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Charlottesville, Va., March 25, 2022 – Rick Hamilton, a leading inventor and authority on technology and innovation, has joined the Foundation as Managing Director and Chief Technology Officer. Hamilton is the one of the world’s most prolific inventors with more than 1,040 patents, standing just behind Thomas Edison. He has spent nearly 30 years at Fortune 50 organizations and is an expert in cloud computing, the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence, machine learning, blockchain, and intellectual property. He was formerly an Executive IT Architect and Master Inventor at IBM, where at one point he was the most prolific inventor in company history. Most recently, Hamilton was Vice President and Senior Distinguished Engineer at Optum. He has also worked across UnitedHealth Group’s strategic imperatives, including machine learning, genomics, blockchain, IoT, and cybersecurity, to help people live healthier lives and make healthcare work better. “Rick has been actively involved with the Foundation on a regular basis for more than six years as an advisor and consultant and more recently as a Council member,” said Foundation Chairman Neal F. Kassell, MD. “In this new role, he brings experience and expertise that will enhance the effectiveness of our all-star team and result in a quantum improvement in achieving our goal of making focused ultrasound a global standard of care that will improve the lives of millions of people.” Hamilton has lectured extensively around the world on a variety of topics, including how to create a culture of innovation. He has given three webinars on behalf of the Foundation directed toward the focused ultrasound industry – Patent Strategy for Business Leaders, The Rise of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence, and Blockchain: A Healthcare Focused Introduction – and a special lecture at our 6th International Symposium in 2018. “After successfully launching, nurturing, and growing a multi-year program at my previous employer, I have been contemplating my next ‘grand challenge,'” explained Hamilton. “My consideration of the Foundation was driven by three distinct factors. Firstly, the mission to accelerate the adoption of focused ultrasound is beyond reproach. The opportunity to make a difference in patients’ lives adds urgency to actions and underscores the criticality of success. Secondly, its culture is derived from this mission. The Foundation team bristles with energy and is animated by this pursuit of changing lives for the better. Finally, it’s about the people. The opportunity to be surrounded by brilliant clinicians, researchers, technologists, and business leaders is highly appealing and promises to be an atmosphere where I can not only contribute but grow. “I look forward to this next chapter of my career. And I’m thankful for the opportunity to make a profound impact in the lives of all the Foundation touches, and to help advance the field of focused ultrasound.” About the Focused Ultrasound Foundation The Focused Ultrasound Foundation is a unique medical research, education, and advocacy organization that was created to improve the lives of millions of people with a wide variety of serious medical disorders by accelerating the development and adoption of this revolutionary noninvasive technology. The Foundation works to clear the path to global adoption by coordinating and funding research, fostering collaboration, and building awareness among patients and professionals.

The Foundation’s Global Internship Program allows high school and college students who are interested in focused ultrasound to conduct research with esteemed mentors in the field. Applications for this three-month summer research experience will be accepted through midnight Eastern on April 24, 2022.

The Foundation and the Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance hosted a virtual Congressional fly-in event to educate policymakers about focused ultrasound. Patients, physicians, and industry representatives participated in 11 meetings with US Representatives and their staff from nine states. This is the third fly-in event to date; the first two were held in-person in 2019 and 2020.

A new clinical trial will explore focused ultrasound neuromodulation to improve the symptoms of depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and PTSD in adults. The research team is led by Gregory A Fonzo, PhD, at the University of Texas at Austin.