• Dennis Bucceri has been named senior VP of regulatory affairs for Acusphere (Watertown, Massachusetts), the hire made, Acusphere said, as it prepares for regulatory evaluation stage of its lead product candidate, Imagify, a cardiovascular drug for screening of coronary artery disease, and evaluates development of other potential product candidates. Bucceri previously was VP in charge of regulatory affairs at Genzyme. The company also reported that Nancy Wetherbee, formerly senior VP of business development, is no longer with the company. Acusphere develops drugs and improved formulations of existing drugs using microparticle technology.

• David Springer has been promoted to president/CEO of CHF Solutions (Brooklyn Park, Minnesota). The company also announced that Ronald Nelson has been promoted to CFO. CHF, privately held, manufactures medical devices for cardiac care.

• Dolf Meewis has joined CoreValve (Irvine, California) as VP international sales. He will be headquartered in the Netherlands. CoreValve is the developer of a proprietary delivery system and tissue heart valve for percutaneous heart valve replacement.

• CryoCor (San Diego) has added three new medical advisors who specialize in the treatment of atrial fibrillation. The new advisors are Drs. Hugh Calkins, director of electrophysiology at Johns Hopkins University; Mark Josephson, chief of cardiology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; and Hung-Fat Tse, professor of medicine at University of Hong Kong. Dr. Hein Wellens, chairman of the department of cardiology at University Hospital Maastricht, remains as the chairman of CryoCor’s scientific advisory board. CryoCor produces a disposable catheter system based on its cryoablation technology for the minimally invasive treatment of cardiac arrhythmias.

• Conan Li has joined HemoSense (San Jose, California) as VP of R&D. Li replaces Mags McInerney who resigned in November 2006 to pursue other business opportunities. HemoSense makes handheld blood coagulation systems for monitoring patients taking warfarin.

• Michael Allen has been named VP of human resources for MedCath (Charlotte, North Carolina). Allen previously was senior director, regional human resources for Tenet Healthcare. MedCath is focused on the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease.

• Jeffrey Deming has been named VP, quality assurance and regulatory compliance, for Spectranetics (Colorado Springs, Colorado). Deming replaces Adrian Elfe, who will be retiring following a transition period. Spectranetics also promoted Stephen Okland, VP of sales, to VP of sales and marketing for the U.S. Spectranetics makes single-use devices used in minimally invasive surgical procedures within the cardiovascular system in conjunction with its proprietary excimer laser system.

• Luc Morisset has been appointed director of regulatory affairs for Stentys (Paris). Previously, Morisset was director of regulatory affairs for MedPass International. Stentys is developing a second-generation drug-eluting stent for treatment of coronary artery bifurcations.

• Tony Francisco has been promoted to senior marketing manager for international markets for SunTech Medical (Research Triangle Park, North Carolina). Francisco was formerly product manager for automated blood pressure monitoring for exercise stress testing. SunTech produces motion-tolerant non-invasive blood pressure monitoring technologies.

• Rodney Hochman, MD, has been named new president/CEO of Swedish (Seattle), effective April 2. Hochman will succeed Richard Peterson, who announced his retirement in June 2006 after 12 years as CEO. Swedish is a non-profit health provider in the Pacific Northwest and a regional referral center providing specialized treatment in areas ranging from neurological care to organ transplantation.

• Julie Shimer has been appointed president/CEO of Welch Allyn (Skaneateles Falls, New York), effective March 5. Shimer has been a member of Welch Allyn’s board since 2002. Welch Allyn makes diagnostic and therapeutic devices, cardiac defibrillators, patient monitoring systems and miniature precision lamps.