LATAM Medtech Leaders: Recent Episodes
Julio G. Martinez-Clark
Medtech companies struggle to find a cost-effective clinical trial site or to gain market share in Latin America. The LATAM Medtech Leaders podcast delivers insightful interviews with leaders of medical technology companies with meaningful experience conducting first-in-man trials or with the commercialization of their medical devices in Latin America. They talk about their experiences in the region and provide a pathway for other leaders to follow so that they can save time and avoid costly mistakes.
In this episode, we sit down with David M. Kraemer, Founder of a boutique investment bank and former Vice President at Merrill Lynch and Wilshire Consulting. With deep experience across public and private markets, David shares insights on capital formation, innovation, and navigating complex investment landscapes.
From biotech and MedTech to AI, robotics, and venture capital, his perspective bridges finance and technology in today’s fast-changing world. Tune in to hear how he’s built global partnerships and what drives his success in the ever-evolving world of investment and entrepreneurship.
Today we’re joined by Dr. Joseph M. Palumbo, a physician-scientist, mentor, and therapeutics developer with more than three decades of leadership in psychiatry, neurology, and neurodegenerative research.
Dr. Palumbo has led groundbreaking work across the full R&D spectrum—from preclinical innovation to global drug approvals—advancing programs valued at over $1 billion. He has held senior leadership roles as Global Head of Psychiatry at Johnson & Johnson, Vice President & Fellow at Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma, and Chief Medical Officer at Zynerba and BioVie.
His contributions include several successful FDA approvals, including Risperdal Consta®, Invega®, Invega Sustenna®, and Radicava®. At BioVie, he currently serves as Executive Vice President, Head of R&D, and Chief Medical Officer, as well as Principal Investigator on a $13 million U.S. Department of Defense study on Long COVID.
A Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and Fellow of the American Neurological Association, Dr. Palumbo brings a rare combination of scientific innovation and executive leadership—bridging translational medicine, enterprise strategy, and patient impact.
In this episode, we welcome Nicholas Kadysh, CEO of PharmAla Biotech, the company pioneering GMP MDMA production and named the top-performing stock on the Canadian capital markets in 2023 by The Market Herald.
As Chair of Psychedelics Canada, Nicholas has been instrumental in advancing legal and ethical standards, building strong relationships with government, and shaping a regulatory landscape where healthcare innovation can thrive. His leadership has also been recognized by The Peak, which honored him in 2023 for emerging leadership in healthcare.
Tune in for an insightful conversation on the future of psychedelic medicine, biotech innovation, and the policies driving change in healthcare.
In this episode, we sit down with Carolina [Last Name], a senior biotech executive with over 25 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry. Carolina is the Founder & Principal of Bio Strategy Advisors, serves on multiple biotech and nonprofit boards, and is the Co-Founder & Co-Chair of Latinos in Bio.
She shares insights from her leadership journey at companies like Genzyme, Aegerion Pharmaceuticals, and Novelion Therapeutics, and discusses the future of biotech, the role of angel investing, and why diversity in innovation matters.
Tune in to hear how Carolina is shaping the next generation of biotech leaders and building a more inclusive innovation ecosystem.
In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Jason Hurt, a clinician-scientist and entrepreneur with extensive experience in radiopharmaceutical development, clinical trial strategy, and oncology drug development.
In March 2025, Dr. Hurt founded Theragnostic Insights, a consulting and strategic advisory firm focused on advancing theranostic solutions and radioligand therapies—pioneering approaches that are shaping the future of cancer treatment.
In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Martin R. Schiller, Prabhu Endowed Professor at UNLV, Founding Director of the Nevada Institute of Personalized Medicine, and founder of Heligenics Inc. Dr. Schiller shares his journey from academia to entrepreneurship, the breakthroughs behind the GigaAssay technology, and how personalized medicine is shaping the future of healthcare.
Tune in to learn how cutting-edge research in genomics and biotechnology is being translated into real-world therapies and diagnostics.
Today’s guest is Ross O. Youngs, Founder and CEO, with over 35 years of experience inventing products, technologies, and processes across multiple industries. He holds more than 75 patents worldwide and is driven by a passion for creating innovations that are better, faster, and more cost-effective.
His recent accomplishments include winning an R&D 100 Award for his work in biopolymer technologies. In 2009, his company Biosortia was awarded a $6 million ARPA-E grant from the U.S. Department of Energy for its algal harvesting technology—work that paved the way for Biosortia’s cutting-edge drug discovery platform.
Throughout his career, Ross has been widely recognized for his entrepreneurial leadership, including being named Ernst & Young Ohio Entrepreneur of the Year and receiving the U.S. Small Business Administration’s “Business Person of the Year” award, presented to him by then-Vice President Al Gore.
Today we’re joined by Gianluca Fontana, CEO and Co-Founder of Prova Health—the London-based advisory firm helping digital health and life sciences innovators prove their value with rock-solid clinical and economic evidence. With a background as a McKinsey consultant and Deputy Director at Imperial College London’s Institute of Global Health Innovation, Gianluca has led billion-pound research programs like the NHS Digital Academy and the REACT COVID-19 study. His published work on digital health evaluation has been cited hundreds of times, and through Prova Health he now works with global pharma and AI-medtech scale-ups to accelerate evidence generation and build lasting capabilities. Fluent in four languages and trained in both economics and marketing at Bocconi University, Gianluca brings a rare mix of scientific rigor and commercial insight—making him an invaluable voice in the race to deliver safer, smarter healthcare at scale.
Could opioids be silently undermining cancer immunotherapy?
This week, Justin Chickles — CEO and co-founder of Glycyx Therapeutics — explains how his team is tackling this overlooked challenge with axelopran, a breakthrough therapy now advancing to Phase 2 trials.
From his early career at Johnson & Johnson to leading multiple startups, Justin offers a rare, insider’s perspective on driving biotech innovation from concept to clinic. If you’re interested in cutting-edge oncology, translational science, and biotech entrepreneurship, you won’t want to miss this episode.
Today’s guest is Dr. Sarfaraz K. Niazi, a globally recognized biopharmaceutical scientist, regulatory advisor, prolific author, and inventor. Dr. Niazi works closely with regulatory authorities to streamline guidelines and help companies comply in bringing biotherapeutic products to market—including biosimilars, gene therapies, mRNA vaccines, and advanced protein delivery systems.
He has published hundreds of books and scientific papers, sharing both the science and the art of making life-saving treatments accessible to patients. With over 100 U.S. biotechnology patents—all offered royalty-free—Dr. Niazi is a true advocate for innovation and global health equity.
In this episode, we sit down with Steve Duddy, a powerhouse executive with over 20 years of experience leading high-impact transformations across startups and Fortune 500 companies like 3M and Johnson & Johnson. Steve shares his unique approach to uncovering hidden opportunities, turning ambiguity into actionable strategy, and executing bold roadmaps that drive outsized results.
We dive into how he’s helped scale companies from near-zero to over $35M in ARR in under two years, his success accelerating growth through global distributor networks, and his role as an embedded executive and board director across early- to mid-stage ventures.
With a fiercely competitive mindset, deep strategic insight, and hands-on operational expertise, Steve walks us through how he tackles complex challenges in global supply chains, commercialization in highly regulated markets, and successful exits via M&A and IPO.
This episode is a must-listen for founders, operators, and investors in the HealthTech space who want to understand what it takes to turn overlooked opportunities into industry-defining success stories.
Andrés Herrero is a dynamic entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience in the healthcare and medical device industries. Andrés has founded his company “i 2 medi” ten years ago with the purpose to gain market access for innovative medical device companies in Latin America. Today the company has evolved from consultancy company to a full fledge medical device and health IT-distributor with its in house hard- and software service teams and regulatory services. i2medi is focused on cardiology as well as health IT solutions for hospitals and the group operates with affiliated companies in Brazil Colombia and Mexico, as well as in Germany to maintain close contact to its European clients. Andrés and i2medi
have a proven track record in achieving guideline acceptance with national clinical societies in LATAM for new technological innovations. By this means they are paving the way for innovations to private and public health insurance reimbursements.
Andres has also proven track record as Senior Executive in Biotronik, Abbot and caresyntax (former St. Jude Medical) driving business growth, managing key accounts, and overseeing global operations. He is an expert in sales, market access, marketing, and strategic planning with deep knowledge of the European and Latin American markets. His analytical skills and business acumen are supported by a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and an MBA.
Javier Handal is a Medical Doctor with expertise in clinical research and pharmaceutical industry operations. As the leader of MRx Solution, a Site Management Organization (SMO), he is driving the development of a robust network of research sites across Central America. Javier excels in building strategic partnerships, optimizing operations, and ensuring adherence to international research standards. His proactive mindset, attention to detail, and commitment to excellence enable him to deliver impactful outcomes. Dedicated to advancing healthcare innovation in the region, he leverages leadership, expertise, and collaboration to make significant contributions to clinical research.
Today, we have the privilege of speaking with Andrew, a distinguished leader with over 15 years of international experience in marketing, commercial excellence, and business strategy. Throughout his career, he has led large teams at top pharmaceutical and medical device companies, including Novartis, Terumo, and Penumbra Inc. Andrew is a proud graduate of the IGNITE Program at Stanford Graduate School of Business and has also studied at several other prestigious international business schools. His expertise and journey in medical innovation make him a key voice in understanding the challenges and opportunities within the industry.
In this episode of LATAM Medtech Leaders, we sit down with Daniel Estay, a seasoned medical technology executive with a wealth of global experience. Daniel shares insights from his journey leading and developing fully integrated businesses across small, mid-sized, and large companies. With extensive expertise in general management, commercial operations, and business development, he offers a unique perspective on navigating the complexities of the medtech industry.
We delve into his deep understanding of U.S. and international markets, including the opportunities and challenges of emerging markets in Asia Pacific and Latin America. Whether you're a medtech entrepreneur, investor, or enthusiast, this episode is packed with valuable lessons and strategies for driving success in the ever-evolving healthcare landscape.
Tune in to explore the future of medtech through Daniel's expert lens!
