Affairs of the Heart 3850

Originally Published MX September/October 2005

COVER STORY

Interview by Steve Halasey

In the medical technology industry, companies that expect to survive must be not only technologically adept, but also robust—able to endure even the most difficult of challenges that can befall a growing corporate entity.

One leader who knows firsthand the challenges of growing a medtech company with an emerging technology is D. Keith Grossman, who has served as president and CEO of Thoratec Corp. (Pleasanton, CA) since January 1996 and as a member of the company's board of directors since February 1996. A veteran executive with more than 15 years of experience in both medical device and pharmaceutical companies, Grossman has had a great deal to do with establishing Thoratec as the dominant player in the field of cardiac-assist devices.