Michael A. Mussallem was appointed chairman and chief executive officer of Edwards Lifesciences in 2000, when it became an independent, publicly traded company. Under his leadership, Edwards has established its position as a global leader in patient-focused medical innovations with the introduction of lifesaving and life-sustaining therapies such as transcatheter aortic valve replacement, rapid-deployment surgical heart valve replacement and non-invasive hemodynamic monitoring. Driven by a passion to help patients, the company collaborates with the world's leading clinicians and researchers to address unmet healthcare needs, working to improve patient outcomes and enhance lives while delivering value to the healthcare system. Mussallem has not only led the development and successful implementation of the company’s patient-focused innovation strategy, but also established Edwards’ commitment to philanthropy and corporate social responsibility. Over the last 13 years, Edwards Lifesciences Foundation has supported communities and causes around the world with more than $60 million in charitable giving and volunteerism. In 2014, Edwards Lifesciences Foundation launched Every Heartbeat Matters with the goal to reach 1 million underserved people by 2020. In 2019, the foundation exceeded that goal and has since increased the commitment to reach 1.5 million patients by 2020. During Mussallem’s tenure, Edwards was recognized among the World’s Most Ethical Companies by the Ethisphere Institute, an organization that defines and advances standards of ethical business practices. In 2018, Edwards Lifesciences was named as one of the Management Top 250 by the Wall Street Journal in partnership with the Drucker Institute, and was also cited as one of the “7 Companies That Do Everything Well” achieving high marks in five dimensions of corporate performance. Mussallem has been included in the Forum for Corporate Directors Hall of Fame and received a number of honors including the UC Irvine Medal, a lifetime achievement award from The Phoenix Conference and the Wenger Award for Excellence in Corporate Leadership by WomenHeart. Prior to his current position, Mussallem held a variety of positions at Baxter International from 1979 until 2000, when Edwards was spun off from Baxter. Currently, Mussallem serves on the board of the Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed) and is an advisory board member for the Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics at the University of Southern California. He is a trustee of the University of California, Irvine Foundation and the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Indiana. Mussallem has served as board chairman of both AdvaMed and the California Healthcare Institute (CHI). He received a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering and an honorary doctorate degree from the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.