CVRx Announces Key Senior Leadership Team Hires


  • Dr. Philip B. Adamson will join as Chief Medical Officer
  • Bonnie Handke will join as Senior Vice President of Patient Access, Reimbursement, and Healthcare Economics
  • Jennifer E. Englund joins as Senior Vice President of Global Clinical Affairs

MINNEAPOLIS, May 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CVRx, Inc. (NASDAQ: CVRX) ("CVRx"), a commercial-stage medical device company, today announced three additions to its senior leadership team. Philip B. Adamson, MD, MSc, FACC, FESC, FRCP (Ed) has been appointed as Chief Medical Officer, Bonnie Handke, RN, MBA will assume the role of Senior Vice President of Patient Access, Reimbursement, and Healthcare Economics, and Jennifer E. Englund recently joined as Senior Vice President of Global Clinical Affairs. These roles will focus on driving the adoption of the company's Barostim™ therapy and expanding patient access.

"We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Adamson, Bonnie, and Jennifer to the CVRx leadership team. These three executives will play an important role as we seek to move our Barostim therapy towards standard of care," said Kevin Hykes, President and CEO of CVRx. "Dr. Adamson's deep expertise and relationships within the clinical community will be invaluable as we seek to drive awareness and appropriate adoption among clinicians. Bonnie's extensive experience in developing and executing market access strategies will be central in our efforts to expand patient access and secure favorable reimbursement. Jennifer's proven track record in leading successful clinical evidence generation strategies will be instrumental in further validating the efficacy of Barostim and supporting our pursuit of expanded indications.”

As Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Adamson will spearhead efforts to drive awareness and appropriate use of Barostim therapy among clinicians. He will guide comprehensive medical education, outreach and guideline integration initiatives to establish Barostim as the standard of care for patients with heart failure. Dr. Adamson joins CVRx from Abbott Laboratories, where he serves as Divisional Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of the Heart Failure division. A renowned expert in heart failure, he has nearly three decades of experience in academia as a professor and as a practicing cardiologist, during which time he authored over 150 manuscripts and book chapters. Dr. Adamson earned his MD with distinction from the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine and MSc in physiology from the University of Oklahoma. He will begin his employment at CVRx on May 23, 2024.

As Senior Vice President of Patient Access, Reimbursement, and Healthcare Economics, Bonnie Handke, RN, MBA, will lead CVRx's efforts to expand access to Barostim therapy. She is coming to CVRx from Medtronic, which she joined over 25 years ago as a Senior Manager in Neuromodulation and steadily progressed through roles of increasing responsibility, most recently serving as Vice President of Global Healthcare Economics, Policy and Reimbursement for the Cardiovascular portfolio. Handke has a proven track record of developing and executing market access strategies for numerous novel therapies, successfully navigating complex reimbursement landscapes. Handke earned an MBA from St. Thomas University, a BA from Concordia University, and an AS in Nursing from Normandale Community College. Bonnie will begin her new role on May 28, 2024.

Jennifer Englund joined CVRx as Senior Vice President of Global Clinical Affairs on May 1, 2024, overseeing the development and execution of the company's clinical evidence generation strategy, including designing and optimizing a pipeline of post-market studies. Englund brings over 25 years of experience in the medical device industry, most recently serving as Senior Vice President, Scientific Affairs at Monteris Medical, where she established a strong clinical portfolio that was pivotal in achieving reimbursement and clinical guideline status. She has also held clinical leadership roles at POPS! Diabetes Care, Mardil Medical, and Catheter Robotics. Englund holds a BS in Biology and BA in Psychology from the University of Minnesota.

About CVRx, Inc.

CVRx is focused on the development and commercialization of the Barostim™ System, the first medical technology approved by FDA that uses neuromodulation to improve the symptoms of heart failure. Barostim is an implantable device that delivers electrical pulses to baroreceptors located in the wall of the carotid artery. Baroreceptors activate the body's baroreflex, which in turn triggers an autonomic response to the heart. The therapy is designed to restore balance to the autonomic nervous system and thereby reduce the symptoms of heart failure. Barostim received the FDA Breakthrough Device designation and is FDA-approved for use in heart failure patients in the U.S. It has also received the CE Mark for heart failure and resistant hypertension in the European Economic Area. To learn more about Barostim, visit www.cvrx.com.

Investor Contact:

Mark Klausner or Mike Vallie
ICR Westwicke
443-213-0501
ir@cvrx.com

Media Contact:

Laura O’Neill
Finn Partners
402-499-8203
laura.oneill@finnpartners.com