Paulo Fernandes is a distinguished clinical research executive with extensive experience in international clinical trials across various phases and therapeutic areas. With a solid foundation in the CRO industry, he has successfully held roles in project management, start-up, operations management, and business development. Paulo has worked at renowned CROs such as PPD, Covance, and IQVIA. Recently, he structured a healthcare sector start-up for a group of investors, showcasing his entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to high-impact public health initiatives. Additionally, he has 10 years of experience at the Brazilian Association of Clinical Research Organizations, including 4 years as the President of the Board of Directors. Paulo holds a specialization in Clinical Pharmacology from USCS, a degree in Pharmacy and Biochemistry from FCF-USP, and training in Business and Project Management from FIA, along with an Executive MBA from INSPER.
Miriam is a seasoned professional in Health and Law, specializing in Sanitary Regulation and Clinical Research. With over 20 years of experience, she has a track record in planning and executing global, regional, and local clinical development programs, including Bioequivalence studies and Phase I-IV clinical trials. Her expertise spans Clinical Monitoring, Quality Assurance, Budgeting, Contracts & Payments Control, Clinical Trial Supplies, Master File, Pharmacovigilance, and Regulatory Affairs within both pharmaceutical industries and CROs, at national and international levels. She is recognized in the sector as a key opinion leader and a local expert in regulatory matters. Her leadership and active participation in gremial improvement initiatives have been pivotal, building synergies with authorities, academic, and industrial colleagues to further the development and progress of Clinical Research.
Luis is the CEO and Founder of Theradaptive and developed the concept for targeted therapeutic delivery during and following a combat tour in Iraq where several of his soldiers suffered severe extremity injuries. Previously, Luis was the co-founding Deputy Director of the Department of Defense Regenerative Medicine Program and led the department's largest recombinant biologics program through Phase II. Luis was a DARPA Service Chief Fellow and Academy Professor at the United States Military Academy, West Point. Luis received his PhD in Biological Engineering from MIT where he was a Hertz Foundation Fellow.
Etienne Nichols is a Medical Device Guru and Mechanical Engineer who loves learning and teaching how systems work together. He has manufacturing and product development experience, even aiding in developing combination drug-delivery devices, from startups to Fortune 500 companies, and holds a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification. Etienne has managed cross-functional teams for updating legacy products as well as developing new medical devices. His expansive knowledge, experience, and passion for medical devices are evenly matched with how much he enjoys helping customers work efficiently through the design and development process to bring safe, high-quality products to market.
Ruben is the CEO of Alandra Medical. He has dual qualifications in engineering and technology entrepreneurship combined with 16 years of experience in medical device development. Self-motivation, adaptability, trainability, and entrepreneurial drive are his key tools for achieving personal and business goals. Ruben started his career developing hardware and software for medical devices, spending countless hours reading scientific papers, twitching circuits, refining algorithms, and preparing technical reports to deliver products right on time. In a nutshell, his experience as an engineer revolves around developing Class I and II active and sterile medical devices (bio-instrumentation and software); this includes defining design inputs and producing design outputs following state-of-the-art industry standards such as ISO 13485, ISO 14971, IEC 62304 and the IEC 60601 series.
Ernesto has 27 years of experience leading healthcare strategies to drive access and expansion for new products, developing value propositions for public and private stakeholders, and assessing global market opportunities for healthcare companies. He has worked for both government agencies and global healthcare companies in roles ranging from strategic marketing and new product development to health economics and reimbursement. Also, Ernesto led several Market Access projects across the US, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East; Ernesto is the CEO and Founder of ValueConnected.
Ernesto also coordinates the ValueConnected team in applying Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Data Science to address significant unmet needs in healthcare, accelerating the adoption rate of medical technologies that can generate value for patients, payers, and providers. He holds an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin, US, and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Fundação Armando Ávares Penteado(FAAP), in São Paulo, Brazil.
Dr. Antonio Trujillo is an Associate Professor in the Department of International Health with expertise in health economics, the economics of aging, and applied econometrics. Antonio is the co-director of the Master of Health Science (MHS) in Global Health Economics degree program. He teaches an advanced econometrics course on program impact evaluation using observational data and a course on behavioral economics and public health.
Carlos Medina is a Medical Doctor who works with health technology professionals to help them make the best technology for patient care available across Latin America. Carlos has witnessed the many benefits and risks that come with applying technology to solve health problems and is dedicated to helping others follow the best practices available and avoid the missteps that can derail their health technology problems. He has had the privilege to work with local and international companies across most countries in Latin America, helping them to achieve multi-million sales results and establish lasting and efficient global-local collaborations. He is a Licensed Medical Doctor in Mexico City. He is working on finishing his Master's degree in Information Technology for Healthcare while leading the Medical Devices workgroup of the Mexican HealthTech Association.
Yoku Sashida is the CEO & Co-Founder at Kenko Solutions, a company dedicated to managing and developing biomedical projects based on technology. He is responsible for opening economic relationships, capturing technology-based projects, forming work teams to carry out technological development, and administrative and financial accounting. The first product of its own is ecglove, the wearable able to determine the state of the heart in less than 60 seconds.
Luis Santiago is PEGASI's CEO and CTO. By training, he is a social communicator and marketing and public relations professor. By profession, he is a self-taught programmer, technology project manager, and Product Owner, with more than 14 years of experience in the area. He has ventured into banking, IT, and Digital Health. Luis was recognized in 2016 as one of the Young Leaders of the Americas by the American State Department, and in 2020 as one of the 35 Innovators under 35 in Latin America by the MIT Technology Review magazine. He has participated in dozens of international forums and events pointing out the importance of Healthcare digitalization in Latin America.
Dave is the Co-Founder & Executive Chairman at MultiFunctional Imaging, a University of Utah startup company that provides software solutions for improving the efficiency and accessibility of multi-tracer imaging with PET, PET/CT, and PET/MRI scanners. Dolan’s career has been built on successes centering around the commercialization and customer adoption of innovative MedTech products/services. Spanning from Fortune 500 corporations through startups, businesses have benefitted from his track record of success in turning medical device innovation into record growth, high market share, and attractive market valuations. He is a trusted business leader who draws upon an analytical and data-driven approach with KOLs, advising boards of directors, investors, C-level executives, and other stakeholders in identifying and capitalizing on opportunities to advance each organization’s strategic vision.
Josh Cohn has 15 years of experience in the medical device field, rising to National Sales Director of PENTAX Medical, a major endoscope provider. He has a strong history of leading successful sales organizations, building winning strategies, and launching disruptive programs aimed at changing marketplace conventions. As product champion and strategist for all EUS sales, he has attended hundreds of procedures and has established relationships with key opinion leaders, hospital and ASC administrators, and device distributors. In his current role as CCO, Josh will be responsible for the pre-and post-commercialization Sales and Marketing strategy designed to ensure the integrated commercial success of the organization.
Mr. Bigio is a professor in the biomedical engineering department, responsible for the Senior Capstone Design project. Currently, he is also serving as the department head. He comes to the university after having spent 30 years of professional experience working for large multinationals in different parts of the world, including the development of high technology start-ups in Silicon Valley, commercialization of technology used in large infrastructure projects, and coordinating strategic projects for a multinational consortium. Mr. Bigio clearly understands current challenges and opportunities in the biomedical engineering field. He is very focused on improving the education and skills of graduates in order to provide companies with better employees. He has been working with the Biomedical engineering students during their senior capstone design project to address two important aspects of their education; help them improve on the ‘soft’ skills that future employers expect from them, and also teach them about how to become entrepreneurs to give them employability alternatives and promote a much-needed activity in our country.
Widy is the Co-Founder and CEO of two technology companies with vast experience ranging from robotics, product design, fabrication, and automation to the electronic assembly of consumer products, food and beverage tech, biotech, medical devices, and pharmaceutical industries. Widy spent 40+ years living in Puerto Rico, and 20+ supporting pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device companies with a presence in multiple Latin American locations. He led an automation firm that exposed him to FDA regulations, manufacturing, and compliance during that time. Today, he leads a medical device company with a unique RPM product to capture biomarkers and allow those to be maintained in a safe digital format for exchange with healthcare professionals or as a personal health tracking system.
Mauricio A. Berdugo, MD, MPH, is currently the Director of Medical Affairs at Humacyte, Inc. Mauricio has worked in different capacities within the CRO, pharma, diagnostics, and biotech industries in the USA and globally, including Latin America, Europe, and Asia over the past 9 years. His clinical and academic research stems from HIV/AIDS, cardiovascular disease, pulmonary disease, renal disease, and orthopedic spine surgery. Mauricio graduated from medical school at the Universidad Evangelica de El Salvador, completed his Master of Public Health degree from Kaplan University, and he is currently pursuing a Fellowship with the American College of Healthcare Executives.
James has more than 25 years of medical device experience and is currently the CEO of Conformal Medical. Prior to joining Conformal, he led Saranas and private companies such as Drawbridge Health, and Aptus Endosystems as their President, CEO, and member of the board of directors. He held a similar role at the publicly traded medical laser company, Cutera from 2017 to 2019. He was part of the management team that led the turn-around at Cyberonics where he was the EVP & Chief Commercial Officer. James spent 17 years at Boston Scientific in various roles and functions including business development, marketing, and general management. Most of his career at Boston Scientific was spent working and living in Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Additionally, Mr. Reinstein has served as a board director for several medical companies, including publicly traded Mainstay Medical in Dublin, Ireland, Pixium-Vision based in Paris, France, and Monteris Medical a privately held company located in Minnesota. James began his professional career with Proctor & Gamble after earning his Bachelor of Arts in Marketing (BA) degree from the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia in Athens. He also completed graduate studies at INSEAD in Fontainebleau, France.
Gabriel Alejandro Garza Caro is Co-founder & Managing Director at DocTour who works with international travelers and tourists to solve their health problems during their travel. With innovation in tech & processes, a completely new hybrid model has been created to attend to all travelers’ medical needs. Gabriel believes that empowerment, teamwork, strategic planning, and communication are key fundamentals for startups to develop in order to establish early, the way to success in today’s health tech environment. Gabriel is trained in Business Process Management and in Project and Portfolio Management as a Project Management Officer. For Gabriel, the most rewarding part of his role is the ability to innovate and think out of the box to solve everyday business and market challenges.
