportunities for students studying medicine, engineering, computer science, business and other fields to work at the forefront of technology-driven discovery. By bringing together students, clinicians, researchers and technology experts, the hub will accelerate advancements in medical education, clinical innovation and patient care throughout New Jersey. 

The hub combines Rutgers’ academic and research abilities, RWJBarnabas Health's clinical expertise and patient reach as New Jersey’s largest academic health system, and AWS cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) technology to tackle real-world health care challenges from the classroom to the hospital bedside. It also mirrors the state’s efforts to ensure New Jersey maintains its legacy as a leader in innovation and invention.

“As we build the future Rutgers School of Medicine, we have an unprecedented opportunity to embed innovation into the foundation of how we educate and deliver care,” said Amy Murtha, founding dean of the future Rutgers School of Medicine. “This collaboration with RWJBarnabas Health and AWS means our students won't just learn about the future of health care – they'll build solutions that can reach real patients in real communities across New Jersey.”

“As New Jersey continues to lead in being a home for innovation, RWJBarnabas Health will lead by bringing to New Jersey a new model for integrating technologies that can change the way we deliver care, educate tomorrow’s clinicians, and save lives,” said Mark E. Manigan, president and chief executive of RWJBarnabas Health. “Along with our partners at Rutgers, this hub will allow us to take new technologies from ideation to implementation. We are ready to carry on our state’s legacy of healthcare innovation leadership that Robert Wood Johnson began more than a century ago.”

The long-term goal is a self-sustaining innovation model in which successful projects advance into Rutgers' academic enterprise and RWJBarnabas Health's clinical innovation efforts, attracting new collaborators, research support and industry partnerships that create opportunities for future student teams. 

"What Rutgers and RWJBarnabas Health are building together is exactly the kind of bold, mission-driven collaboration we champion at AWS, bringing world-class cloud and AI technology to bear on challenges that truly matter," said Kim Majerus, vice president of global education and local government at Amazon Web Services. "They're creating an engine that will deliver real solutions for the people of New Jersey while preparing the next generation of health care professionals to lead with AI. When institutions come together like this – shoulder to shoulder, across disciplines – that's when we see the kind of transformation that changes lives."

Students throughout Rutgers, from undergraduates to doctoral students, will have the chance to participate in four- to 10-week rapid prototyping projects, which are short and intensive collaborations that design and test ideas.

The inaugural cohort is expected to include up to five interdisciplinary teams working on needs identified by Rutgers faculty and RWJBarnabas Health clinicians. Potential areas of focus may include technology tools that support clinical decision-making, medical and interprofessional education, student health and wellness, streamlined hospital operations and efforts to advance health equity.

Rutgers faculty and RWJBarnabas Health clinicians will mentor the teams and evaluate their projects as they develop and test their ideas. Students will have access to AWS technology, cloud computing credits, operational support, technical mentorship from AWS engineers and the broader AWS Cloud Innovation Centers network.

Housed in the Health and Life Science Exchange (HELIX) in New Brunswick, N.J., the hub will provide a dedicated home for interdisciplinary collaboration, where teams will develop solutions to pressing issues in health care education and delivery. The goal is to help move promising student ideas from prototypes toward real-world applications in research, medical education and patient care, including technologies that streamline hospital operations, strengthen care coordination and improve patient experience.

The HELIX also will be home to the New Brunswick campus of the future Rutgers School of Medicine, which will unite Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and New Jersey Medical School. Pending accreditation in 2027 from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, the accrediting body for medical education programs, the first class of the unified school is expected to enroll in 2028 at what would become one of the nation’s largest public medical schools based on enrollment.

Rutgers has seen the potential of interdisciplinary health care innovation through the Rutgers Health Hack, where students, faculty and industry partners including RWJBarnabas Health and AWS collaborate to address health care priorities during a 48-hour “hackathon.” 

One recent project involves developing an intelligent coaching system that uses students’ academic progress to provide personalized AI-generated feedback and guidance alongside one-on-one coaching. The technology is being developed to support students at both Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and New Jersey Medical School as the schools integrate.

The Rutgers/RWJBarnabas Health Innovation Hub, powered by AWS, extends that model year-round, providing a structured pathway for promising projects to evolve from identified clinical needs to tested solutions.

Operations are expected to begin in the fall.