Merit Medical Systems Appoints New Director

Merit Medical Systems Inc., a manufacturer and marketer of proprietary disposable medical devices used in interventional, diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, particularly in cardiology, radiology and endoscopy, has appointed Thomas Gunderson to serve as a director of the company.
 
Gunderson recently retired from a 24-year career at Piper Jaffray, where he covered numerous companies as a senior research analyst for medical technology. Prior to joining Piper Jaffray, he worked for 12 years at American Medical Systems, a private medical device company acquired by Pfizer in 1983.  Gunderson has served on several non-profit boards and is currently serving as board chairman of the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation, as a board member of TransMedics Inc., and as a director of the Abbott Northwestern Hospital Foundation.
 
Gunderson was appointed by Merit’s Board of Directors to fill a vacancy which resulted from the resignation of Richard Edelman, who served as a director since the company’s founding and recently as lead director. Merit’s Board of Directors also appointed Nolan Karras to assume the role of lead director.
 
“We are pleased to have Thom Gunderson join our board,” said Fred P. Lampropoulos, Merit’s chairman and CEO.  “We believe his broad experience in observing, analyzing and reporting on medtech companies will bring a seasoned perspective to the board as we continually seek to represent the best interests of our shareholders. We would like to publicly thank Dick Edelman for his many years of dedication and service to Merit’s board.”
 
Founded in 1987 Merit Medical Systems is engaged in the development, manufacture and distribution of proprietary disposable medical devices used in interventional, diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, particularly in cardiology, radiology and endoscopy.  Merit serves client hospitals worldwide with a domestic and international sales force totaling approximately 290 individuals.  Merit employs approximately 4,500 people worldwide with facilities in South Jordan, Utah; Pearland, Texas; Richmond, Va.; Malvern, Pa.; Rockland, Mass.; San Jose, Calif.; Maastricht and Venlo, The Netherlands; Paris, France; Galway, Ireland; Beijing, China; Tijuana, Mexico; Joinville, Brazil; Markham, Ontario, Canada; Melbourne, Australia; Tokyo, Japan; and Singapore.