Abiomed Appoints Dr. Charles Simonton as Chief Medical Officer

June 15, 2020—Abiomed, maker of the Impella heart pump, announced it has appointed Charles Simonton, MD, as Vice President and Chief Medical Officer.

Abiomed advised that Dr. Simonton’s appointment comes as the company accelerates its clinical research, including multiple FDA randomized control trials such as STEMI-DTU, PROTECT IV, and RECOVER IV. Dr. Simonton will also play an integral role as Abiomed launches new products and incorporates artificial intelligence.

According to the company, Dr. Simonton was most recently at Abbott Vascular where he served as Chief Medical Officer and Divisional Vice President of Global Medical Affairs since 2008. At Abbott Vascular, he led the programs that resulted in FDA approval of carotid stents, MitraClip, and Absorb bioresorbable vascular stent, in addition to the EXCEL and COAPT trials. Before Abbott, he spent approximately 30 years as an interventional cardiologist working with complex cardiac and vascular patients, including at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, and the Sanger Clinic in Charlotte, North Carolina. He founded the Carolinas Cardiovascular Research Foundation at the Carolinas Heart Institute, which is now part of Atrium Health in Charlotte.

“I am excited to be a part of Abiomed’s dedicated team focused on developing innovative medical devices,” commented Dr. Simonton in the company's announcement. “Over the years, I have become very familiar with the benefits of Impella and its ability to unload the heart and have seen how it is transforming the standard of care. I am impressed with Abiomed’s talent, culture, and mission and I am thrilled to be joining the company.”

Seth Bilazarian, MD, who has been Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Abiomed since 2015, will assume medical leadership of Abiomed’s physician education and training programs as Vice President, Medical Education and Training. His new role, which will report to Dr. Simonton, expands upon those responsibilities and further differentiate Abiomed in the industry.