FREMONT, Calif., Sept. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- THINK Surgical, Inc., an innovator in the field of orthopedic surgical robots, today announced that Rick McDowell has joined the company as Vice President, Sales. In this role, Rick will report to Chris Marrus, Executive Vice President, and will lead THINK Surgical's national sales organization, driving market strategy and growth as the company continues to scale its commercial operations.
THINK Surgical Appoints Rick McDowell as Vice President, Sales
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THINK SurgicalRick McDowellVP SalesChris Marrus
Rick McDowell, Vice President - Sales
Rick brings more than 20 years of experience in medical device commercialization, clinical strategy, and capital sales, with a career spent building and leading high-performing sales, clinical, and marketing teams across the surgical robotics industry. He joins THINK Surgical from Gigly, Inc., where he served as Chief Commercial Officer, directing enterprise-wide commercial strategy, brand positioning, and go-to-market execution. Prior to Gigly, Rick led capital sales for Procept BioRobotics across the North Central United States and spent over a decade at Stryker Robotics/Orthopaedics, most recently as Area Sales Director for the Southeast region. Rick began his career in robotic surgery at MAKO Surgical, where he held progressively senior sales leadership roles over more than four years, including Director, Clinical Sales, where he led an 8-district, 90-member, $85 million national clinical sales organization.
Across his career, Rick has generated over half a billion dollars in lifetime capital and disposable sales. He is the recipient of the Tim Scannell Legacy Award (Stryker) for Contributions Over Time (2022) and was named Stryker Robotics/Orthopaedics Area Sales Director of the Year (2016). Rick is recognized as an expert in concept selling, hospital procurement, and long-cycle capital equipment negotiations, and has played an instrumental role in the launch and market expansion of some of the most disruptive technologies in orthopedic robotics.
"I'm excited to join THINK Surgical at such a pivotal point in the company's growth," said Rick McDowell. "THINK Surgical has built something special in the orthopedic robotics space, and I look forward to working alongside Chris and the broader team to accelerate our commercial momentum and bring our technology to more surgeons and patients."
About THINK Surgical, Inc.
THINK Surgical, Inc., is a privately held U.S.-based technology innovator that develops and markets orthopedic robots. THINK Surgical robots are open platforms providing support for implant brands from multiple manufacturers, enabling the choice of implant to be driven by the surgeon.
THINK Surgical actively collaborates with healthcare professionals around the globe to refine our orthopedic products, improving the lives of those suffering from advanced joint disease with precise, accurate, and intelligent technology. Please refer to the instructions for use for the TMINI Miniature Robotic System for a complete list of indications, contraindications, warnings, and precautions. For additional product information, please visit www.thinksurgical.com.
THINK Surgical and TMINI are registered trademarks of THINK Surgical, Inc.
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SOURCE THINK Surgical, Inc.
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TJ Halvorson
The De Angelis Group | Orthopedics This Week | MSK Innovations
Why This Matters
Two Perspectives
MBA Lens: Economic and industry impact
THINK Surgical appointed Rick McDowell as Vice President, Sales, a strategic move to bolster its commercial operations. McDowell brings over 20 years of experience in medical device commercialization, capital sales, and surgical robotics, including leadership roles at Stryker Robotics/Orthopaedics and MAKO Surgical. His expertise in concept selling and long-cycle capital equipment negotiations is expected to drive market strategy and accelerate growth for THINK Surgical's open-platform robotic systems.
- This hire aims to enhance THINK Surgical's competitive positioning and market penetration in the orthopedic robotics space.
- McDowell's background with major players suggests a focus on scaling sales and expanding the adoption of their multi-manufacturer implant compatible technology.
PhD Lens: Clinical and outcomes impact
THINK Surgical, an innovator in orthopedic surgical robots, announced a new Vice President of Sales. While the article primarily details commercial strategy, it underscores the company's mission to refine orthopedic products using precise, accurate, and intelligent technology. Their robotic systems are described as open platforms, supporting implant brands from multiple manufacturers, which allows surgeons flexibility in choice for patients suffering from advanced joint disease.
- The company's technology, including the TMINI Miniature Robotic System, aims for precision and accuracy in orthopedic procedures.
- The article does not provide specific clinical evidence, outcomes data, or detailed mechanistic insights into the robotic system's operation or materials science.
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Discussion
This is a fascinating development. In my practice we've seen similar outcomes with the revised protocol. The key differentiator seems to be patient selection criteria. Has anyone else noticed the correlation with BMI thresholds?
Great point. I'd push back slightly on the conclusion, the sample size in the cited study is too small to draw population-level inferences. That said, the directional signal is compelling and worth a larger RCT.
We implemented a similar approach last year. Early results are promising but we're still gathering 12-month follow-up data. Happy to share our protocol if anyone is interested.
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