PENSACOLA, Fla.—Intelligent Retinal Imaging Systems (IRIS), an industry leader in early detection systems for diabetic eye disease, has appointed Chris Belmont as interim chief executive officer. He succeeds Jason Crawford, who stepped down in January. IRIS, which said it has surpassed 250,000 diabetic retinopathy examinations, said the move positions the company for continued growth, according to the announcement. Belmont is the former senior vice president and chief information officer of MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, which is ranked as the No. 1 cancer center in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, according to the announcement.

He also previously served as CIO and senior vice president of Ochsner Health System, Louisiana's largest nonprofit, academic, multispecialty health care delivery system.

IRIS, which was founded in 2011, is a leader in early detection systems for diabetic eye disease. The company's IRIS solution is an end-to-end FDA-cleared, telemedicine system that has improved quality, expanded access and reduced costs for diabetic retinopathy exams across the U.S.

“After careful planning and a strategic review of the company, the board of directors has decided to make a change in direction,” Dr. Sunil Gupta, chairman, founder and chief medical officer, said in the announcement. “We want to thank Jason for his service and contributions over the last five years leading IRIS to our current phase of growth and in our mission to end preventable blindness. We are excited to welcome Chris Belmont, whose experience includes more than 25 years of leadership in some of the world's most respected patient care organizations, as well as membership on our initial board of advisors at IRIS.”

In addition to his leadership roles at Ochsner and MD Anderson, Belmont has previously held senior IT positions at top health care technology companies, including Siemens Medical Solutions. “I'm grateful for the opportunity to lead IRIS in helping medical groups and health systems end preventable blindness for people with diabetes,” Belmont said. “We believe strongly in our mission, and we have been very fortunate to partner with a growing number of organizations who are working within their patient populations to make a difference.”

In addition, IRIS also named Steve Martin as chief commercial officer and Scott Ginnetti as vice president of human resources and leadership development.