ResMed announced that Carlos M. Nunez, MD, will become ResMed’s chief medical officer, effective January 3, 2017.

Nunez most recently served as senior vice president of medical affairs for Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD). He will be based in ResMed’s San Diego headquarters and will report directly to CEO Mick Farrell and President/COO Rob Douglas.

“I’m delighted to welcome Carlos Nunez to ResMed,” says Farrell in a release. “Carlos has great depth in clinical and medical technology, and great breadth in healthcare informatics and business management. His proven leadership capabilities and track record of collaboration across global teams make him an ideal addition to our executive team. Carlos will play a key role in accelerating ResMed’s 2020 growth strategy, including clinical trials of sleep apnea, neuromuscular disease and COPD, as well as in connected care.”

Nunez joins ResMed with two decades of leadership experience in the medical field, with a focus on aligning the clinical realities of modern healthcare with the business strategies of global enterprises. As senior vice president of medical affairs for BD, he drove business strategy, innovation, and public policy efforts across a business with $12 billion in revenue, while advising on safety, quality, and regulatory matters. He has also held senior leadership positions at United HealthCare Group’s Optum division, CareFusion, and healthcare informatics company Picis.

“As an industry leader in the treatment of sleep-disordered breathing, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other chronic diseases, ResMed is tackling some of society’s largest healthcare challenges with a unique mixture of top-quality devices and software,” says Nunez. “I’m looking forward to working with ResMed’s global team to translate emerging clinical research into the next wave of products, services, and solutions that even better treat chronic respiratory diseases, keep patients out of the hospital, save time and money for providers and payers, and ultimately improve patient outcomes.”

ResMed’s current chief medical officer, Glenn Richards, MD, will transition to the role of medical director for the company’s product development teams. Richards will continue to provide clinical support and leverage his vast experience to create even greater value for ResMed customers and their patients.

“Glenn is a pioneer in the field of sleep medicine and has led our global medical team with passion and dedication. He has helped as we have evolved ResMed from the world’s leading respiratory medical device company to our position today as the world’s leading tech-driven medical device company,” says Mick Farrell. “We are grateful for Glenn’s hard work and his contributions to ResMed and the field of respiratory medicine over more than two decades. Our team is thrilled that Glenn will continue to help steward ResMed’s medical path forward in his new role as medical director.”