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About Our Company / About CardioFocus

CARDIOFOCUS
PUTTING PVI CONTROL IN A WHOLE NEW LIGHT

At CardioFocus, we specialize in providing electrophysiologists with innovative and effective tools that bring new levels of precision and control to the treatment of atrial fibrillation.

Our focused dedication on advancing cardiac ablation treatments has resulted in the ground-breaking HeartLight® Endoscopic Ablation System, integrating important new features into a never-before-seen platform as advanced as it is intuitive. And our ongoing research is taking laser ablation therapies to exciting new places.


THE HEARTLIGHT ENDOSCOPIC ABLATION SYSTEM
MAKING PVI CONTROL MORE ACCESSIBLE THAN EVER

The HeartLight Endoscopic Ablation System provides physicians with a number of unique and valuable new capabilities. Now, they can directly visualize anatomies intra-procedure, precisely target the application of laser energy, and deliver durable pulmonary vein isolation.

News

Events

AF Symposium 2024
February 1-3
Boston, MA

Heart Rhythm 2024
May 16-19
Boston, MA

LEADERSHIP

MICHAEL LIEBRO

MICHAEL LIEBRO

VP, Global Marketing

MICHAEL LIEBRO

VP, Global Marketing
Mike Liebro joined CardioFocus in February 2021 bringing over 18 years of experience in both the pharmaceutical and medical device industries. He has held sales and marketing roles throughout his career working in the areas of neuroscience, sharps safety, and electrophysiology. Mr. Liebro spent the previous 10 years of his career at Boston Scientific Electrophysiology where he was responsible for commercial launch planning and development of a world class training program to support the product launch of several ablation catheters and software modules for 3-D mapping and treatment of cardiac arrhythmias. He holds a BS in Finance from American International College.

STEVE OGILVIE

STEVE OGILVIE

Chief Financial Officer

STEVE OGILVIE

Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Ogilvie joined CardioFocus in 2021 and currently serves as Chief Financial Officer (CFO), leveraging decades of experience in the medical technology sector, including leadership roles in sales, marketing and corporate development, as well as investment banking and sell side equity research. Most recently, he served as Managing Director of Healthcare Investment Banking at B Riley Securities, leading the firm's investment banking advisory engagements with healthcare companies. Previously Mr. Ogilvie served as Vice President, Corporate Development at NuVasive, where he led a variety of key functions, including mergers and acquisitions and the expansion of the company's global sales infrastructure. He has also held medical technology sell-side equity research positions at ThinkEquity Partners and Lazard Capital Markets, and was a product manager at Medtronic. Mr. Ogilvie earned his B.A. from Brigham Young University and his M.B.A. from New York University's Stern School of Business.

SCOTT FLETCHER

SCOTT FLETCHER

VP, Finance & Administration

SCOTT FLETCHER

VP, Finance & Administration
Scott Fletcher joined CardioFocus in February 2017 bringing over 15 years of experience in the medical device industry.  Prior to joining CardioFocus Mr. Fletcher served as Vice President Finance and Administration at Holmed (later a part of NN Inc.), a firm specializing in the design and manufacturer of spine and orthopedic surgical instrumentation. At Holmed Mr. Fletcher led the finance, accounting, human resources and IT departments.  Mr. Fletcher previously held positions as Director of Finance for Precision Engineered Products, an orthopedic medical device manufacturer and as Site Controller for SMTC, an electromechanical manufacturing company focused on the technology sector.  He received a BS in Business Administration from the University of Vermont in 1998.
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MARK CASEY

MARK CASEY

VP, Operations

MARK CASEY

VP, Operations
Mr. Casey has over 25 years of domestic and international leadership experience in the Medical device and Capital equipment industries. He has extensive experience with Supply Chain development, Contract Manufacturing, production transfer and new facility start up. Past roles have included V.P. of Manufacturing and Supply Chain for Ivenix, a start-up medical device company developing a large volume infusion pump, V.P. of Global Manufacturing for Optos and Executive Director of Operations for Olympus – GyrusACMI. He received a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering with a Minor in Industrial Engineering from the University of Dayton. Additionally, he has multiple certifications in Supply Chain Management including, CPIM Production and Inventory Management and CSCP, Certified Supply Chain Professional. He also has extensive Lean Manufacturing experience and has a Six Sigma Greenbelt.

