NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes, a nuclear medicine company based out of Madison, Wis., announced it has hired Stephen Merrick to be the company’s senior vice president and chief operating officer.

Merrick has more than two decades of experience working for large companies in the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and life science industries. He was most recently the vice president of international marketing for Baxter International’s Hospital Products business.

Merrick will be responsible for “day-to-day operations” at NorthStar as it continues to develop its new processes for producing molybdenum-99 (Mo-99).

“Stephen brings the ideal background and skill set to NorthStar as we take the final steps toward becoming the first domestic supplier of Mo-99 since 1989,” George P. Messina, NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes president and CEO, said in a prepared statement. “He has been a senior leader with some of the premiere companies in the industry and has deep experience in operations, marketing and overseeing strategic initiatives. He has a long track record of successfully managing products through all stages of their lifecycles. We are delighted to welcome him to our team.”