MicroCHIPS, Inc. Appoints Cheryl R. Blanchard, PhD, as Chief Executive Officer

MicroCHIPS, Inc., a developer of implantable drug delivery devices, has appointed Cheryl R. Blanchard, PhD, as Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board of Directors effective immediately. Blanchard was formerly Senior Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer of Zimmer, Inc. Blanchard joins MicroCHIPS at a time when the company is preparing for the next stage of commercialization for its implantable drug delivery devices, with a near-term focus on applications for women's health.

“As the former chief scientific officer and general manager of the biologics business at a global medical device company, Cheryl brings a skill set critical for MicroCHIPS to commercialize its products. Her past experiences in bringing complex medical products through the FDA and global regulatory authorities, performing clinical trials, and obtaining reimbursement as well as building the biologics business at Zimmer make her a great fit,” said Richard Mott, Executive Chairman of the Board of MicroCHIPS.

Blanchard replaces Bradley W. Paddock, who was appointed interim CEO in December 2013. “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed leading MicroCHIPS and am more excited than ever about the future for this revolutionary technology,” says Bradley.  He has accepted a role as General Manager, Stryker Spine.

Blanchard has extensive experience in the medical device and biologics sectors. For the past 12 years, Blanchard served in roles of increasing responsibility at Zimmer, Inc., a medical device company focused on musculoskeletal products.  Her roles at Zimmer included leadership of research and development, clinical, quality and regulatory affairs, and health economics. She was also a member of Zimmer’s executive committee and developed and led the biologics business at Zimmer through disciplined execution of an R&D pipeline coupled with significant partnering and business development activities. Previous to Zimmer, Blanchard built and led the medical device practice at Southwest Research Institute while also serving as an adjunct professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center, both in San Antonio, TX. She has a B.S in Ceramic Engineering from Alfred University and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.

“I am thrilled to be joining MicroCHIPS to lead the company to the next stage of commercializing game-changing products in women’s health,” Blanchard said. “A big part of my role will be to focus and build the company to commercialize products that address unmet needs for patients globally with this ground-breaking approach to delivering drugs.”