STUART JAMESON

STUART JAMESON

VP, International

STUART JAMESON

VP, International
Mr. Jameson joined CardioFocus in 2017 as Managing Director, International with over 25 years’ experience within the cardiology and cardiac electrophysiology medical device fields. Prior to CardioFocus, Mr. Jameson held several leadership roles within Europe as Marketing Director, EMEA for St Jude Medical and Abbott based in Brussels, Belgium and European Sales Director, Endosense SA located in Geneva, Switzerland where he led the first successful commercial introduction of the TactiCathTM contact force sensing technology for radiofrequency ablation that has since become a gold standard in clinical practice. For 10 years with Biosense Webster, a Johnson & Johnson company, Mr Jameson provided key leadership within Europe to the successful and rapid expansion of cardiac electrophysiology technologies including market game changers such as irrigated ablation and the Carto® electro-anatomical mapping system, together with novel concepts such as the application of Six Sigma process improvement to healthcare.Mr. Jameson began his career as a qualified Cardiac Physiologist, attaining head of department level before transitioning into the medical device industry and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Pure & Applied Mathematics.

LISA HAUSMANN

LISA HAUSMANN

Senior Director, Clinical Affairs

LISA HAUSMANN

Senior Director, Clinical Affairs
Ms. Hausmann joined CardioFocus in 2012 with over 20 years of experience in Clinical Affairs within the medical device industry. Her areas of expertise include early strategic planning; operations; safety; and data analysis and management for feasibility, IDE, and post-market clinical trials. Prior to CardioFocus, she held management positions at Augmenix, Inc., Innovative Spinal Technologies, Inc., OmniSonics Medical Technologies, Inc., and NxStage Medical, Inc. She has worked on products in a variety of therapeutic areas including cardiovascular, peripheral vascular, neurovascular, spine, radiation oncology, urology, and ESRD. Early in her career, Ms. Hausmann held positions of increasing scope and responsibility over a period of 11 years at Boston Scientific Corporation. Ms. Hausmann received a Bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Davis and earned her Master’s in Public Health with a concentration in biostatistics and epidemiology at Boston University.
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IAN CHRISTIANSON

IAN CHRISTIANSON

VP, Regulatory Affairs & Quality Assurance

IAN CHRISTIANSON

VP, Regulatory Affairs & Quality Assurance
Mr. Christianson joined CardioFocus in October 2009, bringing over 10 years of experience in quality assurance and operations experience in medical devices and the defense industry. He was previously Director of Quality Assurance and Regulatory Affairs at Concordia Medical, a contract manufacturer of medical devices and tissue engineering scaffolds. Mr. Christianson has held positions at Boston Scientific, Genzyme Biosurgery, and Johnson & Johnson. He received a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Arizona, a Master’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Texas A&M University, and an MBA from the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth.

JERRY MELSKY

JERRY MELSKY

VP, Engineering

JERRY MELSKY

VP, Engineering
Mr. Melsky joined the CardioFocus team in 2002 as Vice President of Engineering, bringing with him over 30 years of leadership experience in medical device design and development. He was previously Director of Mechanical Engineering for Infusaid corporation, the first company to receive IDE approval for an implantable drug pump. Mr. Melsky was also a co-founder of Therex corporation, where he developed a next-generation implantable drug infusion pump now marketed by Johnson and Johnson. Prior to joining CardioFocus, Mr. Melsky was Director of Engineering for Act Medical, now part of Accellent, Inc., where he headed a team of forty engineers and technicians developing a range of devices for minimally-invasive catheter-based procedures. He holds numerous patents in medical device designs, and a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in mechanical engineering from M.I.T.

BURKE BARRETT

BURKE BARRETT

Chief Executive Officer & President

BURKE BARRETT

Chief Executive Officer & President
Mr. Barrett currently serves as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) & President, having held senior leadership roles at CardioFocus for over 15 years.  He brings to CardioFocus 35 years of medical device industry experience including over 20 years of executive experience.  Previously, Mr. Barrett was Vice President of Clinical Operations at Cyberkinetics Neurotechnology Systems, Inc., a public medical device company that achieved first-in-man success in novel, implantable brain-computer interfaces. He also served at Cyberonics as the Vice President, Business and Technology Development.  Prior to that, Mr. Barrett held positions in business development, clinical, regulatory and quality at Biofield Corporation, Dornier Medical Systems, and Bausch & Lomb.  From 2010-2013 he served as the industry representative on the FDA's Circulatory Systems Device Advisory Panel. He received bachelor’s degrees in chemical engineering and chemistry from Syracuse University and a Master of Business Administration from Kennesaw University in Atlanta.
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS

  • Gwen Watanabe

    Gwen is a Managing Director of H.I.G. BioHealth Partners, focusing on investment opportunities in the life sciences sector, including biopharmaceuticals, health care IT, medical devices, and diagnostics.

