8-K

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

Current Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of

The Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported) September 21, 2004

Natus Medical Incorporated

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware	000-33001	77-0154833
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)	(Commission File Number)	(IRS Employer Identification No.)

1501 Industrial Road, San Carlos, California 94070

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (650) 802-0400

Not applicable

(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

¨ Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

¨ Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

¨ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

¨ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

ITEM 8.01. OTHER EVENTS.

On September 22, 2004, Natus Medical Incorporated (the “Company”) issued a press release announcing the appointment of Robert A. Gunst as chairman of the board of directors. A copy of the press release is filed as an exhibit to this Current Report on Form 8-K.

ITEM 9.01. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND EXHIBITS.

(c) Exhibits.

Exhibit No.	Description
99.1	Press release dated September 22, 2004 announcing the appointment of Robert A. Gunst as chairman of the board of directors.

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

	NATUS MEDICAL INCORPORATED
Dated: September 22, 2004	By:	/s/ Steven J. Murphy
		Steven J. Murphy
		Vice President, Finance and Principal Accounting Officer

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EX-99.1

Exhibit 99.1

NATUS NAMES ROBERT A. GUNST CHAIRMAN

Co-founder William New to Remain on Board

SAN CARLOS, Calif. (September 22, 2004) – Natus Medical Incorporated (Nasdaq NM: BABY) today announced the appointment of current director Robert A. Gunst to the position of chairman of the board effective immediately. Mr. Gunst was elected to the Natus board at the Company’s annual meeting of stockholders in June 2004. He assumes the position of chairman from Natus’ co-founder William New, Jr., M.D., Ph.D., who has served as chairman since the Company’s inception in 1989. Dr. New will continue to serve as a director of the Company.

About his appointment, Mr. Gunst said, “I’m exceptionally pleased to assume the chairman role at this pivotal time in our corporate history as we move toward our goal of sustained profitability. At the same time, we are fortunate that Dr. New will continue as a director. He has been a driving force behind Natus’ development and will continue to bring us the valuable knowledge he has gained during his 30 years in the medical device industry.”

Dr. New remarked that the timing was right for him to relinquish the chairman role, adding, “With the addition of three new independent board members this year, I believe Natus has brought a new level of expertise and independence to the board. I look forward to working with Bob and the other directors.”

Natus further announced that Mark D. Michael, who joined the Company’s board in April 2004, was appointed chair of the nominating and governance committee. Ken Ludlum will continue to chair the audit committee, and William M. Moore, a co-founder of the Company, will continue to chair the compensation committee. James B. Hawkins, Natus’ president and chief executive officer, and Doris Engibous, who joined the board in April 2004, round out the board of directors. The board has also adopted new corporate governance principles that will be posted to the Company web site.

About Natus Medical

Natus develops, manufactures, and markets products for the detection, treatment, monitoring, and tracking of common disorders in newborns. Natus markets and sells its products worldwide through a direct sales force in the U.S. and the U.K. and through distributors in over 30 other countries. Additional information about Natus Medical can be found at www.natus.com.

Natus’ product lines include: ALGO^® Newborn Hearing Screeners, MiniMuffs^® Neonatal Noise Attenuators, neoBLUE^™ LED Phototherapy device; Biliband^™ Eye Protectors; Oxydome^™, Oxypod^®, Oxy-Igloo^®, and Foldadome^™ oxygen hoods; Igloo^® neonatal heatshield; Neometrics^™ software products: MSDS^™ Metabolic Screening Database System, CMS^™ Case Management System, WebEBP^™ Web Based Electronic Birth Page, and VRS^™ Voice Response System.

Natus^®, AABR^®, ALGO^®, ALGO 1e^®, ALGO 2^®, ALGO DataBook^®, 70/40^®, Ear Couplers^®, Flexicoupler^®, Jelly Tab^®, Jelly Button^®, and MiniMuffs^® are registered trademarks of Natus. Natus Elite^™, Convert2Natus^™, neoBLUE^™, Neometrics^™, Metabolic Screening Database System (MSDS)^™, Case Management System (CMS)^™, Voice Response System (VRS)^™, Web Electronic Birth Page (Web-EBP)^™, and Accuwell^™ are non-registered trademarks of Natus. Solutions for Newborn Care^SM is a non-registered service mark of Natus.

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