About Ventric Health

Sean Brady, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, leads strategy, commercial growth and fundraising. He is driving the company’s expansion into new clinical applications and markets, while building the partnerships and infrastructure needed to scale. He is focused on advancing earlier diagnosis to improve patient outcomes.

With a J.D. from NYU School of Law and experience in technology licensing at Caltech, Sean brings a distinctive blend of legal expertise and entrepreneurial execution to medtech. He has led multidisciplinary teams across software, clinical and regulatory functions, guiding Vivio from university research through FDA clearance and into multi-state deployment.

Sean also serves as General Counsel at Foldax, a cardiovascular company developing polymer heart valves.

Derek Rinderknecht, PhD is Founder and Chief Technology Officer, where he oversees clinical and technical strategy, including research and development, data science and algorithm engineering. He is responsible for advancing the company’s diagnostic platform to enable earlier detection of heart failure and expand access to cardiovascular care through innovative, noninvasive technologies.

Dr. Rinderknecht has extensive expertise in biomedical signal processing, hemodynamics, noninvasive diagnostics and AI/ML for healthcare. He led the development and validation of Ventric Health’s heart failure algorithm and specializes in translating complex clinical and technical challenges into practical diagnostic solutions.

With more than two decades of experience in biomedical engineering and healthcare technology, Dr. Rinderknecht has worked across cardiovascular monitoring, nanotechnology, drug delivery and diagnostic innovation. He is the inventor of two FDA-cleared medical devices and holds more than 12 patents.

Morteza Gharib, PhD is Co-founder and a Member of the Board of Directors, where he helps guide innovation strategy and provides oversight on the company’s scientific and technical direction. He is focused on expanding access to advanced diagnostic technologies, particularly for populations underserved by early detection tools.

Dr. Gharib is a leader in medical device innovation and translational engineering, with extensive experience advancing technologies from academic research into clinical and commercial applications. He holds more than 200 U.S. patents and has co-founded several successful life sciences and medical technology companies, including Glaukos Corporation and Argus Imaging.

Dr. Gharib is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering, and a Fellow of multiple leading scientific and engineering organizations.

Niema Pahlevan, PhD is Co-founder, where he contributes to the company’s scientific and clinical innovation, applying expertise in cardiovascular biomechanics and hemodynamics to advance noninvasive diagnostic technologies.

Dr. Pahlevan is a biomedical engineer and cardiovascular scientist with more than a decade of experience developing medical technologies. He is a tenured Associate Professor at the University of Southern California, with joint appointments in Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering and in Medicine (Division of Cardiovascular Medicine).

He is a Fellow of the American Heart Association and a Senior Member of the National Academy of Inventors, and is committed to translating engineering advances into practical solutions that improve heart failure care.

As Chief Operating Officer, Erin Brenner oversees customer-facing operations, including clinical implementations, customer success, support and commercial analytics. She also works closely with quality and regulatory teams to ensure continuous feedback integration, while driving overall company operations, performance and execution.

Erin has more than 20 years of experience in health technology, spanning product management, program leadership and new product introduction across both startups and global medical device companies. She led the development and launch of innovative solutions at organizations including GE Healthcare and Pear Therapeutics, and is known for building high-performing teams and scaling complex operations.

Erin is motivated by Ventric’s commitment to transforming cardiovascular care through earlier detection and actionable insights and is focused on enabling seamless adoption of clinical technologies that improve care delivery and outcomes.

As Chief Information Officer, Jeff “Cush” Cushler leads software and product development across current and new initiatives. He is responsible for advancing the technology platform and bringing innovative solutions to market. He is motivated by the opportunity to develop technologies that improve quality of life and deliver meaningful impact for patients at scale.

Cush brings more than 35 years of experience across multiple industries, with a track record of leading teams and delivering products from concept through commercialization. He is known for building high-performing teams and fostering a culture of trust, accountability, and professional growth.

