Walt Cecka

Walt Cecka has over 25 years of experience in the innovation, design, and development of medical devices and drug/device combination products. Mr. Cecka has held senior management and product development positions at Nektar Therapeutics, Bio-Molecular Technologies, Baxter Healthcare Corporation (Novacor Division), Cholestech Corporation, Nellcor, Inc., and Beckman Instruments. At Triple Ring, Walt continues to lead a diverse set of programs, from the very complex such as the development of an Inverse-Geometry Tomographic Fluoroscopy System for cardiac intervention (recently having performed its first human subject research study), to the simple such as leading technology feasibility analyses prior to more extensive product development. While covering a broad range of medical device practice spaces, his focus has largely been on drug delivery, ophthalmology, and medical device reprocessing.

On the business side, Walt additionally works with Triple Ring’s Innovation team seeking to advance both client and TRT proprietary ideas/ technologies into further stages of development. He is active in assisting prospective clients evaluate their ideas in relation to intended clinical applications and markets, as well as advising them on investor pitches and the ever-more intertwined regulatory and reimbursement product development pathways.

Prior to his arrival at Triple Ring, his product development leadership experience includes the development and commercialization of several first-to-clinic and first-to-market products, including Nektar’s (now Bayer’s) inhaled Amikacin combination product (currently in Phase III studies), the Exubera ™ pulmonary insulin inhaler (FDA approved), Baxter’s N-100 bridge to transplant heart assist pump, and diagnostic products for rapid lipid panels and blood gas monitoring (CO2 and anesthesia agents). His skill sets also include product development planning and program management in FDA and EMEA/ISO environments.

Walt has co-authored several peer-reviewed posters, has articles published in trade association magazines and newsletters, and has patent applications in respiratory care and pulmonary drug delivery devices pending. He is an active member of IDSA (Infectious Disease Society of America), and finally, he is an engineer! Walt holds a BSME degree from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.