Mehdi Shishehbor Appointed Chief Medical Officer at Inquis Medical

Inquis Medical, Inc. has appointed interventional cardiologist and scholar Mehdi H. Shishehbor, Ph.D., as chief medical officer. Dr. Shishehbor is the president of University Hospitals Harrington Heart and Vascular Institute, where he is the Angela and James Hambrick Master Clinician in Innovation.
 
“We are pleased to welcome Dr. Mehdi Shishehbor to our team. Dr. Shishehbor is an internationally recognized thought leader in thromboembolic diseases and brings extensive clinical and scientific expertise that will contribute to our mission to deliver pioneering products to help patients suffering from peripheral thromboembolic diseases,” Inquis Medical President/Co-founder Mojgan Saadat said. “His clinical perspective will help Inquis Medical build technologies that best support the clinician, driving adoption and improved outcomes.”
 
In the United States, up to 900,000 individuals annually experience venous thromboembolism (VTE), with more than 50% of deep vein thrombosis cases leading to pulmonary embolism.¹ Current lytic-free aspiration thrombectomy procedures are limited by drawbacks that include substantial blood loss and procedural inefficiencies. Inquis Medical aims to address these limitations by developing advanced treatment options for the management of thromboembolic diseases.
 
“I am excited to join the Inquis Medical team. Their novel solution tackles the pain points inherent in current VTE treatment approaches and underscores the forward-thinking approach of the Inquis team,” Dr. Shishehbor stated. “Inquis Medical’s thrombectomy system enhances procedural efficiency by providing operators with improved control and precision. I look forward to collaborating with this innovative team.”

Besides his role as president of the Harrington Heart and Vascular Institute, University Hospitals, Dr. Shishehbor also is director of the Interventional Cardiovascular Center, University Hospitals; co-director of the Vascular Center, Harrington Heart and Vascular Institute, University Hospitals; and professor, CWRU School of Medicine. He has led numerous international trials and is a National Institutes of Health scholar and winner of numerous national and international awards, including the Thomas J. Linnemeier Spirit of Interventional Cardiology Young Investigator Award and the VIVA/LINC Young Leader’s Award in Vascular.
 
A widely published author and researcher, Dr. Shishehbor’s work on cardiovascular epidemiology and interventional cardiology outcomes and techniques has been published in leading medical journals including NEJM, JAMA, Circulation, JACC, Circulation Intervention, and JACC Intervention. Dr Shishehbor is the co-founder of the internationally known not-for-profit Cardiovascular Innovations (CVI) and has trained more than 400 physicians on endovascular techniques. He served as the director of Endovascular Services at Cleveland Clinic from 2009 to 2017.
 
In addition to appointing Dr. Shishehbor as chief medical officer, Inquis Medical also named Bruce Shook to its Board of Directors as an independent director. Most recently, he was the CEO of Intact Vascular and Vesper Medical, two peripheral vascular companies acquired by Royal Philips.
 
“Bruce Shook brings over three decades of experience to Inquis Medical. His stellar track record of successfully developing and commercializing new medical technologies will be invaluable to Inquis Medical, as we prepare to bring our transformative technology to the thrombectomy market,” Inquis Medical CEO/Co-founder Vahid Saadat stated.

Shook is a seasoned medical technology entrepreneur with more than 35 years of industry experience, including multiple early-stage ventures, focused in cardiac surgery, cardiology, neurosurgery, psychiatry, and vascular disease. In 2016, Shook formed Vesper Medical as a spinout of Intact Vascular, where he served as president and CEO. Both Intact Vascular and Vesper Medical were later acquired by Royal Philips. Shook co-founded Neuronetics and served as director, president, and CEO. Additionally, he was co-founder, director, president, and CEO of Neuron Therapeutics, a venture-backed company working on a drug/device product for CNS disorder treatment. Shook also was president at Abiomed, where he successfully obtained PMA approval for the first, U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved ventricular assist device. In addition, he developed cardiac pacing and anti-arrhythmia products at Cordis Corporation.
 
Shook has served on several corporate boards, including Devoro Medical (acquired by Boston Scientific), Surgiquest (acquired by Conmed), Respicardia (acquired by Zoll), and CoTherix (acquired by Actelion). Currently, he is the board chair for Life Sciences PA and the Penn State Research Foundation.
 
“I’m delighted to join the Board of Directors of Inquis Medical. The company’s unique thrombectomy technology and approach address important unmet needs in the treatment of thromboembolic disease, and I look forward to supporting the company’s continued growth,” Shook said.
 
Inquis Medical is a clinical stage medical device company focused on peripheral vascular innovations. The company is developing a next-generation thrombectomy technology that offers physicians improved control and precision, enhances procedural efficiency, and minimizes blood loss. Founded in 2020, Inquis Medical is led by a seasoned executive team with more than three decades of combined experience in developing, launching, and supporting novel physician-tested medical devices that address unmet clinical needs. 

References
¹ https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/dvt/infographic-impact.html