Signostics Appoints Executive Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer

Signostics, a start-up innovator in the field of highly miniaturized ultrasound technology, has appointed Dr. Niko Pagoulatos, Ph.D., as executive vice president and chief innovation officer (CIO). The hire  follows news of a $35 million long-term investment from KKR, a global investment firm.

Dr. Pagoulatos brings his nearly 20-year track record as a successful innovator in the ultrasound industry to Signostics after holding senior technology leadership positions at SonoSite working alongside Signostics CEO Kevin Goodwin. He is the author of six issued patents and several scientific papers and is also one of the first researchers in the world to develop algorithms and publish scientific articles on the real-time fusion of ultrasound and MR/CR data sets, according to the company. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in physics from the University of Athens and completed his graduate studies at the University of Washington, where he received a Master of Science degree in bioengineering as well as a master degree and Ph.D. in electrical engineering.

“Bringing Dr. Pagoulatos in as our new technology leader and CIO is a major step forward for our vision of developing new breakout innovations in ultrasound for medicine, as he is counted as one of the rising stars in this still emerging field of fusing ultrasound innovations with other emerging technologies,” Goodwin said in prepared remarks.

During his nearly nine-year tenure at SonoSite, Pagoulatos made several engineering and business contributions including shaping the vision and spearheading the product development and commercialization of iViz, a tablet form-factor ultrasound system that offers high-performance imaging and advanced connectivity capabilities. Pagoulatos also invented and led the productization of a unique and innovative technology for enhancing the visualization of needles in ultrasound.

Prior to SonoSite, Pagoulatos served as a senior scientist within the Ultrasound Division of Siemens, where he led the development and integration of a real-time 3-D processing and visualization module into the first 4-D ultrasound scanner released by the company. He later joined a start-up company, Forth-Photonics, as a senior research scientist, where he developed advanced signal and image processing algorithms for a hyper-spectral imaging device targeted at the early detection of cervical cancer.

“I am elated to be joining forces with Kevin Goodwin and the rest of the Signostics team,” said Pagoulatos. “Even though ultrasound is well-adopted in a wide range of clinical applications, its adoption is still in its infancy given the massive potential that it has to revolutionize healthcare worldwide. At Signostics, I will have a unique opportunity to leverage my passion for innovation towards developing breakthrough products that will enable the realization of ultrasound’s full potential.”

Signostics develops handheld ultrasound devices and bladder scanners. its products include the SignosRT ultrasound system and the SignosRT Bladder, both ultra-portable devices designed to assist with the diagnosis of common medical presentations at the point of care. The company has regulatory approvals in place for Australia, the United States, Canada, Japan, Singapore and Europe and currently exports to countries around the world. Signostics recently moved its headquarters from Clovelly Park, South Australia, to become a Delaware-based corporation with a new base of operations in Kirkland, Wash.