Prior to working at DocTour, Gabriel began as a Business Process Consultant and Project Manager at CEMEX, where he collaborated to map, design, and create the new CEMEX’s processes, system, and software and implement it in some European countries and in México. Gabriel holds a University Degree in International Commerce from the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM) in México and a Master's Degree in Economics and Society and Master's Degree in Economics of Territorial Development from the Université Toulouse Capitole in France.
Tomás Iglesias is a medical doctor/master in hospital administration/Front-end developer. Tomás is the CEO of Zubia, LATAM's largest digital health marketplace a platform that connects digital health platforms with users that need their services. Currently in 25 countries with more than 400,000 visitors in 10 months from launch, and the co-founder and leader of HealthX, Mexico's largest health-tech community. Tomás is highly passionate about helping others and connecting health with technology.
In 2020, created LATAM's most used COVID-19 suspected case self-assessment platform, reaching 194 countries, 24 million users, and generation 2,500 telemedicine consultations per day.
Dr. Ethan Russo and Nishi Whiteley have worked together for almost 10 years in efforts to:
- improve the scientific understanding of the endocannabinoid system (ECS) and how the cannabis plant modulates it
- assist small and large cannabis companies in product formulation
- advise companies on cannabis genetics enhancements
- consult on pre-clinical and clinical research design.
“We share a vision of making cannabis better and safer believing in a future in which knowledge of the endocannabinoid system and its therapeutic modulation via the cannabis plant will result in superior highly individualized medicines, aids to wellness, enhanced lifestyles, and novel non-toxic industrial products”.
Ethan Russo, MD, is a board-certified neurologist, psychopharmacology researcher, and author. He is the Founder and CEO of CannabisResearch.org. Previously, he was Director of Research and Development at the International Cannabis and Cannabinoids Institute (ICCI) based in Prague, Czech Republic. Medical Director of PHYTECS (2015-2017), a biotechnology company researching and developing innovative approaches targeting the human endocannabinoid system, and from 2003-2014, he served as Senior Medical Advisor, medical monitor, and study physician to GW Pharmaceuticals, United Kingdom for numerous Phase I-III clinical trials of Sativex® for alleviation of cancer pain unresponsive to optimized opioid treatment and initial studies of Epidiolex® for intractable epilepsy.
Nishi Whiteley (pronounced Nee-sha), is the co-founder and Chief Operating Officer at CReDO. She has twenty-five-plus years of international business development experience in cannabis, agriculture, wellness, green energy, and food industries. She has had leadership roles on projects in corporate America and for the US Foreign Ag Service in over 10 countries, in startups, a state agency, and non-profits; as well as worked for foreign governments and met with international leaders in Cuba, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic to open trade and advance development programs. She has worked on investment projects in 8 countries.
Thomas Gibson is the co-founder and chief executive officer at MedGlobal Group, a multisided marketplace for the medical industry. After spending 22 years as an executive for healthcare and hospital organizations, Thomas founded MedGlobal Group with his wife, Patricia, recognizing the need to use technology to help solve the challenges of making healthcare equipment, products, and services accessible to the world. Their international platforms combine technology and tools to help connect manufacturers and distributors with global buyers. Thomas and Patricia believe healthcare is more than a business, and we have a responsibility to ensure medical equipment and products are made available to all parts of the world. Our platforms provide sourcing opportunities for both new and used medical products, and we publish a fully-interactive digital magazine focused on the industry. Thomas holds dual BAs in Business Administration and Emergency Management. Thomas received the American Society of Healthcare Engineering Emerging Leader of the Year Award and is the past president of the Florida Healthcare Engineering Association. Thomas and Patricia also operate the Gibson Soto foundation, a nonprofit that helps young women rise from poverty through education.
Christian is an entrepreneur and advisor in the bio, pharma, healthcare, and technology sectors with 20 years of strategic advisory, business creation, development, and operational experience. He works with biotech companies and VCs on business development and strategy, with industry on innovation, pipeline, and business development, with institutions on technology transfer & innovation, with governments, institutions, and systems on innovation strategy, policy, and ecosystem development, and has served on biotech, patient organization, and non-profit boards.
He led a turn-around of Europe’s largest biotech association which he represented among the BIO "Heads of Associations" group, was the lead advisor, dialogue moderator, and “rapporteur” for the European Commission’s 3-year strategic “Innovation in Healthcare” initiative to revise innovation funding policy based on stakeholder input from industry executives, VCs, biotech CEOs, and technology transfer directors, and has worked with SMEs, industry, and governments in Europe, North America, and Latin America. Christian coordinated the first European level entrepreneur training Bootcamp for biotech founders/CEOs, built the first European biotech investment initiative in collaboration with the EC and EASDAQ (now Euronext), industry and investors, and has extensive experience coaching & mentoring entrepreneurs, CEOs, and tech transfer directors.
Mona Oliveira is one of the creators and founders of the startup BIOLINKER, which in 2019 was awarded as one of the TOP 500 best startups in the world in the area of biotechnology for the project she coordinates. Double Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Nanotechnology from USP (Brazil) and IJS (Slovenia). During her academic career, she has accumulated awards and honors for performance and scientific excellence, publishing in annals and journals of international renown. Currently, he is Co-CEO of BIOLINKER acting in scientific operations and negotiations. After three years of foundation, BIOLINKER was approved for several accelerations and closed contracts with significant industries and institutes in Brazil and the world and had been achieving its goal of revolutionizing the way of making recombinant protein in the world.
BIOLINKER is a solutions company for the synthesis and purification of recombinant proteins. You design the protein and we produce it for you in a fast, practical, and high-quality way. We operate in the pharmaceutical, food, and academic markets.
Steve Scalia is the President of Tanner Pharma Group, a 20-year-old specialist pharmaceutical services provider headquartered in Charlotte, NC USA with offices in the United Kingdom, Brazil, Switzerland, and Ireland. Tanner provides a portfolio of service offerings focused on improving global access to medicines worldwide. In his role, Steve leads the company’s business activities with oversight of the commercial divisions, cross-functional departments, the Corporate Governance Team, and the Senior Management Team. Prior to joining Tanner Pharma in 2011, Steve founded three start-ups that included complex operating models and custom facilities requiring real estate development. Steve began his career in the pharmaceutical industry, holding sales and management positions at Upjohn Pharmaceuticals and Pharmacia Corp.
Jacobo Luchtan is the CEO and Co-Founder at HelloDoctor, a Mexican startup providing data-driven telehealth services. They operate in more than 10 Latin American countries and have successful cases with patients from each. They created a neutral bridge that connects patients and healthcare practitioners where they can provide online consultations, digital recipes, online pharmacies, track their medical records, and more.
Jaco strongly believes that healthcare is a human right and anyone should have access to it, they developed a free online consultation service, where in 30 seconds you can speak to a practitioner from 5 different specialties. He is an industrial engineer, and technology fanatic and has been an entrepreneur all his life. Jaco implements innovative thoughts and technologies in order to create an incredible customer experience.
BS in Civil Engineering. More than 40 years of urban building experience; more than 20 years of experience in design-build; construction of pharmaceutical facilities, and more than 15 years involved in startups dealing with technological innovation.
Founded Naveta Construcciones in 1983, a real estate development firm that completed more than 300 projects. Founded Grupo Inmobiliario Pharma, S.A. de C.V. (Parque Pharma®) back in 2003 as a boutique real estate firm focused on the Life Sciences Industry in Mexico. Back in 2009, founded Biohominis and Biodetecta, both biotech companies pursuing the molecular diagnostic market. In 2011, founded T4Oligo, a company focused on offering oligonucleotides to the Mexican market.
Mahesh Narayanan is an entrepreneur in biotechnology with extensive experience in the healthcare and life sciences industry, and a strong focus on business development and business start-up strategies. As an active member of the Small Business community, he provides business and scientific guidance in the development of therapeutics and medical devices. He has experience in taking an idea from concept to consumers and considerable knowledge on patents, business plans, fundraising, and incorporation. Mahesh received his Master’s in Biotechnology from the University of Pennsylvania and his bachelor’s degrees in History and Pre-Medical Sciences from Boston University.
Hernan Burgos is an IT Professional with over 30 years of experience working with various organizations including government, law, and health. Hernan has been the Director of Sales Development for Smile CDR for the last 4 years, with a growth of 300% during 2020 and expecting a 500% growth for 2021. Smile CDR has clients in 15 countries with a forecast of reaching 20+ countries by 2022. We are living through a historical moment in the Health Information World Systems, for the first time the entire world is adopting one health standard to reach interoperability and reduce development and operational costs.
Marie O’Malley is the Senior Director of Supplier Outreach for Medtronic, responsible for developing and executing long-term Medtronic supplier outreach programs, including efforts around Responsible Supply Management and Supplier Diversity. In her role, she also liaises with various government officials and development boards to advance Medtronic’s Supplier relations. Marie also leads the team to advance communication strategies for Medtronic’s Global Supply Management organization. Marie joined Medtronic through the Bard USCI/AVE merger and has been with Medtronic for 25 years. Marie has progressed through several positions with increasing responsibility in a number of functions including Finance, Sales & Contract Administration, Customer Service, Global Supply Chain, and Supply Management roles. Marie has an MBA from Bentley University and a bachelor’s in Finance from Binghamton University in New York. She also maintains credentials as a CPSD (Certified Professional in Supplier Diversity). Certified Management Accountant, and CPIM (Certified in Production and Inventory Management). Marie currently serves as Chair on the Board of Directors of MassMEDIC representing Medtronic. MassMEDIC is an association of medical device manufacturers in the Commonwealth with over 400 members including manufacturers, product developers, suppliers, research institutions, and academic health centers. Marie was recognized in the 2018 and 2019 top 100 list of women executive leaders in the MedTech industry.
Charlie Webb is the Founder and President of Van der Stahl Scientific, a medical device packaging and texting machine provider. He also hosts the popular Podcast “SPOT Radio” (sterile packaging on track). Charlie earned his BS degree in Management at the University of Redlands and completed the medical device development program at the Andersen graduate school of management at UCLA. Charlie is a “lifetime” certified packaging professional “CPPL” certified through the institute of packaging professionals as well as a “Six Sigma Master Black Belt”. As a member of a scientific review board, he co-developed micro-surgical devices that broke away from conservative innovation models. Charlie has been in sterile device packaging for 26 years and has been involved in numerous FDA and ISO audits as a regulatory advisor.
