Company: CardioDx Inc., Palo Alto, CA USA
Entry Submitted By: Lazar Partners
Company Description: CardioDx is a molecular diagnostics company developing and commercializing novel, proprietary tests that help improve treatment decisions, enhance patient outcomes and reduce the overall cost of care. Founded in 2004, CardioDx employs over 100 people and is the recipient of numerous awards for its innovative diagnostic test, Corus CAD, for the evaluation of obstructive coronary artery disease.
Nomination Category: Individual Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Female Executive of the Year – Consumer Products –11 to 2,500 Employees

Nomination Title: Deborah Kilpatrick, Ph.D., Chief Commercial Officer

Describe for the judges the activities and accomplishments of the nominated executive since the beginning of July last year (up to 525 words):

With her extensive background in cardiovascular bioengineering and strong leadership in business, Dr. Deborah Kilpatrick leveraged her unique background and experience as both a scientist and industry executive to lead CardioDx to commercialize its ground-breaking technology, the Corus® CAD blood-based gene expression test for the assessment of obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD). Under her leadership, she helped the company launch this new product and subsequently navigate the complex pathway towards insurance coverage for the Corus CAD gene expression test.

In August 2012, Deborah successfully helped CardioDx secure Medicare Part B coverage for Corus CAD in the midst of health care reform, making the test a covered benefit for Medicare’s nearly 50 million beneficiaries – a significant effort that is helping patients avoid unnecessary cardiac procedures, and the risks and complications associated with cardiac imaging (e.g., radiation dosing) and invasive cardiac catheterization (e.g., vascular and bleeding complications), while helping U.S. insurance plans address the significant healthcare costs associated with overutilization of these procedures in patients who do not need them.

Following the Medicare coverage decision, Deborah was promoted to Chief Commercial Officer at the company, and she rapidly tripled the size of the CardioDx domestic sales force while targeting geographies with high concentrations of patients suffering cardiovascular symptoms in primary care. Within 3 quarters, this sales expansion strategy yielded ~175% increase in the number of patients per month who benefitted from the Corus CAD test. During this period the company also expanded access of the Corus CAD test into international markets via the company’s first sales and marketing agreement with a global partner, Core Diagnostics India. India has one of the highest rates of increasing coronary artery disease prevalence in the world, and Corus CAD will provide those patients with a safe and reliable alternative to infrastructure-heavy (and often access-restricted) imaging and invasive cardiac testing methods, which also expose patients to radiation, imaging agent intolerance and other procedure-related risks and complications.

Deborah is a consummate and dedicated professional, and an inspiring role model and mentor to many women in the healthcare and business community, particularly those with science and engineering backgrounds. As a member of multiple advisory boards at the Georgia Institute of Technology and its College of Engineering, she is very active and passionate regarding science, technology, and engineering education for women and minorities as a driver of U.S. competitiveness.

As a co-founder of the MedtechWomen organization in Silicon Valley, Deborah helps to convene hundreds of business leaders, inventors, investors, physicians and policymakers annually at the organization’s MedtechVision conference on Sand Hill Road. The theme of this year’s 2013 conference – Value in Healthcare – was centered on the concept of providing “better health care, to more, with less” as a key driver of successful innovation for the medtech sector post-health care reform. The MedtechVision conference has become known as a preeminent gathering for women leaders each fall, as evidenced by its registration selling out each year since its inception.

Through MedtechWomen, Deborah’s leadership helps to empower and challenge women leaders to create real-world solutions to the most challenging issues facing the U.S. healthcare system today within the medical devices and diagnostics sector.

Provide a brief biography of the nominated executive (up to 125 words):

Deborah Kilpatrick, Ph.D. is the Chief Commercial Officer of CardioDx with responsibilities for sales and marketing to physicians and health insurance plans. Prior to joining CardioDx, Deborah held various roles within Guidant Corporation's Vascular Intervention Division before its acquisition by Abbott, including Research Fellow, Director of R&D, and Director of New Ventures. She was a structural engineer at Pratt and Whitney on the F22 Raptor military aircraft program. Deborah currently serves on: Advisory Boards for Georgia Tech, Board of Directors for Dystonia Medical Research Foundation, and is a Fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering. Deborah holds multiple US patents, and she received her B. Engineering Science and Mechanics and both M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Mechanical from Georgia Institute of Technology.