Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR) today announced the appointment of Deepak “Dee” Khuntia, M.D., to vice president, Medical Affairs. He will report to Kolleen Kennedy, corporate senior vice president and president of Varian’s Oncology Systems business, the world’s leading provider of radiotherapy technology for the treatment of cancer. Khuntia will partner closely with Varian’s Quality & Regulatory teams, providing clinical and scientific guidance in all areas of clinical risk, safety reviews, adverse experience reporting, product life cycle reviews and clinical protocol design.
“Dee brings a wealth of directly relevant experience to this important role,” said Kennedy. “He is a well-reputed thought leader in the field of oncology with a special interest in advanced radiation delivery techniques as well as medical informatics, continuing education, and healthcare policy. With his broad experience and strong leadership skills, I am confident that he will help us maximize the clinical potential of our product development efforts and collaborative research partnerships with a strong focus on healthcare economics.” Khuntia has led multiple national and international clinical trials designed to advance the standards of care in the treatment of brain, lung, head and neck, and prostate cancer. A widely published clinical researcher, his presentations and papers have spanned a broad range of topics including radiotherapy, radiosurgery, and imaging techniques in the treatment of cancer. Passionate about education and broad scale quality cancer care delivery, he has lectured worldwide helping to bridge the knowledge gap that exists with the recent surge of advanced radiation techniques.
Khuntia joined Varian earlier this month after serving two years as director of research and education for a large private practice in the San Francisco Bay area. Prior to that, he practiced at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, where he served in many leadership roles, including Residency Program Director, Vice-Chair of Radiation Oncology Outreach, and Course Director for Neoplastic Diseases at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
Khuntia holds a medical degree from the University Of Illinois College Of Medicine, and completed his radiation oncology residency at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation.
About Varian Medical Systems
Varian Medical Systems, Inc., of Palo Alto, California, is the world’s leading manufacturer of medical devices and software for treating cancer and other medical conditions with radiotherapy, radiosurgery, and brachytherapy. The company supplies informatics software for managing comprehensive cancer clinics, radiotherapy centers and medical oncology practices. Varian is a premier supplier of tubes, digital detectors, and image processing workstations for X-ray imaging in medical, scientific, and industrial applications and also supplies high-energy X-ray devices for cargo screening and non-destructive testing applications. Varian Medical Systems employs approximately 6,200 people who are located at manufacturing sites in North America, Europe, and China and approximately 70 sales and support offices around the world. For more information, visit http://www.varian.com or follow us on Twitter.