As Chief Medical Officer, Thomas Creek, MD oversees clinical strategy, product development and outcomes measurement. He supports clinician education and works to advance solutions that improve the detection and management of heart failure.

Dr. Creek brings extensive experience in primary care and cardiovascular disease, along with a broad understanding of healthcare delivery across both providers and payers. He has managed large-scale medical spend and has focused his career on improving care for patients and clinicians.

Earlier in his career, Dr. Creek treated patients with advanced heart failure and saw firsthand the impact of timely intervention. His experience in primary care reinforced the need for earlier detection before symptoms appear. He is dedicated to helping clinicians identify and manage heart failure earlier to improve patient outcomes.

Dr. Creek is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and a Diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine.

Chris Abbott is Interim Chief Growth Officer where he leads commercial growth, marketing and business development to expand adoption of the Vivio System in primary care. He is focused on scaling innovative solutions that enable earlier diagnosis and improve outcomes. Chris also serves on Ventric Health’s Board of Directors.

Chris brings nearly 30 years of experience across healthcare delivery, payer organizations and consulting. He held leadership roles in hospital administration, physician practice management and Medicare Advantage plans, including leading UnitedHealthcare’s largest MA market. He is known for driving operational performance and supporting clinicians in delivering high-quality, efficient care.

A retired U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sergeant, Chris draws on a strong operational mindset and commitment to mission-driven execution.

As Chairman of the Board, Keith Dawkins, MD provides strategic guidance to Ventric Health and its leadership team. He brings extensive experience as both an interventional cardiologist and medtech executive. Dr. Dawkins previously served as Global Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President at Boston Scientific, where he led global clinical strategy across all divisions. He has also held chief medical officer roles at multiple cardiovascular companies and serves on several boards and as a venture partner in the medtech sector.

As the Vice President of Business Operations & People, Dave Silvey oversees finance, purchasing and human resources, ensuring the company operates efficiently while supporting a strong, engaged team.

Dave has more than 20 years of experience in operations, financial performance and project management across healthcare, medical research and cardiac medical devices. He led business process improvements and operational initiatives in both domestic and international settings, with a focus on building effective, scalable organizations.

He is a published author and has conducted medical research internationally. Dave is motivated by the opportunity to support innovative technologies like the Vivio System that enable better decision-making and improve patient care.

Tony Viole, Vice President of Operations, oversees hardware development from prototype through commercial launch, with a focus on manufacturability, performance and usability. He also leads supply chain, production and distribution, working closely with manufacturing partners and suppliers to ensure operational efficiency and reliable product delivery.

Tony has more than 40 years of global experience across product development, operations, marketing and sales in both multinational medical device companies and startups. He has built and led cross-functional teams, established quality systems and guided products from early-stage development through commercialization.

Focused on translating clinical needs into scalable, high-quality products that enable earlier detection of heart failure, Tony is motivated by the impact early diagnosis can have helping patients and their families gain more time and better outcomes.

KellyAnn Light-McGroary, MD is a Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiologist at University of Iowa Health Care and founder of KALM Healthcare Consulting. With over 30 years of clinical and healthcare leadership experience, she partners with private and government sector clients on strategy development, quality improvement and identifying opportunities that drive better outcomes for patients and communities.

John Spertus, MD, MPH, FACC is a board-certified cardiologist and Clinical Director of Outcomes Research at Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute, where he also holds the Lauer Missouri Endowed Chair and Professor of Medicine at the University of Missouri–Kansas City. His research focuses on personalized medicine, measuring healthcare quality and leveraging information technology to guide clinical decision-making.

Erik Abel, PharmD is a clinical and commercial healthcare executive and founder of OneAnother Health, LLC, with experience spanning AI-enabled diagnostics, digital health, and market access. He has led a nine-figure acquisition by GE HealthCare and deployed a national AI diagnostic service across 40+ states. Drawing on experience on both sides of the healthcare value chain, including payer transformation at Highmark Health and provider system transformation at Ohio State University, he advises startups and investors on evidence, reimbursement, and commercialization.