Vascular Perfusion Solutions Names Transplant Surgeon and Organ-Recovery Leader Dr. Hassan A. Tetteh as Chairman of the Board

Surgeon, company founder, retired U.S. Navy Captain, and healthcare AI leader joins VPS ahead of its first-in-human milestone

SAN ANTONIO, July 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Vascular Perfusion Solutions, Inc. (VPS), a medical device company developing the VP.S ENCORE^® portable hypothermic oxygenated perfusion (HOPE) platform for donor organ preservation and transport, today announced the appointment of Dr. Hassan A. Tetteh, MD, MBA, MPA, MS, FACS, FAMIA, as Chairman of its Board of Directors.

His appointment comes at a pivotal moment for VPS as the company prepares for its first-in-human program and expands its grant-funded research pipeline.

"Dr. Tetteh has spent his career at the intersection of transplant surgery, technology, and service to others, the same intersection that defines VPS," said Dr. Rafael J. Veraza, CEO and President of VPS. "He has recovered hearts and lungs, built and exited a company in our field, and leads organ recovery at national scale today. Having him as Chairman is both a strategic and a deeply personal milestone for our mission."

A native of Brooklyn, New York, Dr. Tetteh is a board-certified thoracic, general, and clinical informatics surgeon and a retired U.S. Navy Captain with more than 25 years of service, including combat trauma surgery in Afghanistan. He founded and led Specialized Thoracic Adapted Recovery (STAR) Teams, Inc., later acquired by a major medical device company, and today serves as Vice President of Vituity Organ Recovery, leading organ recovery and procurement for one of the nation's largest physician-led healthcare organizations.

Dr. Tetteh is also a national leader in healthcare artificial intelligence, having served as Warfighter Health Mission Chief at the Department of Defense Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC) and as an AI strategist for the DoD Chief Data and AI Office (CDAO). An Associate Professor of Surgery at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, he holds MD, MPA, MBA, and MS degrees and is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the American Medical Informatics Association.

"VPS is solving one of the most consequential and overlooked problems in transplantation: how we preserve and move the gift of life so more patients, including children and those in underserved communities, get a fair chance at a transplant," said Dr. Hassan A. Tetteh. "The science is elegant, the platform is practical, and the mission is profoundly human. I am honored to serve as Chairman."

As Chairman, Dr. Tetteh will provide governance leadership and strategic guidance as VPS advances the VP.S ENCORE^® platform toward its first-in-human program in underutilized hearts, including pediatric cases.

About the VP.S ENCORE^®

The VP.S ENCORE^® is a portable hypothermic oxygenated perfusion (HOPE) system designed to keep donor organs viable during transport. Built on a reusable Base Unit, a disposable Perfusion Cassette, and organ-specific Cannula Kits, it is engineered for simplicity, portability, pediatric capability, and use across multiple organ types. It was granted FDA Breakthrough Device Designation in 2021.

About Vascular Perfusion Solutions

Vascular Perfusion Solutions, Inc. (VPS) is a San Antonio, Texas-based medical technology company advancing organ preservation to expand the reach and equity of transplantation. Founded on the belief that every patient deserves access to the gift of life, VPS is developing the VP.S ENCORE^® HOPE platform to make donor organ preservation simpler, more portable, and more affordable. Its pipeline spans heart and kidney, with research in advanced perfusates and multi-organ preservation.

For more information, visit www.vascularperfusion.solutions.

Media Contact:
Rafael Veraza
210-977-0191
[email protected]

SOURCE Vascular Perfusion Solutions, Inc.