Darren Klugman, M.D., M.S.

CalmWave is a hospital IT operations platform that empowers high-quality clinical operations by aligning AI solutions with real-world hospital workflows to optimize patient safety, minimize alarm fatigue, and optimize efficiency for frontline teams. I liaise with product development, data analysis, and sales, to bridge CalmWave’s AI-driven solutions with the needs of frontline providers and hospital systems. Our clinical, data analytics, and engineering teams refine product features based on feedback while demonstrating tangible value to prospective partners, transforming daily care delivery and improving outcomes and efficiency.

I mentor emerging health tech startups, offering insights from my experience leading clinical and quality/safety teams in complex hospital systems to guide scalable business strategies. By bridging the gap between visionary ideas and the practical realities of patient care delivery, I ensure that products are well positioned to be effective and transformative in a demanding healthcare market.

I established Maryland’s first dedicated pediatric cardiac intensive care unit, building a team culture that prioritized both patient outcomes and collaboration. Emphasizing open communication, I empowered my team to achieve performance metrics on par with leading national programs. To deliver the highest standards of care, I consistently refined clinical protocols and safety measures. This role was unique because it allowed me to demonstrate how building a team focused on collaboration and culture can achieve extraordinary results in a high-intensity clinical setting.

I directed a multidisciplinary critical care team responsible for some of the most complex pediatric cardiac cases. Data-driven insights guided my decisions, and I championed initiatives that consistently improved patient quality and safety. By recognizing the strengths of each team member and positioning them for success, my staff and I delivered top-tier, patient and family experience with the most complex fragile patients.

I led a comprehensive program to enhance patient quality and outcomes by combining advanced data analytics with multidisciplinary team engagement to identify areas for improvement. The initiatives I influenced reduced critical events, secured national recognition, and cultivated an environment where accountability and transparency were top priorities. I encouraged diverse voices and perspectives from all levels of the organization to drive innovation and sustainable progress. By uniting people under a shared vision for quality, the program quickly gained national prominence and maintained exceptional outcomes.

I delivered care directly to pediatric patients with complex acquired and congenital heart disease, ensuring a very high standard for patient and family experience. Like any patient-facing position, this role required quick, complex decision making and a thoughtful approach to the patient and family experience. Mentoring fellows and junior physicians was equally as rewarding as treating patients for me. I shared evidence-based best practices to strengthen my team’s collective commitment to compassionate and high quality patient care.

I guided multidisciplinary team efforts to enable the safe administration of medications – partnering with pharmacy, nursing, and biomedical engineering teams to streamline processes. I had my eye on both system-level vulnerabilities and day-to-day clinical practices.

I balanced clinical practice with academic responsibilities, shaping curricula that incorporated both theoretical instruction and hands-on experiences. Encouraging students to engage with cutting-edge research, I nurtured their growth to make them well-rounded clinicians. I recognized early that mentorship was critical, and I emphasized critical thinking and empathetic care as the hallmarks of medical professionalism. Seeing students evolve into capable physicians was an enduring highlight of my academic career.