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Jal Jassawalla has extensive medical device industry knowledge in both technical and business capacities. For the past 23 years, he has led the development and commercialization of the LVAS.
In 1979, Mr. Jassawalla founded Novacor Medical Corporation along with Dr. Peer M. Portner, directing a multidisciplinary technical team focused on the development of the Novacor� LVAS. He served as Novacor's Vice President from 1979 to 1988 and assumed management and technical responsibility for research and development, manufacturing, quality and clinical center technical support. He also served as Chief Financial Officer.
After the acquisition of Novacor Medical Corporation by Baxter Healthcare Corporation in 1988, Mr. Jassawalla continued to lead the development of cardiac assist systems as Vice President of Research & Development, at Baxter Healthcare Corporation's Novacor Division. He also played a key role in Novacor's strategic planning and business decisions, as a member of the senior management team.
With the spin out of Baxter's Cardiovascular Group in April 2000 as Edwards Lifesciences LLC and the subsequent acquisition (June 2000) of Novacor by World Heart Corporation as part of its strategic alliance with Edwards, Mr. Jassawalla assumed the role of Senior VP, R&D for WorldHeart. Subsequently, he was appointed Executive Vice President & Chief Technical Officer with responsibility for Research & Development, Clinical Affairs, Clinical & Technical Support and Quality. In July 2004, he was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of WorldHeart.
Mr. Jassawalla earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering, with distinction, from Shivaji University, in India, a Master of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University, and an MBA from University of California, Berkeley, with specialization in Finance. He was an All India Tata Endowment Scholar in 1970. | 