Cedars-Sinai CEO Called for Life Sciences Collaboration
Peter Slavin urged Los Angeles leaders to unite to bolster the region's life sciences sector at a recent industry event.
Updated on Oct. 12, 2026 in Healthcare
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Should regional leaders prioritize intense collaboration to grow the local life sciences industry?
Cedars-Sinai CEO Peter Slavin recently encouraged regional leaders to foster greater collaboration within the Los Angeles life sciences industry. He emphasized the necessity of building a more connected network to maximize growth across the region.
Why it matters
Slavin argued that stronger regional ties are essential to create a robust network effect, mirroring successful collaborative efforts used in other hubs to sustain industry innovation.
Peter Slavin served as the chief executive of Massachusetts General Hospital for a tenure spanning 18 years before joining the Cedars-Sinai Health System. The system currently manages its own life sciences accelerator and a dedicated investment portfolio.
The players
Peter Slavin
He is the chief executive officer of the Cedars-Sinai Health System and formerly led Massachusetts General Hospital.
Cedars-Sinai Health System
Based in Beverly Grove, this health system operates a life sciences accelerator and maintains an investment portfolio for research technology.
BioscienceLA
Headquartered in Culver City, this organization supports the life sciences ecosystem in the greater Los Angeles area.
The details
Speaking at a BioscienceLA conference, Slavin pointed to the Boston model where leaders organized to retain their life sciences industry and prevent a migration similar to the tech sector's move to Silicon Valley in the 1980s. He noted that Cedars-Sinai already contributes to this environment by licensing research technology developed at its facilities in Beverly Grove.
Timeline
The BioscienceLA conference took place in West Hollywood from September 29 through October 2, 2026.
Boston-area tech firms largely migrated to Silicon Valley during the 1980s.
Life sciences leaders in Boston began organizing their collaborative model during the 1990s and early 2000s.
Market Landscape
Slavin uses the migration of the Boston-area tech sector to Silicon Valley in the 1980s as a cautionary benchmark for the regional industry. This move aims to prevent fragmented growth and solidify Los Angeles as a competitive hub against other established life sciences centers.
Increased collaboration among local life sciences entities may lead to expanded regional research funding and more institutional support for emerging healthcare technologies. For residents and local industry workers, these efforts could eventually translate into a more stable and growing job market within the regional biotech sector.
The takeaway
Connecting the disparate parts of a regional sector is vital for creating a sustainable innovation ecosystem. Business leaders are increasingly looking toward cross-institutional partnerships to secure the long-term viability of their local industry clusters.
Further reading
Learn more about the local industry at the Los Angeles Healthcare section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Los Angeles Business Journal.
Live Poll
Should regional leaders prioritize intense collaboration to grow the local life sciences industry?
