CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (February 15, 2011) – The Board of Directors of the Focused Ultrasound Surgery Foundation has announced the election of Frederic H. Moll, M.D., a serial entrepreneur whose start-up ventures have included Intuitive Surgical, Inc., manufacturer of one of today’s most successful and innovative medical devices, the da Vinci Surgical System.
“I’m delighted to join the board of an organization that is devoted to advancing an exciting technology like MR-guided focused ultrasound,” Dr. Moll said. “It could change the paradigm for treating many serious disorders and improve millions of lives worldwide.”
Applauding the Foundation’s mission, he said, “My work has focused on evolving surgical techniques through new technologies. The Foundation is championing a technology that could have dramatic impact on minimally-invasive surgery, radiation therapy and drug delivery.”
Dr. Moll’s career is a study in successful medical device entrepreneurship. While training as a surgeon, he invented the safety trocar – a minimally-invasive instrument that helped create the field of laproscopic surgery. In 1984, he founded Endotherapeutics Corporation to commercialize the device and served as the company’s Vice President of Research until 1987. Endotherapeutics was later acquired by U.S. Surgical.
In 1988, Dr. Moll started Origin Medsystems, Inc., a laproscopic instruments and devices company, which later became an operating unit of Guidant Corporation. He was Medical Director of Guidant’s surgical device division from 1992 to 1995.
Dr. Moll’s next venture Intuitive Surgical, Inc., a leading surgical robotics company, which he was co-founded in November 1995. He became the company’s first Chief Executive Officer and later its Vice President and Medical Director.
In 2003, Dr. Moll founded Hansen Medical and serving as Chief Executive Officer and as a member of its Board of Directors. He became the company’s Chairman of the Board in 2010.
Dr. Moll received his M.D. from the University of Washington and trained in surgery at Virginia Mason Hospital in Seattle. He also earned a B.A. degree in economics from the University of California at Berkeley and a M.S. degree in management from Stanford University. A resident of San Francisco, he is a distinguished speaker and lecturer, and has authored numerous scientific articles.
In announcing Doctor Moll’s election, Neal F. Kassell M.D., founder and Chairman of the Focused Ultrasound Surgery Foundation, said, “We are honored to have Dr. Moll join our board. He is a preeminent leader in the development and commercialization of innovative therapeutic medical devices. His perspective and experience will be of tremendous help in our efforts to make MR-guided focused ultrasound a standard of care for patients who are suffering from many of today’s most deadly, debilitating and difficult to treat diseases.”