Dayton health care tech firm names new CEO

Ascend Innovations, which commercializes health care technology, named a new president and CEO.

The new leader, Marty Larson, was with Ascend’s parent organization Greater Dayton Area Hospital Association for more than eight years. His roles have included executive vice president and executive director of the Greater Dayton Area Health Information Exchange.

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“The intersection of health care and information technology demands a depth of understanding in both fields, which Marty possesses,” Andy Lehman, chief information officer with Kettering Health Network and chair of the Ascend Innovations board, said in a statement. “Marty’s insights and leadership will fuel Dayton’s tradition of innovation and we look forward to Ascend reaching its potential under Marty’s leadership.”

Larson had been the interim president and CEO since Oct. 2018. The former CEO Rick Peters is now leading a startup called Tangram Flex.

Ascend said in a statement that while at the hospital association, Larson has participated in Montgomery County Alcohol Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services initiatives, including the Community Overdose Action Team, which was a community response to the opioid overdose crisis.

Ascend, based in Tech Town in downtown Dayton, has worked on projects such as the GetHelpNow app for connecting users to addiction, rehab and mental health resource, and developed concussion detecting software called Vye.

The Greater Dayton Area Hospital Association also just named a new leader, Sarah Hackenbracht, who had been interim president and CEO.