    Gwen has been active in the life sciences sector for more than 28 years. Previously, she served as the General Manager and Vice President of US Robotics for Smith and Nephew and as the Corporate Vice President of Global Corporate Development, Strategy and Strategic Relationships at Teleflex where for eight years she presided over all global acquisitions. Gwen joined Teleflex as a result of Teleflex’s acquisition of Hotspur Technologies, a company Gwen co-founded and served as President and Chief Executive Officer. Gwen was also a co-founder of Nellix Endovascular, Bacchus Vascular and AneuRx, all three of which were medical device companies later acquired by larger strategic players. In addition, Gwen has been general partner of several private equity entities.

    Gwen holds an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University, as well as an MBA from Harvard Business School. She also holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where she simultaneously completed her pre-med requirements.

  • Burke Barrett

    Mr. Barrett joined CardioFocus in 2002 and currently serves as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) & President, leveraging over 30 years of medical device industry experience into the role of CEO. During his more than 15 years with the company has held roles of increasing responsibility from Vice President through to CEO & President.  Previously, Mr. Barrett was Vice President of Clinical Operations at Cyberkinetics Neurotechnology Systems, Inc., a public medical device company that achieved first-in-man success in novel, implantable brain-computer interfaces. He also served at Cyberonics as the Vice President, Business and Technology Development. Previously, Mr. Barrett held positions in business development, clinical & regulatory affairs, and quality auditing at Biofield Corporation, Dornier Medical Systems, and Bausch & Lomb.  From 2010-2013 he served as the industry representative on the FDA’s Circulatory Systems Device Advisory Panel. He received bachelor’s degrees in chemical engineering and chemistry from Syracuse University and a Master of Business Administration from Kennesaw University in Atlanta.

  • Patrick Wethington

    Mr. Wethington is a serial CEO and entrepreneur. He has been involved with a unique list of “market innovation firsts” to tackle some of the leading chronic diseases of our time. Mr. Wethington has had four consecutive M&A exits (Medtronic, St. Jude Medical, Gambro and CryoLife), two as a CEO and two as a global market/commercial lead, and has had a fundraise plus exit value generation track record now approaching over $1 billion (venture, IPO and strategic fundraise-exit). Rounding out this experience, Mr. Wethington has for profit (private and public co.) and not-for-profit independent board member, audit committee chair, oversight committee member, strategic advisor, mentor and leadership experience at medical device, digital healthcare, and academic based organizations. Five years before the Covid-19 pandemic, Mr. Wethington started, co-invented and led the world’s first percutaneous neuromodulation stimulation device company to help wean patients off ventilators ($11.5B total addressable market TAM). Along with other ventures, Mr. Wethington is currently developing and forming a cardiac diagnostic company. Mr. Wethington serves as an Oversight Committee Member on the Technology and Validation Program Committee at Case Western Reserve University, and a mentor for Pre- and Post-Doctoral Biomedical Research Students enrolled in an NIH-funded EB4 program hosted by Washington University. Mr. Wethington currently serves as a strategic advisor for a publicly traded respiratory company.

  • Bruce Robertson, PhD

    As Managing Director of H.I.G. BioHealth Partners, Dr. Robertson focuses on investment opportunities in the life sciences sector, including biopharmaceuticals, medical devices, and diagnostics. Dr. Robertson has been active in the life sciences sector for more than 30 years. Dr. Robertson currently serves on the boards of Apollo Endosurgery, RxSight, CardioFocus, Clarus Therapeutics, Iconic Therapeutics, Exagen, Zerigo Health, and Augmedics. Prior to joining H.I.G., he served most recently as Managing Director at Toucan Capital, a venture capital fund focusing on life science investments. While at Toucan, Dr. Robertson invested in leading drug and device companies throughout the U.S. Prior to Toucan, he was a General Partner at GIV Venture Partners, a venture capital firm focused on early stage investments in the US, India, and China. Prior to his private equity career, Dr. Robertson was Director of Business Development at IGEN International, where he was responsible for formulating and implementing IGEN’s partnering and M&A strategies.

     

    Dr. Robertson holds a BSE in Chemical Engineering and BA in Mathematics from the University of Pennsylvania, a PhD in Chemical/Biomedical Engineering from the University of Delaware, and an MBA with High Distinction from Harvard Business School.

  • Paul LaViolette

    Mr. LaViolette serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors at CardioFocus.

    He is the Managing Partner and Chief Operating Officer at SV Health Investors, bringing more than 35 years of global medical technology management experience. Previously, he served as the Chief Operating Officer of Boston Scientific Corporation (BSC), an $8 billion medical device leader. During his 15 years at BSC, he also held positions including: Group President Cardiovascular; President, Cardiology; Group President, Endosurgery; and President, International during a period in which revenues grew 20 times. Mr. LaViolette integrated two dozen acquisitions and led extensive product development, operations and worldwide commercial organizations. He previously held marketing and general management positions at CR Bard, and various marketing roles at Kendall (Covidien).

