In 2008, Grisham was elected to the board of directors of the Focused Ultrasound Foundation. His role was to help the foundation obtain philanthropic support to accelerate the development of the technology and increase awareness of it.

The Focused Ultrasound Foundation is actively fostering collaborations with research sites and manufacturers through a variety of activities including meetings, symposia and workshops. They also are aiming to change the culture among stakeholders to make it more patient-centric with a sense of urgency.


Even though the focused ultrasound field is still in its early stages, it has still come a long way, according to Kassell. There are now 35 manufacturers in the field, which is an increase from about five a decade ago, and there are 58 clinical indications, which is an increase from three a decade ago.

There is not yet widespread reimbursement from government and private payors for focused ultrasound treatment. But despite that, Kassell still feels that the treatment is on the cusp of a breakthrough.

“As we know in biomedical research and medical device development, things occur non-linearly,” said Kassell. “We have the sense that we are right at the curve and that all of the work that has gone on for the past couple of decades is going to translate into commercial, successful treatments within the next couple of years.”

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