Dr. Joseph F. Amaral (Dr. Joe) is Vice President of Medical Devices and Diagnostics Emerging Technologies for Johnson and Johnson Corporation. In this role he provides scientific leadership to the MD&D sector of Johnson and Johnson Corporation by identifying sustaining, disruptive and/or white space science and technology opportunities of strategic relevance; provides context, and perspective to MD&D companies on arenas of emerging science and technology; and ensures access to game changing science and technology in areas of strategic relevance to MD&D. In this role, particular areas of focus are regenerative medicine, emerging surgical technologies such as robotics and nanotechnologies, and treatment of disorders with significant unmet needs such as sleep apnea.
Most recently, Dr. Amaral was President and CEO of Rhode Island Hospital (RIH) and its pediatric division Hasbro Children’s Hospital from 2000 to 20007 and also served as its COO for 3 1/2 years. This is the state of Rhode Island’s largest private employer, Brown University’s largest teaching affiliate, and the third largest hospital in New England. During this period, he led a financial turnaround while at the same time investing over $450 million in renovation projects, new technologies and new facilities and tripling externally funded research.
He is internationally recognized as a pioneer in laparoscopic (minimally invasive) surgery. He introduced these approaches to Rhode Island and New England in 1990. He has performed approximately 3,000 laparoscopic procedures and trained hundreds of practicing surgeons in these techniques throughout New England, broadly across the U.S., and around the world. He has operated in 20 countries and on five continents.
Dr. Amaral was instrumental in the success of Ultracision, a startup company, by developing with company CEO Tom Davison, Ph.D., the Harmonic Scalpel, the first and still leading ultrasonically activated cutting and coagulating surgical device. He has served as a consultant, advisory board member and board member to multiple leading healthcare biotech and startup companies.
He is Professor of Surgery at Brown University School of Medicine, member of 25+ professional societies, author of 80+ papers and book chapters and has delivered 250+ national and international presentations. Prior to becoming RIH President and CEO, Dr. Amaral was Chairman of the Department of Surgery at Brown University School of Medicine, Chief of Surgery at Rhode Island Hospital, President of University Surgical Associates and Executive Chief of Surgery at Lifespan Affiliated Hospitals
He graduated summa cum laude in 1977 from Providence College, obtained his MD degree from Brown Medical School in 1981 and completed his surgical residency training at Brown University/Rhode Island Hospital in 1989.