Mr. Deven Patel, the CEO, President, and Cofounder of Global Institute of Stem Cell Therapy and Research (GIOSTAR) with headquarter in San Diego, California, U.S.A. GIOSTAR was formed with the vision to provide affordable stem cell-based therapies to the masses around the world suffering from degenerative or genetic diseases and unable to afford today’s high cost of treatment. Mr. Patel has served as the CEO, President, and Board of Directors in highly comprehensive industries such as Healthcare, Stem Cell Research, Architectural, General Construction, Alternative Energy, and Multifaceted Internet industries. Mr. Patel has served as the President of Federation of India Associations San Diego (FIA-SD) Mr. Patel has also served in key positions of several public and private organizations such as GIOSTAR Foundation, Asian and Pacific American Coalition (APAC), Asian Business Association, Cambridge Companies, Reality Changers, Global Organization of People of Indian Origin. He has also served as Vice President of the newly formed San Diego United Lion’s Club. Mr. Patel has served as the founding President of the Asian and Pacific American Coalition (APAC) representing San Diego API communities from nine Asian countries and spearheaded its efforts in 2011 at San Diego City Hall to create the new 9th City Council District in the City of San Diego to be an Asian Pacific American influenced district, first time in the history of San Diego through the redistricting process.
Dr. Anand Srivastava has been associated with leading universities and research institutions in the USA. In affiliation with University of California San Diego Medical College (UCSD), University of California Irvine Medical College (UCI), Salk Research Institute, San Diego, Burnham Institute For Medical Research, San Diego, University of California Los Angeles Medical College (UCLA), USA has helped develop several research programs and has an extensive research experience in the field of stem cell which is documented by several publications in revered scientific journals. Dr. Anand Srivastava’s success has its root in his unique background of expertise in Stem cell biology, protein biochemistry, molecular biology, immunology, in utero transplantation of stem cells, tissue targeting, gene therapy, and clinical research. There are many scientists who can work in a narrowly defined field but few have the broad and multidisciplinary experience to carry out clinical research in a field as challenging as Stem cell biology, cancer, and gene therapy field. Dr. Anand Srivastava’s wide-spectrum expertise is rare in clinical research and perfectly crafted to fit ideally with the GIOSTAR projects for stem cell transplant, cancer, and gene therapy research.
During 2020 Jonathan has been in a crucial leadership position, steering Livinguard through a unique inflection point in its business and building the teams to drive brand building, communications, and sales for Livinguard’s antiviral, reusable face masks, and several other new products. Jonathan has a wealth of business and leadership experience, having spent the previous 14 years with 3M, where amongst other roles he was Managing Director, 3M Israel. As an innovation enthusiast, he established the first connections between 3M and the Israel Innovation ecosystem and held the position of New Tech Scout for 3M New Ventures in Israel. During his tenure, he held board seats with 2 start-ups and was involved in several other investments on behalf of 3M. A sports enthusiast in his spare time, Jonathan volunteers as a board member of the Israel Cycling Federation. Jonathan holds a BA in Business & Communication from the Tel Aviv College of Management and an MBA from The Edinburgh Business School.
Dr. Michael Hill is a global-minded senior executive with a history of success creating meaningful, patient-inspired, medical device technology innovations. He is a skilled entrepreneur demonstrating repeat innovation execution from idea/discovery to commercial scale. He was inducted in 2012 as an American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering Fellow and awarded the Distinguished Engineering Alumni from Duke University in 2013. He possesses deep domain knowledge of science and technology and has more than 27 years of experience with research, product development, and clinical research/regulatory. He is adept in successfully leading large global organizations, as well as multiple programs and projects, to achieve target goals. He has a thorough understanding of the fundamentals related to global healthcare systems to deliver impactful transformative innovations. Dr. Hill received his BSE [Biomedical and Electrical Engineering] and BS [Mathematics] Degrees from Duke University, MS, and Ph.D. [Biomedical Engineering] Degrees from Case Western Reserve University, and MBA [Management] Degree from the University of St. Thomas.
Seasoned Healthcare Executive with proven skills for people development, organizational transformation, and motivation with 15 years delivering above and beyond financial results. Mr. Pastor has an exemplary external focus and is highly collaborative with customers and a wide range of stakeholders to match the company with customers’ needs. He is very adaptive and able to connect strategy to purpose in a way that fosters commitment, Javier has the imagination to innovate and the courage to implement organizational changes and go to market strategies highly inclusive and able to build great teams.
Executive entrepreneur turned digital health entrepreneur, his career includes 18+ years leading global drug development, clinical research, and decentralized trials for life science organizations.
As CEO of THREAD, John leads their efforts to change the way clinical research is conducted focused on decentralized approaches, enabling the use of their one platform for conducting modern research studies and leading partnerships with their customers. After launching and growing THREAD, they were acquired in 2019 by JLL Partners and Water Street with strategic investment for continued growth and focus on accelerating drug development for our customers.
Named one of the Top 100 Influencers in Digital Health, John also provides expertise and execution experience in digital health, clinical trials, and decentralized, remote, virtual, community-based clinical research. John enjoys being a keynote speaker at global industry events, a guest lecturer at Duke University on digital health/innovation/entrepreneurship, and a published author featured in various conferences, journals, articles, and media outlets.
Thomas Celerier is heading their Healthcare, MedTech, and Life Sciences business, teams, and portfolio of clients for the Palo Alto Offices, Marcel Gradidge is a Director in the Business Advisory unit in the Silicon Valley Market and Gautam Narayan is a leader in the Emerge Supply Chain Division. All of them come from a diverse background managing global projects and teams and with experience in international relationships, with careers, professional and personal lives spanning multiple locations such as Australia, Colombia, Mexico, South Africa, Europe, India, and North America.
Luiz Levy has over ten years of medical device industry experience, primarily focused on high-risk devices, including implantable devices, electrical medical equipment, and disposables subject to INMETRO Certification. Luiz’s background includes: implementing and auditing quality systems to B-GMP Regulation RDC 16/2013, ISO 13485:2016, Directive 93/42/EEC, Regulation (EU) 2017/745, FDA 21 CFR 807, FDA QSR 21 CFR 820, MDSAP-Medical device Single audit program; performing multiple local and foreign (US, Europe, Japan) audits to prepare companies for ANVISA inspections; assisting companies during ANVISA inspections; compiling medical device and IVD applications; clinical data review; compiling clinical evaluation reports and compiling and peer-reviewing market access reports.
As Director, Quality and Regulatory Affairs, Luiz has peer-reviewed more than 300 regulatory filings and reports, conducted multiple onsite audits on local and foreign manufactures, performed internal audits, and performed or reviewed more than 350 classifications/technical files of healthcare products, attended strategic meetings with ANVISA to help Agency on the final draft of new regulations (RDCs). Luiz is the designated Health Manager for Emergo’s Brazil Registration Holder services, and he additionally managers Emergo Brazil’s RDC 16/2013 quality system. Prior to Emergo, Luiz held RA/QA positions at CPL Medicals, Goen3, and Medics.
Mitchell is the President of H Clinical, the leader in decentralized trial and home health services for clinical trials across Latin America. With a 15-year passion for enabling clinical research, supporting life sciences, and transforming organizations, Mitchell is responsible for H Clinical’s strategy, business activities, and operations. Prior to H Clinical, Mitchell served as Managing Director, Everglade Rx, Executive VP & General Counsel, Advarra, and Associate Attorney, K&L Gates. Mitchell is on the Board of Directors for Life Science Washington, Faculty for RAPS, and a former Steering Committee Member for Harvard MRCT. He is a published author on FDA regulations and a frequent speaker on technology in clinical research.
Chris Sedgwick is the Americas Trade Specialist at the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Office of Trade and Investment. He has lived in Chicago for 9 years. Born in Los Angeles, he attended California State University Northridge where he received his Bachelor of Arts in French. As a student, he participated in the Junior Year Abroad program at the University of Aix-en-Provence in France. He later went on to receive his MBA from the Thunderbird Graduate School of Global Management in Glendale, AZ.
After a few years in the freight forwarding and customs brokerage business, Chris went on to a career in international sales for a variety of industrial manufacturing companies in the reinforced plastics, welding, specialty and medical gas, and personal protection equipment industries.
Dr. Uzbelger Feldman's mission is 'Smiles for All'. He is the first Hispanic dentist to adopt Teledentistry and the first dentist implementing it in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, and South Dakota since July 2018 as well as in Latin America. Due to his exceptional front-line services during the first month of the pandemic, Daniel received ‘The Teledentist of the Month’ award in March 2020. He received his IBM Blockchain Certificate in February 2018 and is currently innovating in blockchain for healthcare. Daniel has been granted several awards for his patented cinematic radiography and low radiation dose pioneering NeoImaging breakthrough. This research has been presented at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as well as at prestigious dental meetings. In 2014, his low-dose x-ray imaging concept received the Medical Device & Diagnostic Industry Dare-to-Design Reader's Choice Award at the Medtech Design Challenge.
Since 2003 Dr. Uzbelger Feldman has been teaching in the Department of Endodontology at Temple University Kornberg School of Dentistry where he earned his DMD certificate in 2006. With 25 years of experience, he practiced dentistry for seven years in Philadelphia, PA, nine years in Cleveland, OH, and was serving patients in Ballantyne/Indian Land, NC/SC suburbs before Covid-19. He is currently introducing and expanding pioneering Teledentistry and dental aligners services.
Kameel is the Principal of KDF Ventures LLC, venture capital and private equity firm. He is a leader in global finance with over 20 years of experience in established and emerging markets within the biopharmaceutical industry.
Prior to KDF Ventures, Kameel was the Senior Vice President of Finance at Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc the world leader in developing RNA-based human therapies. He also worked at Amgen, one of the world’s leading biotechnology companies, for 16 years. While at Amgen, Kameel held multiple leadership positions in International operations and regional CFO roles of Latin America/Canada/Australia, the Middle East, and Africa.
