|
Boston Scientific Names Dr. Craig Thompson Chief Medical Officer for Interventional Cardiology
|
 |
Craig Thompson, MD |
January 23, 2014 -- Boston Scientific started off its New Year by naming Craig A. Thompson, MD, MMSc, as the new Chief Medical Officer for Interventional Cardiology.
Dr. Thompson is well-known to the field, having served as Director of the Cardiovascular Catheterization Laboratory at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Assistant Professor of Medicine (Cardiology) at Dartmouth Medical School and then as Director, Invasive Cardiology and Vascular Medicine, Yale New Haven Hospital, and associate professor of medicine, Yale University School of Medicine.
Dr. Thompson has presented regularly at professional symposia and specifically on two topics that we at Angioplasty.Org have been covering for some time: intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and the transradial approach to diagnostic and interventional procedures.
You can read our conversation with Craig Thompson about intravascular ultrasound in Angioplasty.Org's Intravascular Guidance Center.
Boston Scientific and Volcano Corporation are the only two companies marketing an intravascular ultrasound system in the U.S., so it will be interesting to see if Dr. Thompson's new position signals an increase Boston Scientific's commitment to and promotion of IVUS (Volcano currently is the leader in the U.S. and other markets worldwide). Additionally, Boston does not manufacture any radial-specific equipment (catheters, wires, hemostasis devices, etc.). Perhaps that may be changing as well, given that Dr. Thompson is a "radialist" and that there's been a 13-fold increase in use of the radial approach in the U.S. in the past five years.
The press announcement from Boston Scientific follows:
Boston Scientific Names Craig Thompson, M.D. As New Chief Medical Officer, Interventional Cardiology
January 6, 2014 -- Natick, MA -- Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE: BSX) announces the appointment of Craig Thompson, M.D., as senior vice president and chief medical officer, Interventional Cardiology, effective immediately. Dr. Thompson, a global leader in complex cardiac interventions, will play a key role in driving the development of innovative medical solutions within the Boston Scientific Interventional Cardiology business.
Dr. Thompson previously served as director, Invasive Cardiology and Vascular Medicine, Yale New Haven Hospital, and associate professor of medicine, Yale University School of Medicine. He brings to Boston Scientific a wealth of clinical and academic experience, having performed thousands of structural cardiac, coronary, and vascular catheter-based procedures. Dr. Thompson has also served as an advisor for many cardiovascular device companies and he participated in the early development of technologies for the treatment of coronary total occlusions, including the BridgePoint coronary chronic total occlusion system acquired by Boston Scientific in 2012.
"As a pioneer in advanced coronary and vascular procedures and related device development, Craig's expertise is a valuable asset," said Kevin Ballinger, president, Interventional Cardiology, Boston Scientific. "Craig is a very experienced interventional cardiologist who is an important addition to our clinical team, increasing our ability to innovate medical solutions that provide unique value to physicians and patients," added Keith Dawkins, M.D., executive vice president and global chief medical officer, Boston Scientific.
Prior to Yale, Dr. Thompson served as director of Cardiovascular Catheterization and Intervention at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center/Dartmouth Medical School. He holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Southern Mississippi, medical degree from the University of Mississippi, and masters of medical science in clinical investigation from the Harvard-Massachusetts Institute of Technology Division of Health Sciences and Technology. Dr. Thompson completed post-doctoral training in clinical cardiology at Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School and interventional cardiology and endovascular intervention at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School.
"Boston Scientific has a longstanding history pioneering interventional cardiology, with a commitment to meaningful innovation and a robust interventional cardiology portfolio," said Dr. Thompson, "I'm delighted to work with the interventional cardiology team to further develop the technology pipeline and educational platforms to deliver solutions for patients with cardiovascular illness worldwide."
About Boston Scientific
Boston Scientific transforms lives through innovative medical solutions that improve the health of patients around the world. As a global medical technology leader for more than 30 years, we advance science for life by providing a broad range of high performance solutions that address unmet patient needs and reduce the cost of healthcare. For more information, visit www.bostonscientific.com and connect on Twitter and Facebook.
Reported by Burt Cohen, January 23, 2014 |
