Penumbra Appoints Dr. Donald Frei as Associate Chief Medical Officer of Neuro

August 11, 2026—Penumbra announced today that Donald Frei, MD, will serve as Associate Chief Medical Officer of Neuro.

The press release stated that Dr. Frei will be reporting to James Benenati, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Penumbra, to help guide the company’s neurovascular clinical strategy, support evidence development, and collaborate with physicians worldwide to advance patient care.

The company noted Dr. Frei is a nationally recognized neurointerventional surgeon who brings his clinical and research expertise in stroke and neurovascular care to Penumbra’s clinical leadership team.

He is a Past President and a Fellow of Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery (SNIS) as well as a Fellow of the American College of Radiology. Dr. Frei was also instrumental in launching SNIS’s Get Ahead of Stroke campaign to improve stroke triage and expand access to neuroendovascular care.

As noted in the press release, Dr. Frei was the Coprincipal Investigator of the THUNDER study, which demonstrated the safety and effectiveness of Penumbra’s computer-assisted vacuum thrombectomy (CAVT) platform with its Thunderbolt technology.

Penumbra recently announced that the results of the THUNDER study were presented during a late-breaking session at the Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery’s SNIS 23rd annual meeting in July 2026.

The study findings supported FDA clearance and CE Mark approval for the Thunderbolt CAVT platform for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke, which were announced in June.

“Dr. Frei has dedicated his career to advancing neurovascular care, from pioneering faster stroke recanalization protocols to helping establish the clinical evidence behind therapies that improve patient outcomes,” commented Dr. Benenati in Penumbra’s press release. “His deep clinical expertise, commitment to innovation, and passion for patient care will be invaluable as we continue to expand the impact of our neurovascular technologies around the world.”

Dr. Frei added, “With the recent launch of CAVT with Thunderbolt, the neurovascular space is prime for transformation. I look forward to this opportunity to help advance innovation, generate evidence, deepen trust, and closer collaboration with our medical and professional societies, and improve access to care so more patients are able to benefit from the latest technology.”