GE HealthCare names new CEO of imaging, plus more radiology leadership moves
GE HealthCare named a new president and CEO to lead its imaging division on Tuesday, one of several recent leadership moves in radiology.
Roland Rott, GE’s current president of ultrasound, is taking over the title effective July 1. He replaces current imaging leader Jan Makela, who informed GE in April that he is leaving the organization to become CEO of an unnamed private company that is not a competitor.
Meanwhile, Philip Rackliffe, president and CEO of image-guided therapies, is taking over the ultrasound leadership role while continuing to oversee IGT. As part of the changes, GE HealthCare said it is rolling the therapy division into ultrasound, forming a business worth more than $5 billion in annual revenue.
“Roland and Phil will bring fresh viewpoints, global perspective and deep industry expertise to our imaging segment and new ultrasound and IGT segment,” GE HealthCare CEO Peter Arduini said in a June 11 announcement. “Elevating leaders who have a deep understanding of our customers’ needs, market trends and our strategic focus will help enable us to accelerate innovation and growth.”
GE’s image-guided therapy group, a subsegment of imaging, notched $1.6 billion in annual revenue last year. The company said folding it into ultrasound will help “better match its clinical usage and realize stronger business and customer impact by providing the right image guidance in the right care setting.” Even without IGT, imaging remains GE HealthCare’s largest segment with $8.9 billion in annual revenue.
Longtime Northwestern leader stepping down
Bharat B. Mittal, MD, the William N. Brand, MD, Professor of Radiation Oncology at Northwestern University’s school of medicine, is stepping down as head of the department.
Mittal has led radiation oncology at the Illinois institution for decades, including becoming inaugural chair in 2006. He first joined Northwestern’s faculty in 1985 and since then has helped pilot the organization's academic growth. Mittal’s leadership has resulted in increased high-quality publications, more grant support and a “strengthened culture of excellence, collaboration and patient safety.”
“We aspired to be a globally renowned destination for world-class talent dedicated to advancing the field of radiation oncology, and to my great pleasure, I can say Northwestern has hit the mark,” Mittal said in. June 5 announcement. “I am thoroughly honored to have had the great privilege of serving as the department’s inaugural chair, and I know the faculty and staff will continue their tireless work to improve our shared understanding of cancer and its treatment and to educate the next generation of radiation oncology physician-scientists.”
James Carr, MD, chair of the department of radiology, will lead a search committee to find a successor. Mittal will stay in the role until a replacement has been found and assist in the transition. He remains a member of the faculty and continues clinical practice and research, Northwestern noted.
Upstate Medical University names new chair
Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, New York, has named Arabinda Choudhary, MD, MBA, as the new chair of its Department of Radiology effective July 1.
He comes to the organization by way of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, where he had served as department chair since 2019. Choudhary also previously was director of pediatric neuroradiology at the Penn State College of Medicine and chair of the Department of Medical Imaging at Nemours AI duPont Hospital for Children.
An expert in the field of pediatric neuroimaging, Choudhary’s research has focused on the diagnosis of brain and spinal trauma, chronic disease and brain surgery. He has published “extensively” and lectured internationally on these topics.
“I am pleased to welcome Dr. Choudhary to the Upstate faculty,” Lawrence Chin, MD, dean of the Norton College of Medicine, said in a May 30 announcement. “Dr. Choudhary brings with him key leadership experiences from top level medical institutions. We look forward to his leadership of our radiology department.”
Other announcements of note
A few more radiology leadership updates, in brief:
- AI radiology solutions provider Oxipit has named Peter Corscadden as its new CEO. He takes over for outgoing leader Gediminas Pekšys who will transition to a “crucial role” as head of AI.
- And finally, the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging elected Cathy Sue Cutler, PhD, as its president. Heather Jacene, MD, also was named VP-elect while Jean-Luc C. Urbain, MD, PhD, is the society’s president-elect.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.