Theodore “Jack” Iwashnya, ICU physician and Bloomberg distinguished professor at Johns Hopkins University, has been recognized on the 2025 STATUS List for his research and advocacy for racial equality in the function of life-saving medical devices.

“We have to make harder choices for our Black patients than for our white patients, because the pulse oximeters just are not as reliable in our Black patients,” said Iwashnya. “Our patients need better devices now.”

The 2025 STATUS List features 50 influential people shaping the future of health and life sciences across biotech, medicine, health care, policy, and health tech. The list includes a varied mix of executives, researchers, scientists, advocates and activists, all of whom are making an outsize impact on health care today.

In his work, he seeks to understand the context of critical illness, both how critical illness influences a patient’s life course, and how the organizational environment influences the effectiveness of the care that a patient receives. He aims to improve long-term health outcomes and quality of life for survivors of critical illness through social and health safety net integration.

Iwashnya was recruited to Johns Hopkins by way of the Knowledge to Action and the Business of Health (KABOH) HBHI initiative to recruit new faculty members to collaborate with HBHI core faculty and Bloomberg Distinguished Professors to address the pressing social need of achieving better health outcomes in light of ever-rising health spending.

Sixteen of the 50 individuals on the STATUS List come from the world of academia. Donald Warne, provost fellow for Indigenous health policy and co-director, Center for Indigenous Health at Johns Hopkins University is also featured. Johns Hopkins is the only university with two members of its faculty leadership selected for this year’s list.