Ruba Sarris Sawaya’s stellar career in the medical technology sector has been marked by a holistic approach to device commercialization that distinguishes her among peers who often specialize narrowly in regulatory or clinical affairs. Since 2022, she has found success as the chief executive officer and managing partner of MediStrat360, a company she founded after assisting a colleague with a startup. Under her leadership, MediStrat360 has grown from serving a single client to supporting 13, providing expertise in regulatory submission strategy, crisis management involving the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Union (EU) regulatory bodies, and commercialization and reimbursement strategies for startups. Her responsibilities also include leading fundraising and device development initiatives for Otricath NHC LLC, where she has excelled as the chief operating officer since 2025.
Additionally, Mrs. Sawaya has served as an executive advisor for device commercialization at the Texas Medical Center Innovation Factory in Houston, Texas since 2018. In this capacity, she provides training and workshops on commercialization and regulatory strategy to device-focused cohorts. She has been active as a member of Chief, Texas since 2021 and as fractional chief commercialization officer at RizLab Health Inc. in 2024. Her expertise was further sought as head of quality, regulatory and clinical affairs and interim senior executive advisor at Alertgy from 2023 to 2024, as well as fractional chief scientific officer at TYBR Health during the same period.
From 2022 to 2023, Mrs. Sawaya worked as the chief executive advisor for quality, regulatory and clinical affairs at CareNexa LLC, doing business as Molecular Testing Labs. Prior to these roles, she was appointed as the vice president of clinical affairs at DJO from 2019 to 2022 following her tenure as senior manager for strategy, business development, clinical research and market access at Medtronic in Houston from 2015 to 2019. She also contributed to NS Restorative Therapies at Medtronic from 2014 to 2019.
A pivotal period in Mrs. Sawaya’s career was her time at Orthofix Medical Inc., where she flourished as the director of government affairs and reimbursement, clinical affairs and health economics outcomes research from 2010 to 2014. During this tenure, she led the formation of a bone growth coalition among Orthofix, Smith & Nephew and another company with King & Spalding as legal counsel. This coalition successfully lobbied against the down-classification of bone growth stimulators by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, resulting in a grandfathering clause that preserved patient access to these devices. Mrs. Sawaya regards this achievement as her proudest professional accomplishment due to its direct impact on patient care.
Further posts to Mrs. Saway’s credit include the co-founder of TrudiCorp – Food Tours of America from 2011 to 2013, a national account manager at Cambridge Research & Instrumentation, now known as PerkinElmer, from 2008 to 2009, and a consultant for VisualSonics, now known as FUJIFILM VisualSonics Inc., from 2003 to 2005. Her career began with research experience at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.
Throughout her career, Mrs. Sawaya has developed expertise across clinical affairs, regulatory strategy, scaling operations and mergers and acquisitions. She is recognized for her willingness to take on responsibilities beyond her formal roles whenever organizational needs arise, an approach that has shaped her into a versatile leader capable of navigating complex challenges across multiple domains of medtech innovation. Her professional affiliations include the North American Spine Society and the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, among several other industry organizations.
To support her professional ambitions, Mrs. Sawaya pursued an education at Austin College in Sherman, Texas, from which she earned a bachelor’s degree in biology with minors in chemistry, physics, and English and completed the Executive Management Leadership Program at the Posey Leadership Institute in 2003. She ultimately graduated with a Master of Public Health with a concentration in epidemiology from UTHealth Houston in 2018. Mrs. Sawaya completed the latter degree while holding a director-level position at Orthofix Medical Inc., balancing graduate study with demanding professional responsibilities over nearly three years.
Mrs. Sawaya credits much of her success to the influence of driven parents who set high expectations for hard work and education as well as mentors who provided guidance and constructive feedback throughout her career journey. Born in Amman before immigrating to the United States with limited English proficiency, she overcame early challenges by working multiple jobs during high school and obtaining a full scholarship to Austin College. As the eldest of five siblings raised by refugee parents who valued opportunity and resilience, Mrs. Sawaya has taken on caretaking responsibilities within her family while drawing inspiration from relatives such as an uncle who volunteered his time as a cardiologist.
Civic engagement has been central to Mrs. Sawaya’s life outside of work. She operated for nearly three years as board president of the Houston Palestine Film Festival in Houston, Texas. Her dedication to mentorship is evident through her ongoing commitment as a career mentor for women in medtech — an effort that has spanned more than a decade and impacted approximately a dozen women through monthly calls focused on resume building and career development.
Looking toward the future, Mrs. Sawaya envisions expanding her impact beyond commercial ventures by focusing on government healthcare initiatives that could benefit entire communities within the United States or abroad. She is also considering involvement in water treatment projects aimed at addressing critical needs in developing countries and hopes to increase awareness about medtech careers among high school students through mentorship or internship programs. Ultimately, she seeks to transition toward philanthropic efforts centered on expanding opportunities for women in medtech and advancing global healthcare initiatives.