RAMPART Appoints Former Thoratec CEO Gary Burbach as Chairman of the Board
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — February 4, 2026 — Rampart, a Birmingham, Alabama–based medical device company redefining interventional radiation safety, today announced the appointment of Gerhard (Gary) F. Burbach as Chairman of its Board of Directors.
“We are delighted to welcome Gary as Chairman of the Board at a pivotal moment for Rampart,” said Tom Livingston, Chief Executive Officer of Rampart. “Gary brings decades of proven leadership across the medical device industry, with deep experience scaling transformative technologies, building market-leading companies, and establishing new standards of care. His track record of commercial execution, operational excellence, and strategic governance will be invaluable as Rampart continues to expand adoption of its interventional radiation safety platform and advance our mission to protect clinicians without compromise.”
“From the beginning, Rampart was built to solve a problem clinicians have lived with for decades—unnecessary radiation exposure and the physical toll of wearing lead,” said Dr. Bob Foster, Founder, Chief Medical Officer, and former Chairman of the Board of Rampart. “Gary’s history of leading technologies that redefine standards of care aligns perfectly with Rampart’s mission as we transition to our next phase of growth. I am confident his experience and perspective will accelerate our ability to provide total body, total team protection for interventional teams everywhere.”
Mr. Burbach is widely recognized for his leadership as President, Chief Executive Officer, and a member of the Board of Directors of Thoratec Corporation, where he led the company’s growth and helped pioneer mechanical circulatory support technologies that transformed the treatment of advanced heart failure. Thoratec was acquired by St. Jude Medical, now part of Abbott Laboratories. His experience guiding innovative medical technologies from early adoption through broad clinical acceptance closely aligns with Rampart’s focus on redefining radiation safety through strong clinical evidence and real-world performance.
“Rampart is addressing a long-standing challenge in interventional medicine, providing better care to those who care for us,” said Mr. Burbach. “The company’s clear value proposition of drastically reducing radiation exposure and helping eliminate the physical burden associated with traditional lead protection position it to fundamentally change radiation safety in the interventional suite. I am excited to work with the Board and leadership team to help Rampart realize its full potential.”
Mr. Burbach currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors and Chair of the Compensation Committee of BWX Technologies (NYSE: BWXT), as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Procyrion, Inc., and as a member of the Board of Directors of Sight Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: SGHT). His prior board experience includes Fluidigm Corporation (now Standard BioTools), Artelon, Inc. (acquired by Stryker Corporation), and Vascular Dynamics, Inc. Earlier in his career, Mr. Burbach held executive leadership roles at Digirad Corporation, Philips Medical Systems, and ADAC Laboratories, and spent six years at McKinsey & Company focused on healthcare. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Stanford University and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School.
ABOUT RAMPART
Rampart is a Birmingham, Alabama–based medical device company redefining interventional radiation safety through rigorous clinical evidence. Supported by two randomized controlled trials and more than 1,700 real-world procedures, Rampart’s solutions deliver greater than 99% scatter radiation reduction and are proven to be up to 20x more effective than lead aprons and traditional shields.
Designed with zero pounds of wearable burden and engineered so that it adds no weight to the clinician or the procedure table, Rampart eliminates the orthopedic strain long associated with wearing lead aprons while preserving full procedural freedom. All Rampart radiation protection solutions are manufactured using lead-free materials, supporting a more sustainable approach to radiation safety while delivering eQective scatter-blocking protection without traditional lead-based shielding. Available nationwide and through global distribution partnerships, Rampart provides total body, total team protection for those who work in the interventional suite —empowering providers to confidently Shed the Lead®.