Jhonatan Bringas Dimitriades, MD is a Medical Doctor and executive who works with technologists, developers, medical professionals, and patients to deliver the right digital and technical solutions to enhance the diagnosis, treatment, recovery, and quality of life of patients around the globe.
Dr. Bringas believes in the democratization and digitalization of medicine. He Bringas has worked in the implementation of medical technologies in some of the top medical centers worldwide, such as the Mayo Clinic, the Cleveland Clinic, the Panama Clinic, the Hong Kong University Hospital, the AMC UMC Amsterdam, and many others. His work is related to the medical implementation of technologies, digital health, and innovation in the medical devices area.
Jhonatan is a certified Occupational Physician, with postgraduate education in Public Health, Business Strategy, and Digital Healthcare solutions. Jhonatan holds a Medical Degree, recertified in 3 continents and has held the positions of Medical Director, Chief Medical Officer, and is currently the Chief Communications Officer of Finnish MedTech NUKUTE, a respiratory / sleep medicine wearable company with a deep development in diagnostics and digital health tools.
Alejandro Badia, MD, FACS is a hand and upper extremity surgeon at Badia Hand to Shoulder Center in Doral, Florida. Dr. Badia studied physiology at Cornell University and obtained his medical degree at NYU, where he also trained in orthopedics. A hand fellowship at Alleghany General Hospital in Pittsburgh was followed by an AO trauma fellowship in Freiburg, Germany. He runs an active international hand fellowship, serves on the editorial board of two hand journals, and previously organized a yearly Miami meeting for surgeons /therapists devoted to upper limb arthroscopy and arthroplasty. This international meeting was held at the world-renowned Miami Anatomical Research Center ( M.A.R.C. ), the world’s 2nd largest surgical cadaveric training lab which Dr. Badia co-founded in 2005. He is a founding member of the American Hand Institute, a think tank, and medical device start-up company focused on minimally invasive solutions to hand, wrist, and elbow pathology.
In 2008, Dr. Badia completed the Badia Hand to Shoulder Center, a fully integrated clinical facility for the upper limb also encompassing the Surgery Center at Doral, a rehabilitation center, and an MRI imaging facility. In 2010, Dr. Badia inaugurated OrthoNOW, the first immediate orthopedic care center in South Florida which is staffed by surgeons from the Doral Orthopedic Center (DOC), a group of surgeons from the lower extremity, upper limb, and spine subspecialties who also treat elective orthopedic problems, frequently in international patients. OrthoNOW was officially franchised in early 2013 and is actively engaging healthcare entrepreneurs and surgeons, here and abroad to open orthopedic urgent care facilities nationally and abroad.
Antonino was born and raised in Italy and moved to Mexico in 2016 as Latin America BD and Marketing Director for Ferring Pharmaceuticals. In 2018, he joined Mundipharma also as LATAM BD Director and then assumed the role of General Manager in Argentina. During his tenure in the pharma industry, Antonino has covered all commercial positions, including general management, business development & licensing, alliance management, project and transition leadership, marketing and sales, market access, pricing & reimbursement.
Antonino is the Founder of Audaces Iuvat, a consultancy BD and commercial firm based in Mexico. Audaces Iuvat is the ideal partner for small to medium pharmaceutical/biotech companies that want to face the vast and complex Latin American market and need local expertise. It provides support from the search, selection, and negotiation of a partnership, to alliance management and follow-up of the commercial activities. AUDACES IUVAT may also advise on market access and pricing & reimbursement dynamics.
Dr. M. Samir Qamar is the CEO of MedWand, a telehealth technology company. Dr. Qamar invented the award-winning MedWand, a medical device that allows clinicians to examine patients over the Internet on smartphones and computers. The handheld MedWand advances the telemedicine industry by allowing clinicians to remotely obtain real-time vitals, auscultate heart and lungs, look into ears and throats, obtain EKGs, and monitor chronic conditions during video visits. Dr. Qamar has been on the company's board since co-founding the company and is also its chairman.
Prior to MedWand, Dr. Qamar was one of the pioneering minds behind the rapidly-rising Direct Primary Care (DPC) industry. He created one of the nation's first DPC companies, MedLion, in 2009 and helped catapult DPC nationwide by focusing on low-cost subscription-based, high-quality primary care. In 2018, MedLion changed its name to MedLion Clinic and converted to a complete Internet-based Virtual Primary Care model. Prior to MedLion, Dr. Qamar began one of the first concierge medical practices in California, where for many years he also served as the official house doctor for the famed Pebble Beach Resorts.
Dr. Qamar completed his medical training at Penn Medicine - Lancaster General Hospital in Pennsylvania, one of the nation’s first and top-ranked primary care residency programs. His visions on the future of primary care have been referenced in many publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Fox Business News, Forbes, and Time. Dr. Qamar is a member of the MIT Technology Review Global Panel, American Medical Association, American Academy of Family Physicians, and several other organizations. He speaks six languages, has studied and practiced in health care systems worldwide, and currently resides in Las Vegas, Nevada where he also maintains an active medical practice.
Riley is helping new and existing telemedicine programs find the best solutions to fit their program needs. AMD has over 8500 patient end-point installations in more than 96 countries and delivers preeminent telemedicine solution design, turnkey installation, and training for telemedicine programs across the globe, including Latin America.
Jan Samzelius has specialized in quantitative methods for 40 years. Jan invented the typing cadence technology of NeuraMetrix. He has led a large number of analytical projects, ranging from measuring customer satisfaction to price elasticities to conjoint analyses. Mr. Samzelius has invented many new ways of conducting research into complex issues. His largest project was directing a reinvention of the customer satisfaction measurement system for a telecom. The high quality of the data made the unions accept instituting a bonus system for 9000 people. During the late 90s, Mr. Samzelius led an effort to enable a computer to understand the text. He has been the CEO of six companies, in several cases improving profits dramatically. His experience includes one turnaround and one successful exit. Mr. Samzelius holds an undergraduate degree in economics from the Stockholm School of Economics, graduating with honors and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
+15 years of experience in Cybersecurity, Cloud Computing; +4 years of experience in Blockchain & Bioinformatics. Recently specializes in Bioethics, Genomic & Healthcare Data. He Holds a Bs. Electronics Engineering, MBA from IPADE Business School, Executive Programs in Stanford GSB, Singularity University, Data Science at Galvanize, Digital Marketing at General Assembly & RNAseq at EcSeq Bioinformatics GmbH (Berlin).
Frank is the Founder and President of Ation Advisory Group where he is helping Global Life Science Companies to commercialize their product, service, or technology along with obtaining dilutive and non-dilutive funding. As a retired Pfizer Executive Frank worked for over 25 years in positions of increased responsibility in Finance, Strategy, & Operations. Frank lead the Supply Chain & Finance functions across 35 countries in Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America (where he supported 9 countries), and the Middle East. Frank currently sits on the Area Board of The American Cancer Society. Frank holds a BS in Accounting from Providence College and an MBA in International Finance at NYU Stern School of Business.
Gerardo is a C-Level executive, serial entrepreneur, inventor, and scholar in the medical device industry. Gerardo founded five medical device companies and is a consultant to over 50 medical device companies in the Silicon Valley area. Gerardo is an advisory board member of the Santa Clara University (SCU) BioE, the University of California in San Francisco (UCSF) Catalyst Program, the UCSF Surgical Consortium, and the Simon Fraser University Bioengineering Innovation Blvd. He is also an adjunct professor at the SCU graduate school of bioengineering.
As a serial entrepreneur, Gerardo identifies unmet clinical needs, assesses new business opportunities worldwide, and develops new technologies with strong Intellectual property rights. His hands-on experience resides in bringing new technologies from inception to full commercialization under a “vision and execution” type of approach.
Gerardo’s unique proximity to Silicon Valley provides a wealth of opportunities for innovation, like no other place in the world. He is always on the quest for the next frontier to improve clinical therapies and reduce healthcare costs. Gerardo has a B.S. in Industrial and Systems Engineering from the San Jose State University.
Dr. Enrique Saldívar received his medical training in Universidad La Salle, received his MD from Universidad Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM), his Masters in Biomedical Engineering from Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana, and his Ph.D. in Bioengineering from the University of California, San Diego. Throughout his career, he has been appointed faculty at The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla Bioengineering Institute, The West Wireless Health Institute, and Case Western Reserve University. His expertise includes: Biomechanics, Microcirculation, Rheology, Platelet Engineering, Digital Signal Processing, Image Processing, Bio-Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (Bio-MEMS), Nanotechnology, and Digital Health.
Dr. Saldívar career in medical devices has focused on the transformation of cutting-edge technological developments into meaningful medical solutions. His multidisciplinary background combined with a deep sense of social responsibility provides him with a unique perspective to provide solutions to unmet medical needs in underserved communities. Dr. Saldivar’s interests are focused on the use of technology to improve the quality of life, globally, and to ameliorate the accessibility to first-class medical attention in underprivileged communities.
Dr. Saldívar scientific career has focused on the study of biomechanical mechanisms responsible for complex physiological responses with an emphasis on the rheological mechanisms, at both the cellular level and at the cell membrane level. He has made seminal contributions to the understanding of platelet adhesion under flow and chronic adaptation to extreme hypoxia.
Hailing from a family of tech industrialists and medical thought leaders, Bjorn possesses a native drive and understanding for applying technologies to solve challenges in healthcare. Bjorn earned his M.Sc. in Accounting and Finance from the London School of Economics and B.Sc. from European Business School in Oestrich-Winkel, where he graduated in the top 3% and 10% of his class respectively.
Andrés Herrero is responsible for the European operations of i²medi, he is leading the i²medi's German office in Berlin and principal contact for the medical device manufacturers. Andrés has over 10 years of experience in sales and business development in Latin America and successfully introduced several new medical devices into the global healthcare markets- including Latin America.
James Sapirstein has served over thirty-five years in the pharmaceutical industry. He is currently the President and CEO of AzurRx BioPharma (AZRX:NASDAQ). He has been part of almost two dozen drug product launches and specifically either led or has been a key member of several HIV product launches into different new classes of therapeutics at the time.
