Joe Kiani

Joe Kiani is the CEO of Cercacor and has oversight of the company's key functions like product development, marketing, staffing and more. Kiani is also the Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Cercacor’s parent company Masimo ® — a leader in noninvasive patient monitoring technology. Kiani co-founded Masimo with the mission to solve a problem that was threatening patient safety: how to accurately monitor patient blood oxygen levels. He successfully designed Masimo Signal Extraction Technology ® , or Masimo SET, which today is often considered the gold standard for “modern” pulse oximetry. In 2021, President Joe Biden appointed Kiani to the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.

Founding Cercacor

Cercacor was created because Joe realized there was a growing need for sophisticated patient monitoring technology in the home, where consumers can monitor their vital signs after hospitalization or due to health concerns. Although telemedicine and remote patient monitoring was still in its early stages when Cercacor was founded in 1998, the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of accurate, high-quality patient monitoring technology for use beyond the walls of traditional healthcare facilities.

Other Experience

Committed to improving patient safety, Joe has also founded numerous organizations that support healthcare reform and initiatives. In 2013, Kiani founded the Patient Safety Movement Foundation, an organization dedicated to reducing preventable patient deaths in the U.S. He also co-founded A Starting Point and Like Minded Media Ventures, technology companies focused on civic engagement and connecting people with information through digital communication channels.

Joe is dedicated to solving some of the world’s most challenging social issues — for example, partnering with Friendship Shelter in Orange County to combat homelessness and leading the Masimo team to design technology like the Masimo Opioid Halo™, a first-of-its-kind device that monitors for signs of an opioid overdose.

Recognition and Awards

Joe has received numerous awards for his work in technology and patient safety. In 2023, he received the Robert Wears Patient Safety Award from University of Florida Health. He has also received the Hubert H. Humphrey ‘Dawn of Life’ Award (2014), which is presented by the Newborn Foundation to individuals who have significantly impacted infant mortality rates. In addition, Joe was honored with the Society of Critical Care Medicine Innovation Award in 2014 and Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year: Life Sciences Award in 2012.

Education and Background

After immigrating to the U.S. from Iran with his family at age nine, Joe graduated high school at just 15 and went on to receive his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Electrical Engineering from San Diego State University (SDSU). He also earned his Master’s in Electrical Engineering from SDSU. Having spent a lot of time in hospitals when he was young, Joe realized there was a deep need for better patient safety in healthcare. He now holds more than 500 patents related to patient monitoring technology and Masimo technology is used to monitor more than 200 million patients worldwide each year.

To learn more about Joe and to keep up with his latest ventures, consider following him on Twitter, LinkedIn, or YouTube.