Ra Medical Systems (NYSE:RMED) today said it appointed Chris Folk as VP of engineering, effective Jan. 13.

Folk has more than 20 years of engineering experience in medtech and has led a number of design, development and engineering initiatives of medical devices. He will report directly to interim CEO and chief financial officer Andrew Jackson.

“Chris is an experienced leader, engineer and inventor who brings to Ra Medical highly relevant expertise in engineering transformational products and bringing game-changing medical devices to market,” Jackson said in a news release. “He has managed teams responsible for more than 20 device development programs at firms ranging from startups to multinationals. Notably, Chris has significant experience with catheters from his years at Covidien Neurovascular/ev3, where he led the commercial launch of three 510(k) catheters. We view his appointment as a significant step in improving the design and manufacturing of the DABRA catheter to enhance its consistency and extend its shelf life.”

Prior to joining Ra Medical Systems, Folk was the engineering and device manufacturing director at ViaCyte where he was responsible for product development. He has also held a number of leadership roles at Amgen, Covidien Neurovascular, Microfabrica and General Electric.

“I have a particular passion for innovative medical devices, whether being developed from scratch or improving an existing design, and I see the clear advantages of photoablation over competing technologies for the treatment of peripheral artery disease,” Folk said. “This is an exciting opportunity for my colleagues and me to identify design and manufacturing solutions that enhance the existing products while concurrently developing new and next-generation product offerings. I’m delighted to join the Ra Medical team at this critical juncture as we work toward a successful future with a differentiated product line.”