SAN DIEGO, Feb. 20, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Tandem Diabetes Care, Inc. ("Tandem") today announced the appointment of Lonnie Smith as Chairman of its Board of Directors.  Mr. Smith is Chairman of the Board and former chief executive officer of Intuitive Surgical.  He succeeds Dick Allen , who will continue as a member of the Board.

"Lonnie is an ideal Board leader for the Company at this exciting juncture in our evolution," said Dick Allen . "I am confident that with Lonnie's strategic guidance, the very successful operating experience of our CEO, Kim Blickenstaff , and the talents of our committed employees, we will significantly expand our commercial capabilities to get the t:slim Insulin Pump and our future products in the hands of people in the diabetes community who can benefit from them most."

"I am honored to be named Chairman and am committed to maximizing the opportunities we have at Tandem," said Lonnie Smith .  "The t:slim Insulin Pump is an exciting product, and I believe Tandem's development pipeline includes technology that will change the face of infusion therapy for people with diabetes."

Lonnie Smith 's career in the medical device industry spans more than four decades.  Mr. Smith is Chairman of the Board and an executive officer of Intuitive Surgical, where he previously served as chief executive officer from May 1997 to January 1, 2010.  Prior to joining Intuitive Surgical, Mr. Smith was senior executive vice president for Hillenbrand Industries, and he has also held positions with The Boston Consulting Group and IBM Corporation. Mr. Smith received his MBA from Harvard Business School and a BS in Electrical Engineering from Utah State University.

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