A Medical Device Daily

Thoratec (Pleasanton, California), a leading maker of ventricular assist devices (VADs), reported that Gary Burbach has been named the company's president and CEO, effective immediately.

Burbach replaces D. Keith Grossman, who has served as Thoratec's CEO for 10 years.

Grossman said in August of last year that he intended to step down from his position to pursue other professional interests (Medical Device Daily Aug. 18, 2005). He has continued to lead the company during this transition period, as well as the search for his successor.

Since April 2005, Burbach has served as president and CEO of Digirad (Poway, California), a provider of cardiovascular imaging services and solid-state nuclear medicine imaging products to physician offices, hospitals and imaging centers. He was named to Digirad's board of directors in October 2004.

Prior to that, Burbach served as president and CEO of Bacchus Vascular (Santa Clara, California), a private interventional cardiovascular device company, for two years.

He also has served as CEO of Philips Nuclear Medicine, a division of Royal Phillips Electronics (Best, the Netherlands), from January 2001 to July 2003. Prior to its acquisition by Phillips, Burbach worked for four years for ADAC Laboratories (Milpitas, California), including serving as president and general manager of its nuclear medicine division

“I am delighted that Gary is joining the company and look forward to working with him not only during this transition period, but also on an ongoing basis as a member of Thoratec's board of directors,“ said Grossman. “His industry experience, management talents and personal character represent an excellent fit for Thoratec, particularly as the company pursues its next stage of growth.“

“This opportunity aligns well with my experience and I look forward to working with the company's solid management team to further develop Thoratec's presence in this market, as well as grow its point-of-care diagnostic business at ITC [International Technidyne (Edison, New Jersey)] ,“ said Burbach.