Dr. Leslie Saxon, Founder and Executive Director of the USC Center for Body Computing, hosted an Innovation and Future Hacking Event for the first cohort of the USC Distinguished Leaders [#uscdistinguishedleaders] program, a new educational venture from the University of Southern California (USC) which enables seasoned professionals to leverage the university’s education and research preeminence to chart new paths of global impact, personal exploration and intellectual enrichment.
“During their time with us, the first cohort of business leaders participated in demos from not only the Center for Body Computing, but also ICT’s Mixed Reality (MxR) and Medical Virtual Reality Labs, plus talks from industry leaders on topics such as Digital Health as a Business, Internet 3.0 and Human Performance in the Military,” said Dr. Saxon.
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After the 2-day immersive event, Mukund Kaushik, CTO at Inspire (and former Chief Digital Officer for Southern California Edison), posted what he’d learned on LinkedIn, showing a deep appreciation for the interactive sessions and bigger picture innovation:
Innovation, Leadership & Technology: Lessons from USC Institute for Creative Technologies
What happens when leadership meets cutting-edge innovation? As part of the USC Distinguished Leaders Program, we had the opportunity to explore the intersection of human performance, AI, and immersive technologies at USC’s Institute for Creative Technologies (ICT).
Key Takeaways:
✱ Health, AI & Personalization – Leslie Saxon shared how wearables and biometric monitoring are delivering real-time, personalized health insights. ICT’s partnership with the DoD is actively testing these technologies to keep service members at peak performance.
✱ The Power of VR & AR – David Nelson showcased how immersive experiences are transforming industries—from mental health and rehabilitation to workforce training. Dr. Skip Rizzo gave us a master class in the history and the current state of VR .
✱ AI-Driven Learning & Coaching – We explored AI-powered training solutions, including:
* Virtual Interactive Training Agents for job interview prep
* Adaptive learning system that personalizes career development
* Virtual mental health assistant designed to support veterans
The Bigger Picture: Innovation isn’t just about new tools; it’s about applying them to unlock human potential, create meaningful impact, and shape the future.
USC Distinguished Leaders
More information about USC Distinguished Leaders is available on their website. If you’re interested in applying to the next cohort, the deadline is: March 31, 2025.
Center for Body Computing (CBC)
The USC Center for Body Computing (CBC), founded by the renowned cardiologist Dr. Leslie Saxon, focuses on digital tools and technologies to transform health and human performance. Located within the USC Institute for Creative Technologies (ICT), a unit of the Viterbi School of Engineering and a Department of Defense (DoD) University Affiliated Research Center (UARC), sponsored by the US Army, CBC’s research programs use state of the art wearable sensors, ethical systems, and cyber secure software platforms, to demonstrate that continuous measurement delivers highly-accurate and holistic health insights to the individual.
CBC works in collaboration with over one hundred partners (DoD, HHS, NIH, FDA) and both medically regulated, and non-regulated, medical and technology companies. Current research tracks include: cORA: 200 participants: 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Liberty 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, Camp Pendleton; Marine Battalion study: 500 Marines, Camp Pendleton; SOCPAC: 350 senior service members: Special Operations Command, Pacific, Camp HM Smith, Hawaii and NTC: 150 Brigade senior leaders, National Training Center, Fort Irwin, CA.
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