Cook Medical Names Vice President of Research and Development

Cook Medical has announced Dan Kaiser as the leader of global research and development (R&D). This engineering team will connect product development more closely to customer needs and accelerate the process of getting new products to market.
 
“Our R&D team has been reorganized under a global structure that can better align to our customers’ needs and adapt as those needs evolve,” said Pete Yonkman, president of Cook Group and Cook Medical. “This team will drive product innovation with consistently high standards of design integrity and efficiency. Dan has managed many challenging roles in the industry preparing him to lead this group.”
 
Cook’s R&D teams are focused on three main areas including: product development within the Vascular and MedSurg business divisions, new ventures that will manage the process for developing new technology, and operations that will monitor performance metrics to continuously improve our R&D processes.
 
“Cook has a strong reputation of doing the right thing for patients and employees. These values are ingrained in the company’s culture and creates an ideal environment to deliver impactful products to our customers,” said Kaiser. “As we look to our next 50 years, I want to build on a legacy of excellent leadership and listening to our customers as we continue bringing innovative products to patients who need it the most.”
 
Kaiser’s past experience includes executive roles in sales, marketing, and product development from 2008 to 2016 for Greatbatch Medical and Integer Holdings Inc. based in Frisco, Texas. From 2003 to 2008, he held positions of progressive management responsibility as a scientist within Medtronic Inc. Kaiser began his career leading research at the St. Paul Heart Clinic and as graduate faculty and adjunct assistant professor at the University of Minnesota.
 
Kaiser earned a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and both a master of science degree and Ph.D. in biophysical sciences and medical physics from the University of Minnesota. He is the inventor or co-inventor of 10 granted and pending patents and has authored more than 25 peer-reviewed scientific publications.
 
Since 1963 Cook Medical has developed technologies that eliminate the need for open surgery. The Bloomington, Ind.-based company combines medical devices, biologic materials and cellular therapies to help the world’s healthcare systems deliver better outcomes more efficiently.