A portrait of Dr. Ron Silverman, the next chief medical officer of Becton, Dickinson & Co.
Dr. Ron Silverman is the next chief medical officer of Becton, Dickinson & Co. [Photo courtesy of BD]

Becton, Dickinson & Co.

(NYSE: BDX)

today named Dr. Ronald “Ron” Silverman as EVP and chief medical officer.

He replaces BD Chief Medical Officer Dr. William Sigmund, who announced plans to retire from BD earlier this year. The change takes effect Dec. 4, 2023.

Silverman comes from 3M Health Care, where he served as SVP and chief medical officer since 2021. He will lead BD’s medical affairs organization across BD’s business units, regions and central team.

Franklin Lakes, New Jersey-based BD said Silverman “will use medical insights and expertise to advance BD’s pipeline of clinically relevant, innovative solutions that align with evolving patient needs, while also contributing to the safety and compliance of BD’s in-market portfolio of products.”

Silverman will report to BD EVP and Chief Technology Officer Beth McCombs.

“Ron has been dedicated to advancing care for nearly 30 years, working across clinical practice, academic research and industry roles,” McCombs said in a news release. “Ron’s broad expertise and passion for innovation, evidence generation, clinical development, real-world evidence, medical safety, and compliance will help BD build upon our exciting innovation pipeline and promote better outcomes for patients and providers by enabling increasingly efficient, effective and personalized care.”

Before working with 3M and its healthcare business— which 3M plans to spin off as an independent entity called Solventum in the first half of 2024 — Silverman was was chief of plastic surgery at the University of Maryland Medical Center. He still holds academic appointments at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, BD said.

BD is the world’s 11th-largest medical device company, according to Medical Design & Outsourcing‘s 2023 Medtech Big 100 ranking by revenue. 3M’s healthcare segment ranked 17th on that list.