Leading U.S. interventional cardiologist Azeem Latib, MD, section head of interventional cardiology and director of structural heart interventions at Montefiore Health System, has taken on an additional job as medical director of the vendor Supira Medical. The company has developed a next-generation percutaneous ventricular assist device (pVAD) hemodynamic support system for use in high-risk patients undergoing interventional procedures.
In the new role, Latib will help advance clinical activities and prepare the company for major steps toward clinical and regulatory milestones. Latib played a key role throughout the development of Supira's pVAD technology, previously serving as a clinical advisor and attending the initial first-in-human cases.
Latib will retain his current position as the at Montefiore Health Systems in New York City.
"I am very excited to join the Supira team and believe it has an excellent offering with one system designed to support cardiovascular hemodynamics for both high-risk PCI (HRPCI) and cardiogenic shock (CS) patients," Latib said in a statement. "The unique pump is designed to achieve the required high continuous flow without the risk of bleeding often associated with these types of devices. This will advance clinical practice and enable more physicians to confidently perform these procedures."
Latib's professional expertise focuses on complex coronary interventions and structural heart disease, as well as a passion for new device innovation. He has authored over 700 peer-reviewed articles and serves on the editorial board for several publications including the Journal of American College of Cardiology, Cardiovascular Revascularization Medicine, EuroIntervention and Cardiac Interventions Today. Latib is also a member of several professional organizations, including the American College of Cardiology and European Society of Cardiology. He also has been very involved in the Cardiovascular Research Foundation, including his time as a program director for the CRF's Transcatheter Valve Therapeutics (TVT) Structural Heart Summit.
"Dr. Latib is an esteemed leader in the interventional space and his insights have been critical throughout our development process," Nitin Salunke, PhD, MBA, president and CEO of Supira Medical, said in the statement. "We are thrilled to welcome him to Supira's leadership team and look forward to his continued expertise as we build upon our successful first-in-human experience and accelerate our clinical activities."
"We are grateful to have a physician of Dr. Latib's caliber join the team as it speaks to the clinical importance of this technology," added Amr Salahieh, chairman of Supira Medical's Board.
Dave Fornell has covered healthcare for more than 17 years, with a focus in cardiology and radiology. Fornell is a 5-time winner of a Jesse H. Neal Award, the most prestigious editorial honors in the field of specialized journalism. The wins included best technical content, best use of social media and best COVID-19 coverage. Fornell was also a three-time Neal finalist for best range of work by a single author. He produces more than 100 editorial videos each year, most of them interviews with key opinion leaders in medicine. He also writes technical articles, covers key trends, conducts video hospital site visits, and is very involved with social media. E-mail: dfornell@innovatehealthcare.com