The News Room

ARLINGTON, VA— Chuck Sidebottom, director of corporate standards for Medtronic, Inc., and one of the most respected voices in the medical device standards-developing community, has been elected Chair of the Board of Directors of the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI).

As with most in the standards arena, AAMI’s new Board Chair entered the field through an indirect path.

An electrical engineer by education, Sidebottom’s early career was dedicated to developing power systems. His work evolved into working with computers and information systems, which Medtronic hired him to do in 1980. Soon after, Sidebottom began engineering software related to pacemakers for Medtronic, and the stage was set for the next phase of his career.

“Back in 1987, a colleague of mine, Bob Flink, convinced me to get involved with AAMI’s pacemaker committee,” Sidebottom recalls. “And before I knew it, he had nominated me to be the committee’s industry co-chair. I held that position until 2003. I’ve often said that working in standards is like sticking your toe in a tar pit. Next thing you know, you’re up to your neck and there’s no way out!”

ARAMARK Healthcare’s Ray Laxton, a member of AAMI’s Technology Management Council (TMC) and AAMI’s Executive Committee, sees Sidebottom as a perfect fit to be AAMI Chair.

“His knowledge of standards is well-documented, but he also has a great working knowledge of the biomed side of the organization,” says Laxton. “Working with him on the Executive Committee, he is just always prepared and well-versed on every issue that we address.”

AAMI CEO Mike Miller, agrees. “Chuck is a highly conscientious leader—the type who won’t take on such an important role unless he is personally assured that it will be a quality effort.”

Reflecting on his 20-plus years of experience in AAMI standards development efforts, Sidebottom says one of the AAMI highlights that stands out in his mind is the first AAMI/FDA International Conference on Standards and Regulation held back in 1991.

“That event opened horizons and set the stage for the international cooperation AAMI has prided itself on,” he reflects. “At the time, I had no idea that the conference would continue beyond that one event and become an annual program, but I’m very glad that it has. It’s a great way to keep abreast of the latest developments in standards.”

Sidebottom also took a lot of pride in AAMI’s year-long 40th anniversary celebration in 2007. “That was really a high point for me, learning more about the founding of AAMI, and meeting AAMI pioneers I had only read or heard about. They are the giants on whose shoulders we stand.”

Having spent the past two years as AAMI’s Chair-Elect, Sidebottom has learned much about the medical technology management segment of AAMI’s membership as well.

“This is an exciting time, and a time of great change in the industry,” he says. “The integration of information technology and clinical engineering is upon us. Five years from now things will look very different than they do today, and AAMI has a big role to play in preparing our members. Becoming AAMI’s chair gives me an opportunity to get more involved with that.”