About Us
Our Management Team
We have a proven track record of success in technology discovery, device development, FDA approval and commercialization.
Bob Roda President and Chief Executive Officer
Robert A. Roda (Bob) joined HemoSonics in February 2020 as the company’s President and CEO, bringing more than 25 years of global experience developing and commercializing innovative diagnostic and medical device products and services.
Most recently Bob Roda served as President and CEO of Menarini Silicon Biosystems, Inc, a diagnostic and biotech company focused on the use of liquid biopsy and predictive diagnostic tests for the treatment of cancer patients. Prior to that position he was Vice President and General Manager at Becton Dickinson where he led the medical and procedural solutions business in the US. From 1998-2012, Bob held positions of increasing responsibility at Johnson & Johnson in both the medical device and diagnostic sectors, with his last role being WW VP Marketing in Immunohematology, Donor Screening and Clinical Laboratories at Ortho Clinical Diagnostics, a J&J company. Bob earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the University of Rhode Island and completed post graduate course work at Kellogg Graduate School of Management.
Francesco Viola, PhD Founder and Chief Scientific Officer
Francesco Viola, PhD, has more than 10 years of experience in the area of medical ultrasound imaging, advanced signal processing and development of medical instrumentation.
Viola has published his research in numerous engineering and biomedical peer-reviewed journals and he is the co-inventor in a number of patents in the field of ultrasound imaging and sensing. He is also the first recipient of The Emerging Technologies and Healthcare Innovations Congress (TETHIC) Award for achievements in scholarship and contributions to healthcare technology translation. Viola holds a Laurea in Biomedical Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Milan, Italy, and a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Virginia.
Bruce Spiess, MD, FAHA Medical Director
Dr. Spiess is an emeritus Professor of Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology, Physiology (adjunct) from the University of Florida, College of Medicine in Gainesville, FL. He received his medical degree from Rush University in Chicago and completed his residency at the Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota. Dr. Spiess is also a Diplomate of the American Board of Anesthesiology, and the National Board of Medical Examiners, and a Fellow of the American Heart Association.
Dr. Spiess is a world-renowned educator and lecturer as well as an accomplished clinician and researcher, having conducted anesthetics in over 20,000 operations. He has also published over 200 peer reviewed articles, >50 book chapters and 7 textbooks. Shortly after his retirement from clinical practice, the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists (SCA) bestowed their highest award: The Presidential Lifetime Outstanding Service Award to Dr Bruce D. Spiess for his pioneering efforts on VET, quality patient care (The FOCUS Initiative), PBM and service to the Society.
Raymond L Szafranski Jr Chief Financial Officer
Raymond L Szafranski Jr (Ray) has more than 30 years of finance and accounting experience as well as manufacturing, human resources, and operations.
Prior to HemoSonics, he was VP of Finance for Panacea Biomatx, manufacturer of personalized nutrition from 2014 – 2020. Before that, he held various positions in Finance in industries such as pharmaceutical manufacturing, personalized nutrition, and laboratory robotics. Szafranski earned an Accounting degree from the University of Notre Dame and an MBA from Duke University. He is also a Certified Public Accountant (NC License) and Certified Management Accountant.
David Bryant Vice President, Operations
David Bryant has 25 years of experience in the development and manufacture of in vitro diagnostics and laboratory automation.
He has successfully led product development efforts from concept through worldwide release. In addition to product development and program management, he has experience in validation, calibration, process engineering and high-speed automation. Bryant earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering from North Carolina State University.
Deborah Winegar, PhD Vice President, Clinical Affairs
Deborah Winegar has more than 20 years of experience managing clinical and discovery research efforts at a variety of healthcare, medical device and pharmaceutical organizations.
She has led multi-disciplinary project teams focused on the discovery and development of therapeutic agents, biomarkers and diagnostic products in the cardiovascular and metabolic disease areas. Prior to joining HemoSonics, Winegar served in multiple roles at GlaxoSmithKline, as Director of Research at Surgical Review Corporation and as Senior Director of Clinical Trials at LipoScience. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from Notre Dame College and a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Virginia.
Thomas Givens Vice President, Research and Development
Thomas Givens has 30 years of experience leading interdisciplinary engineering teams and developing medical devices.
He has developed in vitro diagnostic devices based on a variety of detection technologies for multiple clinical laboratory areas. Givens earned a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering from The University of Tennessee and a Masters of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Duke University.
Joe Steele Head of Commercial – US
Joseph A. Steele (Joe) joined HemoSonics in November 2020 as the team’s Head of Commercial for the US, bringing 20+ years of experience building out commercial capabilities in MedTech & MedDevice organizations ranging in size from start-up to Fortune 50.
Most recently, Joe served as Sr. National Sales Director for Medtronic, leading the Sales Team for the patient safety division in the US. Prior to this role, Joe served in cross-functional roles of increasing responsibility with Johnson & Johnson, Boston Scientific, and Smith & Nephew from 1998-2013. Joe earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, with a concentration in Finance at Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business.
Explore the System
Learn more about the features of our next-gen device designed for the POC and how it empowers clinicians to quickly assess coagulation characteristics.
Explore Scientific Publications
See articles on clinical studies and sonorheometry as well as the full list of guidelines calling for point-of-care coagulation analysis.