Outset Medical Names New Members of Leadership Team

Outset Medical, a commercial-stage company delivering first-of-its-kind technology into the growing global dialysis market, today announced the appointment of two new executives: Michael Aragon, M.D., who joins as chief medical officer, and Stacey Porter, as vice president, people operations.
 
“The leadership team at Outset is dedicated to improving care for patients with end-stage kidney disease with a simplified, more cost-effective dialysis solution,” said Dr. Aragon. “Having served hundreds of patients firsthand for more than a decade, I’ve seen the burden of dialysis on patients, their families, and their healthcare providers. I share Outset’s passion for bringing much-needed innovation to the industry, and look forward to helping lead the organization as it transforms the dialysis experience.”
 
Dr. Aragon is an accomplished board-certified internist and nephrologist who previously spent 14 years in clinical practice and as a medical director for DaVita and U.S. Renal Care, caring for end-stage renal disease patients in dialysis clinics, hospitals, and homes. Dr. Aragon was also the founding partner and president of North Texas Kidney Consultants and served as the medical director of acute hospital dialysis programs with Texas Health Resources Harris Fort Worth, a 660-bed hospital providing more than 700 dialysis treatments per month. He is currently chairman of the Board of Directors for the End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Network of Texas. Dr. Aragon received his training at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center in Houston after completing his undergraduate degree at Texas A&M University.
 
With a unique combination of business experience and academic expertise, Stacey Porter brings more than 18 years of leadership development and organizational learning implementation in the technology, pharmaceutical, and medical device industries. Prior to joining Outset, she served as the head of global talent development for Intuitive Surgical, where she led enterprise talent management and organization development. Previously, Porter held leadership roles at VMware and Roche. She has been an advisor to the technology start-up Zugata since 2016, and was appointed in 2018 as a board member to the NOVA workforce board in Northern California. Stacey is completing a Ph.D. in industrial/organizational psychology and holds a master’s degree in clinical social work. She is a regular speaker on innovative talent practices and high-performing teams.
 
“There are more than 500,000 end-stage renal disease patients in the United States whose lives depend upon dialysis and the companies working to improve and expand treatment options,” said Porter. “I am excited to join the exceptional team that Outset has already built, and look forward to helping contribute to the growth and development of this talented and committed group.”
 
“We are thrilled to welcome Michael and Stacey to the Outset Medical team,” said CEO Leslie Trigg. “Both are outstanding leaders and experts in their fields, and will play an instrumental role in helping us deliver on our mission to improve global dialysis care and offer a better experience for providers and patients.
 
“Michael joins an esteemed group of nephrology experts involved with Outset including Dr. Glenn Chertow, chief, Division of Nephrology, Stanford University School of Medicine; Dr. Sarah Prichard, an academic nephrologist and former medical affairs and R&D leader at Baxter; and Dr. Luis Alvarez, chair of Nephrology, Palo Alto Medical Foundation, Sutter Health, and Outset’s chief advisor for technology and innovation,” she added.
 
Although more than 91 million dialysis treatments take place in the United States each year at an estimated annual cost of $65 billion, little meaningful technology or service model innovation has been introduced in decades. The Tablo Hemodialysis System was specifically designed to reduce the cost and complexity of dialysis while improving the experience for patients and their providers. With real-time water purification and dialysis fluid production on demand, Tablo functions like a dialysis clinic on wheels. Requiring just an electrical outlet and tap water to operate, Tablo frees providers from having to rely on expensive infrastructure, enabling cost-effective dialysis in a range of different patient settings.