WAVRE, Belgium—iSTAR Medical, a medtech company delivering breakthrough eyecare solutions to patients, has announced the strengthening of its leadership team with the appointment of Richard Beckman, MD, as chief medical officer (CMO) and member of the board, and Kristine Curtiss as vice president of clinical affairs. Both appointments are effective immediately, the company said. Beckman is a board-certified ophthalmologist and fellowship-trained glaucoma specialist. Dr. Beckman’s duties as CMO will cross clinical, regulatory and medical affairs, the company said.

Additionally, he will be a member of the board. Beckman brings deep insight and experience from his previous roles as a CMO, most recently at Adverum, and has an extensive background in the medical and surgical management of glaucoma as well as in glaucoma pharmaceutical and device development, the announcement said. Based in the U.S., the company said that he will be critical to the successful development of its clinical programs and will report to the chief executive officer Michel Vanbrabant.

Kaweh Mansouri, MD, who is stepping down as CMO to focus on his appointment as executive vice president of the World Glaucoma Association, will continue as a consultant to the company as a senior medical advisor, according to the announcement.

Curtiss joins the leadership team as vice president of clinical affairs with more than 20 years of clinical research experience and having held senior positions in biotech, medical device and large pharma companies. She will lead iSTAR Medical’s clinical organization, including its STAR-V trial, and will report to the CMO, Rick Beckman. David Stocker, who held the role of VP of clinical affairs, will return to his previous responsibilities in the commercial organization as VP sales, marketing and training.


“We are delighted to welcome Rick and Kris to our leadership team,” said Vanbrabant. “Their combined global experience in clinical, regulatory, and medical affairs will be instrumental in guiding the company toward delivering breakthrough eyecare solutions to a greater number of patients in additional global territories.

“I want to extend my gratitude to Kaweh for his significant contributions to iSTAR Medical thus far, which has helped us establish a global reputation for MINIject as a safe and effective treatment option for glaucoma patients. We congratulate him and wish him the best of luck with his role as executive vice president of the World Glaucoma Association,” Vanbrabant said.