Draft:Todd J. Brinton

Todd J. Brinton is an American interventional cardiologist, biomedical engineer, and medical technology innovator. His work bridges clinical practice and engineering, as well as industry and academia, he has made contributions to cardiovascular medicine, particularly in the development of innovative medical devices. He currently serves as the corporate vice president of advanced technology and chief scientific officer at Edwards Lifesciences.

Early life and education

Brinton earned his bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering from the University of California, San Diego. He later obtained his medical degree from the Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University. Following medical school, Brinton completed his internship, residency, and fellowships in cardiology and interventional cardiology at Stanford University.

Career

Brinton began his professional journey as an engineer in the medical technology industry. He eventually became a director of clinical research and development before transitioning to a career in medicine. Following several years in industry, he returned to medical school followed by residency and fellowships prior to a career as a clinical interventional cardiologist. In February 2019, Brinton joined Edwards Lifesciences as the corporate vice president of advanced technology and chief scientific officer. Prior to this, Brinton held academic positions at Stanford University School of Medicine, where he served as a clinical professor of medicine (cardiology) and an adjunct professor of bioengineering. He was also an attending interventional cardiologist at Stanford University Medical Center and the Palo Alto VA Medical Center.

Stanford Byers center for biodesign

Brinton completed a fellowship in medical device innovation prior to transitioning top the role as fellowship director at the Stanford Byers Center for Biodesign in 2006. In this role, he mentored and led teams in developing new medical technologies. He also co-directed the center's graduate and executive education programs. Upon leaving Stanford University to join Edwards Lifesciences in 2019, he became a senior advisor and joined the Board for the center.

Industry contributions

In addition to his academic and clinical roles, Brinton has been a co-founder, board member, and advisor to several medical technology start-up companies. Notably, he was the physician founder, board member, and chief medical officer of ShockWave Medical, Inc., (SWAV) a company that pioneered the development of intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) and was acquired by Johnson & Johnson Medtech in 2024.

In 2022, he joined Sonder Capital as a Venture Partner. In this role, he evaluates new medical technologies and advises investments into early stage companies for the portfolio of the fund.

American heart association and other roles

Brinton is actively involved with the American Heart Association (AHA), serving as the Chair of the 2022 Bay Area Research Roundtable and the 2022 Orange County Heart & Stroke Ball. He also serves on the AHA's national research committee and strategic outcomes subcommittee. Additionally, since 2020, he has been on the advisory board for the Edwards Lifesciences Foundation Cardiovascular Innovation and Research Center at UC Irvine.

Patents

Brinton is the co-inventor of a patented non-invasive method and apparatus for diagnosing and monitoring aortic valve abnormalities.

Selected publications

• Intravascular lithotripsy to treat a severely underexpanded coronary stent EUROINTERVENTIONWatkins, S., Good, R., Hill, J., Brinton, T. J., Oldroyd, K. G. 2019; 15 (1): 124–25
• Feasibility of Shockwave Coronary Intravascular Lithotripsy for the Treatment of Calcified Coronary Stenoses. CirculationBrinton, T. J., Ali, Z. A., Hill, J. M., Meredith, I. T., Maehara, A., Illindala, U., Lansky, A., Gotberg, M., Van Mieghem, N. M., Whitbourn, R., Fajadet, J., Di Mario, C. 2019; 139 (6): 834–36
• Safety and Performance of Lithoplasty for Treatment of Calcified Peripheral Artery Lesions JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF CARDIOLOGYBrodmann, M., Werner, M., Brinton, T. J., Illindala, U., Lansky, A., Jaff, M. R., Holden, A. 2017; 70 (7): 908–10
• Needs-Based Innovation in Interventional Radiology: The Biodesign Process TECHNIQUES IN VASCULAR AND INTERVENTIONAL RADIOLOGYSteinberger, J. D., Denend, L., Azagury, D. E., Brinton, T. J., Makower, J., Yock, P. G. 2017; 20 (2): 84–89
• The Impact of Postgraduate Health Technology Innovation Training: Outcomes of the Stanford Biodesign Fellowship ANNALS OF BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERINGWall, J., Hellman, E., Denend, L., Rait, D., Venook, R., Lucian, L., Azagury, D., Yock, P. G., Brinton, T. J. 2017; 45 (5): 1163-1171