Four Montgomery County Life Sciences Leaders Named to the Washington Business Journal’s Innovators in HealthCare List
Four Montgomery County leaders and organizations were recently named to the Washington Business Journal’s Innovators in HealthCare 2026 list announced in early August. The awards celebrate and recognize local clinicians and executives that are driving innovation across the healthcare industry by advancing technology and improving access to care across the Washington, D.C. region.
Montgomery County honorees include:
Daniel Cochran, President of the Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center, received the C-Suite Leader of the Year award, recognizing him for driving positive change for patients, employees and the community. Located in Rockville, Maryland, Adventist Healthcare Shady Grove Medical Center is a general medical and surgical hospital serving the Montgomery County community. 
Dr. Louis Levitt, Vice President at The Centers for Advanced Orthopaedics, received Entrepreneur of the Year, which recognizes a founder building up a business to effect change across care delivery, access, quality, treatment and technology. Based in Bethesda and founded in 2013, The Centers for Advanced Orthopaedics delivers personalized orthopaedic care to patients across the Mid-Atlantic region.
President of Rockville-based BrainScope Laurie Silver received the AI Champion award for the company’s use of AI in its technology. BrainScope is a leading neurotechnology company dedicated to advancing brain health through the first FDA-cleared AI/machine learning medical device in neurology.
Lastly, Markus Weiss, President & CFO of Gaithersburg-based Miltenyi Biotec North America, received the Life Science Leader of the Year award, recognizing a biotechnology or life sciences leader dedicated to advancing therapies, technologies or medical devices through clinical trials or to market to improve health for the public. Miltenyi Biotec North America, which maintains two operations in Gaithersburg, including the headquarters for its U.S. market, develops cutting-edge science and technology to move forward biomedical research and personalized medicine.
Montgomery County, Maryland, is a breeding ground for innovation, where visionary leaders work on solving the world’s most complex challenges, advance healthcare, and improve lives for a better future.