Humacyte today announced that Todd E Rasmussen (Mayo Clinic, Rochester, USA) has joined the company as chief surgical officer.
A press release notes that, in this role, Rasmussen will focus on providing peer-to-peer scientific support, medical education, and technical insights to surgeons and other healthcare providers. He will bring an experienced surgical perspective and leadership to the development of education and clinical support materials aligned with regulatory guidance to optimise the safe, appropriate, and effective implantation of Humacyte products.
“The most meaningful advances in surgery occur when clinicians, scientists, and engineers work together to translate new innovations to the operating room and to the patient’s bedside. I’ve had the privilege of working alongside the team at Humacyte for more than a decade as they created and made available a pioneering, off-the-shelf biologic conduit. I look forward to building on that shared experience and my own as a surgeon to support US and international colleagues in the safe and effective integration of this and similar technologies into clinical practice,” said Rasmussen.
Rasmussen joins Humacyte with extensive expertise as a vascular surgeon, having completed a 28-year career in the US Air Force during which he deployed multiple times during the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars and led major medical research programmes for the Department of Defense. Following his retirement from military service, he joined Mayo Clinic as professor of surgery and consultant in vascular and endovascular surgery. Rasmussen will continue his clinical, educational, and administrative responsibilities at Mayo Clinic while serving separately as chief surgical officer at Humacyte.
“Todd Rasmussen is one of the trailblazers of modern vascular surgery, and having his experience and global reach as part of our team during this pivotal time for the company will be invaluable,” said Laura Niklason, CEO of Humacyte. “Symvess represents a major step forward in our ability to expand durable vascular access options for patients, and bringing on someone who has consistently driven that progress throughout his career will be instrumental in guiding strategy and real-world implementation going forward.”
Upon retiring from military service at the rank of colonel in 2021, Rasmussen was awarded the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Department of Defense’s second-highest non-combat award. He has served as president of the American College of Surgeons Excelsior Surgical Society, has authored more than 350 peer-reviewed publications, edited textbooks in vascular trauma and vascular surgery, and his work has been cited more than 25,000 times.
