Imperative Care Announces Three Senior Leadership Appointments for Kandu Health

Kirsten Carroll appointed CEO, Stefan Heuser named CFO and Clayton Duncan named SVP, Commercialization

Imperative Care, a medical technology company developing connected innovations to elevate care for people affected by vascular diseases, today announced the formation of Kandu Health, a digital health startup company with the aim of changing the course of stroke recovery and post-acute care.

Appointment of Kirsten Carroll as Chief Executive Officer of Kandu Health

“The patient is the one constant in the continuum of care for stroke. Our vision for Imperative Care has always been to connect each part of the care journey for patients affected by stroke and be the company that delivers both treatment and post-acute care for stroke survivors,” said Fred Khosravi, Chairman and CEO for Imperative Care. “Kirsten has championed this vision for Kandu Health since its early days. Through her leadership and the company’s impressive bench of leaders, I see the embodiment of our mission to provide real, life-changing care to stroke survivors.”

Carroll previously served as Senior Vice President and General Manager for Kandu Health, leading the company from inception through its formation as an independent company. She brings more than 20 years of experience in stroke product development, clinical research, marketing, strategy and business development. Carroll holds an MBA and a Masters of Public Health from Haas School of Business at University of California, Berkeley, and a Bachelor’s of Science in biomedical engineering from Yale University.

“Once a person has a stroke, every aspect of their life can be affected, diminishing both their quality of life and health. Improving these outcomes for stroke survivors has been my passion for over 20 years now, and Kandu is the most important thing I have worked on in that time,” said Carroll. “The Kandu program is intended to address critical gaps in care and to provide personalized support to stroke survivors as they transition back home from the hospital. It is my greatest privilege to step into this new role and lead the company forward in delivering on our mission.”

In the U.S., approximately eight million people are living with the effects of stroke.¹ Historically, most investment in stroke care has focused on acute intervention. Kandu Health delivers tech-enabled healthcare services, providing remote support to stroke survivors and care partners after hospital discharge.

Successful Enrollment of the First 50 Stroke Survivors

Kandu Health is working to fulfill an urgent need in healthcare by supporting stroke patients beyond the hospital through a team of clinically licensed navigators, community support groups, and an easy-to-use app. With goals to reduce hospital stays and readmissions, lower the cost of healthcare, and improve patient satisfaction, Kandu Health works closely with healthcare institutions to ensure that care is well integrated and coordinated with existing programming. This also provides hospital staff with assurance that their patients are safe and connected to the best resources. Kandu Health began piloting its program with its first hospital partners in the greater Los Angeles and South New Jersey areas. More than 50 stroke survivors have enrolled in the program and early data have shown enrollment rates, engagement and outcomes that exceed expectations for the program.

Appointment of Stefan Heuser as Chief Financial Officer of Kandu Health

Stefan Heuser brings decades of executive leadership experience in finance to Kandu Health. He previously served as Vice President and Head of Investments at Hyundai Motor Group’s Corporate Venture Capital Arm. Prior to joining Hyundai, he was the Vice President of Operations and Innovation at Samsung Strategy and Innovation Center with global operational responsibility for programs in Digital Health, Internet of Things, and Autonomous Driving. He also has experience building and leading an early-stage venture investment team for Samsung Global Innovation Center and serving as the CFO and VP of Finance for Siemens Smart Grid Applications. Heuser holds an MBA from Ludwig-Maximilian University of Munich.

Appointment of Clayton Duncan as SVP, Commercialization of Kandu Health

Clayton Duncan has over 20 years of leadership experience in strategic growth roles within early and growth-stage healthcare companies. With broad experience leading value-based and integrated care solutions initiatives, he leads Kandu’s commercialization efforts focused on creating accretive strategic partnerships with payers, providers, and other healthcare enterprises. Duncan holds a Masters degree from Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University, a JD from Southern Methodist University’s Dedman School of Law, and a Bachelor’s degree in finance from Texas Tech University.

“We have seen very promising results in data collected from some of the first 50 stroke survivors enrolled in our program, and these survivors have uniformly endorsed the program, noting that it has strengthened their health, agency and quality of life. I am excited to continue scaling our program to have an impact on many more stroke survivors and their families,” Duncan said.