Public-private partnerships strengthen healthcare across New Jersey

Key points:

• Public-private partnerships are driving healthcare access and innovation across New Jersey.

• Technology and AI only scale when paired with community trust and collaboration.

• Workforce development and responsible adoption define long-term healthcare impact.

January 2026 — Public-private partnerships are reshaping healthcare in New Jersey. Leaders say collaboration, not technology alone, will determine whether AI-driven innovation expands access, strengthens communities, and delivers equitable care statewide.

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A growing consensus among healthcare leaders is clear: technology can only move as fast as the partnerships behind it. At the Invest: New Jersey Leadership Summit, executives from hospital systems, academia, and biopharma outlined how public-private partnerships are becoming the backbone of healthcare innovation and community impact across the Garden State.

“Partnerships are absolutely essential to the future of healthcare,” said Carole Johnson, president and CEO of University Hospital New Jersey, during the panel Smart Health, Stronger Communities: Building an Accessible Future for New Jersey Patients. “But they can’t be one-sided,” she added. “We should not be giving data away unless the community is part of the product development.”

Public-Private Partnerships as a Healthcare Engine

New Jersey’s healthcare ecosystem relies heavily on collaboration between public institutions, private providers, and industry partners to undercome the most pressing issue: access to healthcare. Community health outcomes improve most when public systems and private innovation are aligned, and are open to the local’s input on how to improve the health care systems.

Johnson emphasized that safety-net hospitals like University Hospital serve as testing grounds for equitable innovation, but only when partnerships are structured around shared accountability. “We need to ensure that these products, the next round of innovation, actually serve everyone,” she said. “Those who benefit the most from some of this innovation are part of the front end.”

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Access, Affordability, and the Role of Innovation

For large health systems, the promise of digital health lies in its ability to expand access without increasing costs. Kenneth Sable, president of the Acute Care Hospital Division at Hackensack Meridian Health, framed the challenge: “What good is healthcare if you can’t access it?”

“We are at the point where technology really has the opportunity to change the paradigm and move the needle,” he added.

Sable noted that technology-enabled care models are increasingly necessary as New Jersey faces clinician shortages driven by an aging population. “The only way that we are gonna be able to [meet the increased client demand] is to change our care delivery models, utilize technology to make our system more efficient,” he said, pointing to digital tools that allow providers to operate at the top of their license.

Research supports this view, showing that public-private healthcare partnerships can reduce strain on emergency services and improve continuity of care, particularly when technology supports early intervention.

Education, Workforce, and Responsible AI Adoption

At the academic level, preparing the next generation of physicians requires careful integration of new technologies. Amy Murtha, dean of Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, stressed that AI adoption must balance speed with responsibility.

“We talk about AI all the time, and in academia, we typically don’t adopt new things easily,” Murtha said. “We typically are skeptical and cynical. […] We can’t do that with AI, because it is already being used.”

Murtha also recognized the need for balanced technology integration, with a deep understanding of community needs. “When we think about engaging the diverse communities that make up New Jersey, it is important that we actually listen to what they believe that they need as well.”

Murtha highlighted Rutgers’ annual healthcare hackathon as an example of public-private collaboration, where institutions partner with companies like Google and AWS to solve real-world healthcare challenges. Several patents and applied solutions have emerged from these partnerships.

The importance of academic institutions as anchors for innovation is echoed in broader research linking community-based education centers to improved public health outcomes. According to NJBiz, 91% of Americans see local community centers as beneficial to their community through wellness activities, support programs, and space to address pressing issues.

Building Trust Through Community Engagement

A recurring theme throughout the discussion was trust. Johnson warned that technology adoption without community buy-in risks deepening existing disparities. 

“If you build community trust, you overcome the significant concerns and mistrust about new technology,” she said, “There is actual economic development that happens in the community as a consequence.”

Public-private partnerships, panelists agreed, offer a pathway to rebuild that trust by embedding communities directly into development and integration processes. This approach aligns with the community’s desire to be part of the process towards improving health outcomes for individuals and families.

Measuring Success Beyond Technology

Looking ahead, panelists challenged policymakers and investors to rethink how success is measured. For Sable, metrics like access and affordability will define progress. “If we’re not improving access and affordability, we have not done what we needed to do,” he stated.

Murtha argued that success should also mean keeping complex care within New Jersey, reducing the need for patients to cross state lines for treatment. “We should have everybody in New Jersey have the opportunity to have the highest level of care,” she said.

Johnson added that lower patient acuity—meaning people are healthier and getting preventive care—would signal meaningful progress on the community support that focuses on social determinants.

Together, these perspectives underscore a shared conclusion: technology is a tool, but partnerships are the strategy.

As New Jersey continues to invest in healthcare innovation, leaders across sectors agree that public-private partnerships will determine whether smart health initiatives translate into stronger, healthier communities. The challenge ahead is not a lack of innovation, but ensuring that collaboration keeps pace with it.

To watch the panel discussions from our Invest: New Jersey Leadership Summit, stay tuned to our Youtube Channel.

Want more? Read the Invest: New Jersey report.