Jim Mottola

Jim Mottola is a medical device innovation executive and strategic advisor with more than 35 years of experience leading global R&D, product development, and commercialization efforts. He currently serves as Executive Advisor, Engineering at the University of Utah’s Center for Medical Innovation and previously was Executive Vice President of Global Research & Development at Merit Medical Systems. During his 20+ years at Merit, he led an international team of over 200 engineers and scientists, overseeing dozens of concurrent development programs and driving product innovations that grew to represent approximately 60% of the company’s sales portfolio. He also played a key role in more than 70 acquisitions, guiding technology integration and R&D expansion. His expertise spans multiple medical device markets, including cardiovascular, vascular, electrophysiology, spinal, and interventional technologies. Jim holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.