Pulse Biosciences Names Burke Barrett as President & CEO

Pulse Biosciences announced it has enhanced its executive leadership team.
 
Burke T. Barrett has been appointed the company’s new president and CEO, effective immediately. Pulse Bio also named former president and CEO Kevin Danahy as its new chief commercial officer. Danahy will now focus on leading pilot launch of the company’s recently FDA-cleared CellFX nsPFA (nanosecond pulsed field ablation) percutaneous electrode system.
 
“Burke is a very talented executive, who has demonstrated strong leadership and operational acumen throughout his medical device career. With Pulse’s focus on bringing the patient and physician friendly benefits of Nanosecond Pulse Field Ablation into electrophysiology and cardiac surgery, we are thrilled to have someone with Burke’s industry stature and expertise lead team Pulse,” said Robert W. Duggan, executive chairman of Pulse Biosciences. “Together with Burke’s expertise and Kevin leading as chief commercial officer, Pulse Biosciences is positioned to unlock the full potential of our proprietarily designed and engineered CellFX nsPFA energy delivery system and its three novel proprietary end-effector devices.”
 
Barrett has over 35 years of experience in the medical device industry. He spent 18 years at CardioFocus in positions of increasing responsibility and was a member of the team that built a pioneering electrophysiology ablation device and global commercial company. Barrett left the company as CEO and president.
 
Prior to CardioFocus, Barrett served on teams that took two companies public: Biofield Corp. and Cyberkinetics Neurotechnology Systems. He’s also been an officer at public companies Cyberonics (VP of business and technology development) and Cyberkinetics (VP of clinical operations).
 
Barrett was also an active member of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s Circulatory System Medical Devices Advisory Panel for four years.
 
He is currently on the board of directors of VDI Technologies, as well.
 
“Joining Team Pulse at this important time for the Company represents a unique and exciting opportunity to make a material difference for the betterment of patients, physicians, and care givers,” said Barrett. “I’ve spent the majority of my career working closely with electrophysiologists and introducing them to novel technologies, and I believe that CellFX nsPFA energy has the potential to advance the standard of care for the treatment of atrial fibrillation and additional disease states. The preclinical and initial clinical data provides a solid foundation to build upon, as we continue to seek regulatory approvals in the United States and other parts of the world. I look forward to working closely with the talented executive team and Board of Directors as Pulse enters this next phase of growth.”
 
“It is an honor to be a key team member in leading Pulse Biosciences into this iconic and historic opportunity,” added Kevin Danahy. “I look forward to working closely with Burke in both learning from his vast experience as well as sharing my knowledge and experience with him as Team Pulse Biosciences launches our novel CellFX nsPFA Percutaneous Electrode System and achieves meaningful progress toward commercial opportunities in cardiac ablation.”