Mr. Sapirstein started his career in smaller biotech companies when he later joined Gilead Sciences, Inc. (GILD) in order to lead the Global Marketing team in its launch of Viread (tenofovir). In 2002, he accepted the position of Executive Vice President, Metabolic and Endocrinology, for Serono Laboratories. Later, in 2006, he became the founding CEO of Tobira Therapeutics, then a private company. Tobira Therapeutics was acquired by Allergan in 2016. In 2012, Mr. Sapirstein became the CEO of Alliqua Biomedical at Alliqua, Inc. Thereafter, he served as CEO of Contravir Pharmaceuticals from March 2014 until October 2018. All of these are publicly listed companies. Mr. Sapirstein has raised over $200 Million dollars in venture capital and public capital markets financing in his various engagements as CEO. He was named as a Finalist for the Ernst&Young Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2015 as well as in 2016.
Mr. Sapirstein holds board positions on Marizyme (MRZM) (Executive Chairman) Enochian Biosciences (ENOB), and Leading Biosciences. He was Chairman of the Board for BioNJ, an association of biopharma industries in New Jersey from Feb 2017 to Feb 2019. In addition, he is a Board Director for BIO, the leading Biopharma Industries Organization promoting public policy and networking in the healthcare space, where he sits on both the Health Section and Emerging Companies Section Governing Boards.
Mr. Sapirstein received an MBA from Fairleigh Dickinson University in 1997, and a BS (Pharmacy) from Rutgers University in 1984.
Oscar Segurado is an executive veteran of the biopharmaceutical industry with extensive global leadership experience in translational science, clinical development, and medical affairs. Oscar is Chief Medical Officer for ASC Therapeutics, former CMO for Symvivo, Myriad Genetics, and CellMax Life, Vice President for Becton Dickinson, and Global Medical Head for Abbott/AbbVie.
Segurado is a senior medical leader experienced in matrixed, line management, and consulting for biotechs, midsize, and large pharma companies. Extensive expertise in gene therapy, immuno-oncology, immunotherapy, genomics, and protein/cell diagnostics, predominantly focused on oncology, hematology, and autoimmunity, including personalized medicine, molecular and cellular biomarkers. He holds a tenured Professorship of Immunology at the University of Leon, Spain, and received Ph.D. from the University of Wuerzburg, Germany, and MD from the University of Salamanca, Spain.
Jeff Galvin is the CEO and Founder of American Gene Technologies™ (AGT). He earned his BA degree in Economics from Harvard in 1981 and has more than 30 years of business and entrepreneurial experience including founder or executive positions at a variety of Silicon Valley startups. Several of his companies were taken public and/or sold to public companies, including one in the medical-technology arena that was sold to Varian, the leading maker of linear accelerators used in cancer therapy. Following his startup experience, he retired to become an Angel Investor in real estate and high tech. He came out of retirement to found and fund AGT after meeting Roscoe Brady at NIH.
Michael Patterson is the CEO of US Cannabis Pharmaceutical Research and Development LLC (US Cannabis), a privately-held developmental consulting firm that was established in 2014 with the mission of moving society forward through legalized cannabis. US Cannabis develops the legal cannabis/hemp/CBD markets globally across all platforms (education, cultivation, production, dispensing, research and development, management operations and compliance, and physician services). US Cannabis currently works with national, state, and local governments, sovereign nations, and public/private companies in all aspects of the cannabis/hemp/CBD industry throughout the United States and Internationally.
Mr. Patterson is a board member of MGMC-Pharma, an international medical cannabis pharmaceutical corporation with cannabis cultivation, production, and export/distribution licenses in 5 East African Countries (Lesotho, Tanzania, Malawi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda).
Mr. Patterson is also a board member for the Medical Cannabis Society, Tourette’s Syndrome Awareness Foundation, Cannabis/Hemp/CBD industry writer for Florida MD Magazine, Orlando Medical News, and licensed Occupational Therapist and Nursing Home Administrator in 4 states: NJ, NC, VA, FL).
With over 20 years of experience in international business, Craig has accumulated a track record for success in both the Canadian and Latin American regions. He gained extensive knowledge in sourcing and manufacturing in Asia, Mexico, and Central America before transferring that expertise into his role at Aspen Medical Products. Craig has built up a deep knowledge base of the industry by identifying, developing, and managing sales growth in prospective territories. One of Craig’s top achievements was skyrocketing Latin American territory growth with 3 consecutive years of sales growth of over 120% to plan and achieving President's Council Award each of those years. Craig understands the importance of international partnership and has a true passion for helping entrepreneurs build their business in Latin America. Craig graduated from Grand Canyon University with a BS in business management.
Timothy Kelly is president & CEO of Nautilus Medical —a US-based company with a telehealth radiology platform that is used by more than 70% of the top 50 medical centers in the US and with a presence in over 6 countries in Latin America. Prior to that, Mr. Kelly developed a medical division for TDK Electronics. This division was focused on the radiology recording of images on TDK based media. With TDK, Mr. Kelley expanded marketing throughout North and South America and the European community. Mr. Kelly has a degree in psychology from Northwestern University.
Denis has over 15 years of business experience, mostly within publicly-traded large multinational companies and working with international teams on functions related to finance business, legal, manufacturing, ethics, compliance, and audits.
Denis is now the VP, Deputy Chief Compliance Officer for Orthofix —an American medical device company with over 900 employees with locations in the U.S., Italy, Germany, France, the UK, Brazil, Australia, and Puerto Rico. The company's products help patients in 70 countries around the world.
Prior to Orthofix, he was Director, Ethics & Compliance, International for BD; with about 65,000 employees, BD is one of the largest global medical technology companies in the world. Also at BD, he was Senior Compliance Manager - Canada, Latin America & Europe, and prior to that, he was Senior Compliance Manager - Latin America —also for BD.
Prior to BD, Denis was a Regional Compliance Manager - South America for Covidien —acquired by Medtronic in 2015.
Denis holds an M.B.A. with a concentration in finance from Fundação Getúlio Vargas in Brazil and a B.A. in business administration Mackenzie University; also in Brazil.
Dr. Gershony was the Founder of Vascular Solutions, Inc. (Minneapolis, MN), which had a successful IPO in 2000, and for which he served as Chief Medical Officer and a member of the Board of Directors from 1996-2002. Dr. Gershony was the principal inventor of the DuettTM Vascular Sealing Device manufactured by Vascular Solutions. Dr. Gershony was also the Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer of AngioScore, Inc. (Fremont, CA), a medical device company devoted to developing unique angioplasty scoring balloon catheters to address a variety of important clinical needs during coronary and peripheral interventional procedures. He was a member of the senior management team from 2003 until AngioScore’s successful acquisition in 2014.
Dr. Gershony has served on the adjunct faculty of the Stanford Biodesign Innovation Program. He also completed an Executive Program in finance and accounting (FANFE) at the Stanford Graduate School of Business in 2007.
Dr. Gershony is the author of 10 issued medical device patents. He has been a member of the scientific advisory board or a consultant to numerous medical device companies and venture capitalists in the Bay Area and elsewhere.
Dr. Gershony is an active early-stage MedTech company investor and mentor, a member of Life Science Angels Medical Device and Digital Health Committee, and a member of the Band of Angels.
Vikash Dudhia is the CEO of Arlo International Consulting and works with medical device companies to grow their international footprint. Vikash believes that his particular methodology and skillset enables him to effectively coach teams and individuals in the subtleties of over a hundred markets around the globe. Vikash has over 20 years of experience in international sales and has a network of contacts in over 100 countries in the technology, medical device, pharmaceutical, and dental sectors. Prior to his current consulting role, Vikash was head of sales for North America & Latin America for Prima Dental Group; the largest manufacturer of carbide burs in the world. Prior to that, he was director of international sales for Salter Labs; a US manufacturer of best-in-class respiratory products serving homecare and acute patients in over 75 countries. Prior to that, Vikash had international sales roles at Inspiration Healthcare and Rocket Medical Plc. Vikash holds a Bachelor of Science Honors degree in nursing from DeMontfort University in the United Kingdom and several post-graduate clinical and business qualifications.
Luis R. Soenksen is a serial entrepreneur and medical device expert currently acting as MIT’s first Venture Builder in Artificial Intelligence and Healthcare. His training includes medical device design, development, and manufacturing, as well as clinical testing and deployment of healthcare ventures. Luis has made significant contributions to the fields of bio-design education, bioengineering, tissue engineering, synthetic biology, and artificial intelligence. Luis’ work has been published in several high impact journals such as Science. His research has led to several patented biomedical technologies and collaborations with several start-up companies in Latin America, the US, and Europe. Luis holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from MIT, a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering from the Monterrey Institute of Technology, and a Master’s of Science degree in bioengineering from Johns Hopkins University.
Sherif believes that he can bridge the gap between orthodontics, material sciences, and software engineering, and he is on a mission to change orthodontics for the better. He is currently the co-founder, CEO, and head of R&D at K-Line Europe —a German company with a mission to change people’s thinking about dentistry. Sherif is also the co-founder of SmileUp —a German company dedicated to mass-market clear dental aligners. For over 10 years, Sherif has worked with clear aligners as a practitioner, technician, entrepreneur, and has also being a patient. Sherif has treated over 4,500 cases with aligners, he owns six patents, and has delivered over 170 lectures worldwide. Sherif graduated from dental school in 2006, worked as a general dentist, and then obtained a master’s of dental sciences in orthodontics in 2012.
Josué Garza is the Director of Business Development & Operations at Insumos para la Salud (IPS), a regulatory affairs consulting firm helping medical device manufacturers and distributors obtain market access in Mexico.
Josué has over 10 years of experience working with the private sector, government, and nonprofit organizations. Before joining IPS, he took leadership positions in the International Republican Institute, Consulate General of Mexico in Atlanta, Premier Destination Services and the Institutional Revolutionary Party.
Josue has expertise in managing projects at the municipal, state, and national levels, participating in public policy initiatives and developing strategies through team-centered processes. Today, he continues to influence the growth of IPS by helping businesses from around the world thrive in Mexico and improve access to the best health products for Mexicans.
Josué holds a BA in International Relations from Universidad Iberoamericana. He spends most of his time in Chicago and Mexico City.