  • Charles Larsen

    Mr. Larsen is a co-founder and Managing Director of Accuitive Medical Ventures. He brings over 45 years of operating experience, as well as expansive technical understanding and experience in the medical device industry. Mr. Larsen was a co-founder of Novoste Corporation, where his efforts as a director and executive were critical to its ultimate success. Mr. Larsen also co-founded The Innovation Factory, through his role at TIF, Mr. Larsen has co-founded numerous companies including: Acufocus, AqueSys, Halscion, LipoSonix, Neuronetics and Sebacia. He holds over 30 issued U.S. and international patents on medical devices.

  • Omar Amirana, MD

    Dr. Amirana has a unique combination of operating and venture capital experience in both medtech and pharma/biotech and has cross fertilized various disciplines throughout his career. He has served as an operator, board member and investor since 2005 and prior to that was in operating roles. He currently serves as CEO of LuxMed Systems. He most recently managed the life sciences portfolio at Allied Minds, an investment / IP commercialization vehicle which is publicly listed on the London Stock Exchange. Prior to that he was a Partner at Oxford BioScience Partners where he sourced deals, led investments and served on numerous boards. His investing and operating experience covers medical devices, drug discovery and healthcare IT/data analytics. Omar has served on over 20 boards and has participated in over $1billion of capital raises and transactions. Prior to his ~14 years in venture capital, he served in Silicon Valley for 11 years where he co-founded or held varying operating roles in 4 life sciences startups (3 went public on NASDAQ). He participated in an IPO roadshow for an electrophysiology company he co-founded, Cardima, which was a spin-off of Target Therapeutics and was funded by Kleiner Perkins and NEA. After Silicon Valley, he served as VP of Business Development for the electrophysiology business unit at St Jude Medical (STJ; now Abbott) in Minneapolis, MN while managing an advanced development group of ~20 engineers. Omar has worked with numerous investors, Scientific Advisory Boards, inventors and investigators. He is an inventor on numerous issued patents and is passionate about the intersection of life sciences and technology. Omar loves the beach, basketball, golf, paddle ball, the outdoors, travel and spending precious time with his wife, daughters, family and dog.

INVESTORS

  • Kestrel Management

    Kestrel Management invests in early stage healthcare companies. Investments other than CardioFocus include Health Dialog (disease management), PHT Corp. (Clinical trial support), Iora Healthcare (patient centric primary care), and Constant Therapy (digital solutions to brain injury). Kestrel typically invests at the pre-revenue stage and partners with both angels and venture capital firms.

  • SV Health Investors

    SV Health Investors is a leading healthcare and life sciences venture capital and growth equity firm. Its goal is to transform healthcare – one investment at a time – by supporting the entrepreneurs who create and build breakthrough companies and treatments. With over $2 billion in capital under management in seven private healthcare funds, a 20-year track record in the US and Europe and offices in Boston, San Francisco and London, SV Health Investors drives game-changing innovation.

  • HIG BioHealth Partners

    With $400 million in assets under management, H.I.G. BioHealth Partners invests in a broad range of healthcare companies across multiple sectors and stages of development. Its seasoned investment team has extensive and diverse experience in big pharma, small biotech, medical devices, diagnostics, basic science, clinical research, and technology transfer. It invests in companies developing novel products for significant unmet medical needs.

  • Fletcher Spaght Ventures

    Fletcher Spaght Ventures, (FSV) is a balanced-stage venture capital firm investing in high growth opportunities in healthcare/life sciences and related information technology companies. FSV was established in 2001 by Fletcher Spaght, Inc. (FSI), a strategy consulting firm founded in 1983. The FSI:FSV collaboration provides key differentiation from other venture capital firms and allows for significant advantages in deal sourcing and investing.

  • BioMed Ventures

    BioMed Ventures is the strategic investment arm of BioMed Realty. Acquired by Blackstone in 2016, BioMed Realty is the leading provider of real estate solutions to the life science industry – providing leasing, development, construction, redevelopment, acquisition, financing and property management to clients in the United States and United Kingdom, with over 12 million square feet of rentable space worldwide.

  • Accuitive Medical Ventures

    Accuitive Medical Ventures is a venture capital firm with committed capital of $230 million. A market-driven firm looking for revolutionary medical device technology investment opportunities, Accuitive has offices in Atlanta, GA and Amelia Island, FL.

  • Aurora Funds

    Aurora Funds is a family of venture capital funds committed to providing resources to help early stage healthcare and information technology companies reach their full potential. Aurora’s investment team has the experience, strategic relationships and capital to help companies accelerate their growth and gain a strong competitive advantage in their market space. Since its founding in 1994, Aurora has invested in over 60 portfolio companies, resulting in five IPOs and eight M&A transactions.