William “Bill” Christy took over as CEO of Akron-area diagnostic device maker SpineMatrix Inc. in December. Christy sees the opportunity to help doctors and insurers improve the quality of health care as “truly exciting.”

SpineMatrix Inc., developer of a device that diagnoses the source of lower back pain in a unique way, has hired medical device industry veteran William “Bill” Christy as its chief executive officer. The founder of several medical device companies, Christy may be the CEO who helps early-stage SpineMatrix build share in a medical imaging market dominated by other technologies.

Ben Shappley, president and chief executive since 2006 of SpineMatrix Inc., developer of a device that diagnoses the source of lower back pain in a unique way, has gone to work for Amedica Corp. in Salt Lake City, Utah. Shappley led the company through the completion of its clinical trial and regulatory clearance processes. Shappley helped SpineMatrix through its clinical trials and regulatory clearance, and to land $8 million in its second round of financing.