Jose E. Cabrera is a 20 year veteran of the medical device industry. His focus has been in Regulatory Affairs, Clinical Affairs, and Quality Assurance. During his career, he has successfully created regulatory strategies for start-ups to find the quickest path to commercialization and reimbursement. From De Novo Petitions and Q-Subs with face to face meetings with the FDA to 510(k) clearances and routine change management and regulatory reporting. Jose has also lead teams in Latin American with regulatory, quality, and clinical compliance for Bausch and Lomb, and Zimmer Biomet Globally. He has an undergraduate in cellular biology and was a double-major in philosophy. He is currently acting as a VP of RA/QA and Clinical Affairs for a subsidiary of a $20 billion multi-national company headquartered in Germany, overseeing eight (8) global manufacturing sites for cardiovascular and neuromodulation devices. He also leads the company’s efforts to conduct due diligence activity for potential merger/acquisitions. He also served as an Army medic and trained West Point cadets while he was enlisted with the 101st Airborne Division, in Ft. Campbell KY. Jose currently resides in St. Paul Minnesota but he calls South Florida his home, having grown up in Miami and born in Havana Cuba.
Federico Acosta is the CEO and Co-founder of Custom Surgical UG, a Startup based in Munich that is developing medical imaging devices with smartphones. After 7 years of working in several countries in Latin America, with companies such as Abbott Medical Optics, Leica, Quantel, and Dutch Research Center, Federico decided to start his own project with an idea he developed while working in Chile. Ever since, Custom Surgical has won several entrepreneurship grants, launched his first product on Kickstarter in 2019, the MicroREC, and has been selling devices in more than 20 countries. Currently, Custom Surgical UG is developing a smartphone-based platform to screen retinal diseases using a patented optical system and Artificial Intelligence, a project specially focused on the Latin American market.
Federico was granted a scholarship and graduated from the National University of Colombia as a mechatronics engineer. He is currently finishing his master’s degree at the Technical University of Munich in Biomedical Computing and is taking part in the Start Munich community and the Xpreneurs program of the Technical University of Munich.
Nicolas Poutrain-Royer is the General Manager Americas of EDAP Technomed Inc, the US subsidiary of a Medical Device French Manufacturing Company, EDAP TMS, specialized in innovation in Non-Invasive Therapies through Therapeutic Ultrasounds (Shockwaves, HIFU) and Lasers.
After spending nearly a decade working in Technical Industrial Assets Companies in positions of International Business Developer, with global coverage and a Focus on LATAM countries, Nicolas joined EDAP TMS and the Medical Industry as the VP of Sales of Europe, LATAM and Canada from 2008 to 2019. Among his missions, he had to open unexplored markets in his territory starting with the selection of the right partners, distributors in these countries, and dealing with the Regulatory Hurdles to get the products locally approved, easy process in Europe, but quite difficult and time-consuming in LATAM countries. This was only the first step to commercialization, as the main difficulty laid in convincing the physicians and Medical Associations about the needs and benefits to the use of innovative and new technologies. Nicolas has a Master in Business Administration from the Rennes Business School in France and TEC Monterrey Campus Guadalajara in Mexico and speaks fluent French, English, Spanish and Portuguese.
Héctor Padilla is Vice President at Covalon Technologies, Strategic Markets focusing on developing commercial and go-to-market strategies for new and existing markets globally. He has more than twenty-seven years of experience in marketing, sales, and business development for Fortune 100 companies and, small and medium enterprises.
Héctor built a large network of partner distributors across Latin America to commercialize Covalon’s portfolio of advanced wound care and infection prevention unique products while developing strong relationships with key opinion leaders and experts.
Héctor holds a BA in Business administration from the Jose Maria Vargas University in Caracas, Venezuela, and a Master in Business Administration, with a concentration in marketing from the Sawyer Business School at Suffolk University in Boston, MA.
Robert serves as the CEO for medAppraise Inc., a health technology startup focused on transforming the health and wellness of employees in large industrial corporations through the use of a state-of-the-art musculoskeletal health evaluation solution. In addition, Robert currently serves as president of RNB Ventures Consulting Inc, which is a medical device/technology consultancy firm. RNB Ventures Consulting aim is to provide medical/clinical affairs consulting expertise to medical device and IVD manufacturers on medical risk determinations and pre-submission expertise for new IVD assays.
Prior to that, Robert served in medical leadership roles at Becton Dickinson in the Corporate Clinical Development organization; at Abbott Laboratories Molecular Diagnostics division, GE Healthcare – Lifecare Solutions and Hospira.
Robert graduated with a Doctor of Medicine from Rosalind Franklin University/The Chicago Medical School, completed residency training in emergency medicine at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, MI (served as Chief Resident) and graduated with a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame. Robert holds an active license to practice medicine in the United States.
Ram is a serial entrepreneur with 25 years of experience in the ophthalmic pharmaceutical and device industry. Ramgopal is Inventor, Founder, and Chief Executive Officer of LensGen, Inc., a clinical-stage medical device company that is developing a novel intraocular lens for presbyopia. The Company has received support from one of the largest medical device companies in the world, and this led to LensGen closing a $28.0 million Series A Financing in May 2018.
Currently, he is also Chairman of the Board of 2C Tech Corporation, Inc., an emerging medical device company that is developing a novel nanotechnology application for preservation of vision for patients with degenerative retinal diseases. 2C Tech Completed Series B Financing in 2016 and 2019.
Ram co-developed an innovative corneal implant device for presbyopia and licensed the technology to (venture funded) Acufocus, Inc. The company is now commercializing the product on a global scale.
Prior to that, Ram founded Tomey Technology Inc., which pioneered the corneal topography imaging technology that is now a standard of care in eye care for LASIK and cataract surgery. This joint venture company was acquired by Tomey Corporation of Japan.
Laura Minarsch, R.T. RCIS, CVT, is a senior clinical affairs strategist and President of MMC Medical International Services. She consults for several novel innovative device companies in the MedTech space and has facilitated numerous acquisitions over her career spanning more than 25 years. Her track record is based on successful and strategically planned “First in Human” submissions and clinical studies in Europe, Canada, South America, New Zealand, and Australia. She has been instrumental in defining key scientific relationships with opinion leaders and strategic partners. Additionally, she has achieved several record critical project timelines resulting in optimized operations and realized corporate objectives.
Laura began her career as a Registered Cardiovascular Invasive Specialist, and Interventional Cardiovascular Specialist implementing several first interventional device programs in Europe. Laura has served as a Principal Clinical Affairs Advisor of several medical device companies acquired by Covidien, Boston Scientific, Medtronic and Johnson & Johnson Interventional Systems.
Guy Vinograd is CEO at bio-T, a seasoned high-tech executive and an expert software architect of cloud platforms for medical devices. As an industry leader he is a popular speaker and the organizer of the meet-up group: Smart IoMT Product Experts of Israel.
Guy has co-founded bio-T, the first and leading medical IoT cloud platform designed to enable medical device vendors to fully realize the potential of the data collected by their devices.
Guy is considered a leading expert of Amazon Web Services and a creator of best practices for efficient software development in the cloud.
Dr. Aklog is an adult heart surgeon/entrepreneur and Chairman & CEO of PAVmed Inc. (Nasdaq: PAVM), a multi-product medical device company which he co-founded based in 2014 on a portfolio of five of his own inventions. He previously co-founded Pavilion Holdings Group LLC which created four medical device companies including venture-backed Vortex Medical which developed and commercialized his life- saving invention AngioVac® and was sold in 2012 to Angiodynamics (Nasdaq: ANGO).
Dr. Aklog received his AB from Harvard College, graduating Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude in Physics and his MD, cum laude, from Harvard Medical School. He completed his general and cardiothoracic surgical training along with a laboratory research fellowship under Dr. Lawrence H. Cohn at Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Boston Children’s Hospital, serving as Chief Resident in Cardiac Surgery at both institutions.
Throughout his career Dr. Aklog has been deeply involved in medical device innovation, serving on the advisory boards of many leading medical device companies, including Guidant, Medtronic, St. Jude Medical, and startups.
James F. Jordan is President/CEO at Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse and a healthcare professor at Carnegie Mellon University. Mr. Jordan is an accomplished Fortune 20-level executive with strong experience in the industry, consulting, and academia and is a recognized expert in market development and guiding the successful formation of entrepreneurial start-up businesses in the life sciences and healthcare industries. Prior to joining the PLSG, Mr. Jordan served as Senior Vice President of a $3 billion division of McKesson Corporation and at Johnson & Johnson. He has leveraged this experience in several startup ventures and is active on several boards of directors. His experience also includes consulting engagements with numerous companies, including Medtronic, Frost & Sullivan, and Otsuka Pharmaceutical.
Most recently, Mr. Jordan published his second book, The Intellectual Property Pyramid Assessment: A Novel Method for Creating a Sustainable Competitive Advantage. This is a complement to his first book, Innovation, Commercialization, and Start-Ups in Life Sciences, which provides expert guidance for start-up life sciences companies, from initiation to exit. His third book, to be published in 2019, is titled, Health Systems: an Overview. This book details the U.S. healthcare system, market, and business models.
Robert M. Traynor is a board certified audiologist with 45 years of clinical practice in audiology. He is a hearing industry consultant, trainer, professor, conference speaker, practice manager and author. He has 45 years experience teaching courses and training clinicians within the field of audiology with specific emphasis in hearing and tinnitus rehabilitation.
Adjunct Faculty in Audiology at the University of Florida, University of Northern Colorado, University of Colorado and The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
He is President of GTCI Corp., a company specializing in assisting small and medium-size companies with market access planning, regulatory affairs, channel partner selection and training in Brazil.
Mike is an experienced business development and marketing executive with global experience in healthcare, life sciences, and diagnostics. He delivers sales growth, profitability and market share by selecting the proper partners and distributors to enter new markets, expand coverage in current markets, promote brand awareness and identify KOLs.
Mike began his career at Baxter Healthcare market analysis and research, operations, and sales for the US domestic market before being promoted to Baxter's Intercontinental division to manage strategic planning, marketing and new product launches for the Medication Delivery division. In 2003, he moved to Sao Paulo, Brazil to head Baxter's Hospital division.
Mike also worked for Thermo Fisher Scientific in the Global Export division as Director of Sales and Marketing for Latin America. Here, he selected and managed new channel partners to increase sales to labs in a variety of market segments, and focused on training and customized marketing catalogs.
Most recently he was with Nova Biomedical as a Regional Manager for LATAM where he established new partnerships and launched five new products into the healthcare and veterinary market.
Kirk has 25 years of medical device industry experience in sales and marketing, market development, and business development. Kirk has led and executed the launch of medical devices for neuro, cardiac, vascular, spine, and pulmonary. Kirk built the Micrus business in Asia and successfully launched many medical devices in that region. Kirk has spent much of his career-launching devices developed by Silicon Valley start-ups. He has studied business in seven countries including Japan, China, and India and spent 10 years of his life working and studying in Japan.
Kirk has a Doctorate of Business Administration from the International School of Management (Paris) and an MBA from Imperial College London (London) focused on Health Technology Entrepreneurship. His doctoral dissertation and masters thesis were focused on the medical device industry and the topics were respectively, “European Market Entry Strategies for Venture Capital Financed Medical Device Companies” and “Financing and Beyond: The Role of Venture Capital in Silicon Valley Based Medical Device Companies.” Kirk completed his undergraduate studies at Nanzan University (Nagoya), Senshu University (Tokyo), and University of Nebraska-Lincoln (Lincoln, Nebraska - US).
Joseph (Joe) D. Storer is an expert in the medical device industry, introducing more than 20 new medical devices to Latin America. He worked throughout 15 countries to introduce devices like pulse oximeters, arterial pressure transducers, patient vital signs monitoring, nuclear medicine, and a new technology called embolution therapy. His 35 years of experience include time as a top executive at a large company with Latin American operations, as well as countless interactions that allowed him to observe the role of these devices in saving lives. Joseph attended school at Brigham Young University and later served a mission in Brazil for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Joseph’s passion for learning also led him to Trinity College in Malaga, Spain, where he received an MBA in international business and business administration. Learn more.
Guillaume Corpart is the Founder and CEO of Global Health Intelligence. With over 20 years’ business consulting experience, Mr. Corpart supports life-science companies in their growth plans throughout emerging markets.
Global Health Intelligence developed HospiScope – the world’s largest hospital database focused on Latin America, with profiles on over 18,000 hospitals in the region. Through HospiScope medical equipment manufacturers can increase visibility into market opportunities and key accounts.
Through ShareScope clients can determine market size & share of both medical equipment and medical devices with over 90% accuracy. In 2018, Global Health Intelligence launched SurgiScope – detailing procedure volumes by hospital and thus enabling device manufacturers to identify targeted opportunities by account.
In 2011, Mr. Corpart was awarded the Prix Releve Excellence from l’Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales and in 2014 Mr. Corpart received the Outstanding Business Award from the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Mexico. Mr. Corpart has a B.A. in Marketing and Entrepreneurship from l’Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales (Montreal, Canada) and in 2017 pursued a degree in Scaling Businesses at the Stanford School of Business (California, USA). Mr. Corpart is fluent in English, French and Spanish.
Mr. Hendrick has over three decades of executive experience, building both early-stage medical device companies as well as large divisions in medical device corporations. Currently, Mr. Hendrick is president of Safeco a medical device consulting company. Previously, he was CEO of Mynosys Cellular Devices —an ophthalmic company. Prior to that, he was CEO at NeoVista Inc. —a company in the field of age-related macular degeneration. Prior to that, he created the medical division at Sanmina-Sci. Mr. Hendrick has been through a successful IPO of VidaMed; which led eventually to Medtronic acquiring the company. Prior to VidaMed, Mr. Hendrick held executive positions at Allergan Medical Optics, Baxter, and American Hospital Supply along with several board positions.
Rahul is a health-tech optimist, serial entrepreneur, and biomedical engineer. His affinity for (sensible) innovation is only challenged by his predilection for building customer-obsessed companies. He's a dream-catcher with unbridled curiosity and a strong operator who enjoys delivering value in large markets ripe for change. Humble beginnings not only keep him anchored, but shape the distinct perspective he brings to the table.
More recently, Rahul was the director and founding member of EyeNetra – an MIT Media Lab spinout recognized worldwide for pioneering smartphone-powered refractions to serve the 4.5B individuals in need of vision correction. It's commonly cited that more than half of said populace remains uncorrected to this day. At EyeNetra, he contributed to the development of 4 products from inception, honed their go-to-market strategy, and architected a successful platform for global growth. Thousands of units were both sold and shipped to eye care professionals in over 90 countries within a span of 36 months. By maintaining lean operations, the company eventually became cash flow positive – a rarity at the intersection of hardware, software, and healthcare in an overcapitalized climate. The team also explored a first of its kind model for teleoptometry and spent years in deep R&D, clinical trials, regulatory approvals, and manufacturing prior to commercialization. Confronted along the way were countless moments fraught with uncertainty including an abundance of failures. To-date, this technology suite has facilitated 5 million refractions and a quarter-million connected exams (and counting). It would be remiss not to mention the smiles conjured of millions more from the friends, families, and caretakers of patients.
Jonathan (Jon) is co-founder & CEO at MitraSpan —a medical device development company that is exploring minimally invasive mitral valve repair techniques for treating type IIIb functional mitral regurgitation in heart failure patients.
Jon's career in medical devices and cardiology began in 1991 in the ultrasound imaging business at Hewlett-Packard Medical Products (now owned by Philips). He worked on engineering challenges related to manufacturing high-frequency ultrasound transducers for both TTE and TEE devices. In 1995, he led the IVUS catheter program, a joint venture first with Boston Scientific and later Guidant. This business was later spun out to Volcano and then recently acquired back by Philips. In 1999, Jon moved to the venture-backed startup world where he has remained for now 20 years first as VP of R&D at Endotex where he focused on the development of a carotid stent. He led this program through successful feasibility studies and pivotal study launch. Following that and FDA-PMA approval, Endotex was acquired by BSX. In 2001, Jon joined TransMedics as VP of R&D and lead development efforts through the successful completion of the first full venture round. Transmedics recently filed for an IPO and is a pioneering company focused on the normothermic, sanguineous, functional preservation of organs for transplantation.
Since 2002, Jon has led a succession of development and clinical trial efforts in the structural heart and mitral repair fields. First, at Viacor he served as both VP of R&D and CEO; and later at Harpoon, he helped arrange for the spinout of IP and the securement of initial program funding. Now, at MitraSpan he continues to innovate on potential breakthrough structural techniques.
Zach Selch is the VP of Global Sales for a high tech medical company. He has sold in more than 135 countries and lived in six. At 10, Zach was living in a trailer, at 15 he was left to fend for himself, at 19 he lead men into combat, and at 33 he was the head of sales for South Asia for a Fortune 1000 multinational. For about 30 years, Zach has built up the international sales of several companies —from start-ups to publicly traded companies— four times growing sales by more than 1000%, three times bringing in the single largest P.O. in a field's history. With this, he has added hundreds of millions of dollars to the value of mid-market companies by increasing their international footprint.
Zach is passionate about driving incremental improvement across every inch of the sales process and every nut and bolt in the sales organization and has the friends and enemies to prove it. His views are often controversial, but always rational, well thought out and have produced results that can be counted in the millions of dollars in revenue. Zach is the person that companies have called in, time and again, when they have tried to grow a market or their international division and simply haven’t been able to get off the ground. Zach brings results and is happy to explain how others can do so, too.
Michael has extensive experience in various advisory, mentorship and leadership roles combined with his educational background in human behavior and cognition; this has enabled him to become a successful turnaround specialist in the life sciences industry.
He is the former acting-chairman and CEO of the Nubenco and PharmeuRopea group —a marketplace providing medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and medical equipment to distributors, NGOs, major multinationals, and government agencies worldwide. Michael has been involved in international markets since 2011 since he first stared his global role first at Nubenco's international business director. At Nubenco, Michael —among other notable accomplishments— expanded the company's foothold to over 12 new markets —including Latin America— and doubled the company's customer base.
Michael has recently co-founded Mist Medical —an early stage medical device company with a mission to gradually replace the demand for high consumption medical disposables, beginning with his first target: to replace the old syringe. Michael has a BA in Behavioral Neuroscience (pre-medicine) and Biological Foundations of Behavior from Franklin & Marshall College in Pennsylvania. Read more.
Lloyd is the CEO of Pixium Vision S.A., —a company with the mission to create a world of bionic vision for those who have lost their sight, enabling them to regain partial visual perception and greater autonomy. Prior to that, he was the President & CEO of Precise Light Surgical —a company that developed a disruptive surgical resection platform that has tissue differentiating capabilities.
Lloyd has 25 years of disruptive technology commercialization experience in the life science industry. Prior to Precise Light Surgical, he served as the CEO of BONESUPPORT AB, a European orthobiologic company, where he drove rapid market penetration in Europe and the US for their disruptive orthopedic scaffold. He has commercialized many other disruptive technology platforms at Kyphon and Laserscope where he served as the VP of Marketing for the Greenlight Laser system.
Throughout his career, Lloyd has been Instrumental in bringing life science technologies in the major markets in Latin America, including Mexico and Brazil, and established commercial infrastructures in the region.
Lloyd received a dual degree in Biochemsitry and Marketing from Florida Atlantic University and an MBA from the Thunderbird School of Global Management at ASU.
Michael is principal at Medaron Consulting and director at Med Market Access. Michael assists early-stage life sciences companies with global expansion initiatives and foreign companies expanding into the US and beyond. Michael has held senior management roles in large blue-chip and early-stage companies and has established and grown medical device markets globally. Prior to that, he was Director - Europe, Middle East, Africa, Canada & Latin America for Misonix, a US company that specializes in the development and commercialization of ultrasonic surgical devices for neurosurgical, spinal, advanced wound care, and general surgery procedures. Prior to that, he was Region Director, General Manager - Latin America for Smith & Nephew where he managed an $80M P&L and 200 direct employees. Michael was also the Region Director - LatAm for Johnson & Johnson, and Director for Spinal & Guided Surgery - LatAm for Medtronic.
Michael has expertise in different areas of the medical device business in Latin America including regulatory, clinical research, financial, legal, compliance, and human resources. Throughout his years of experience, Michael has accumulated a broad network of surgeons, researchers, administrators, trade organizations and in-country specialists that he can quickly leverage to execute cost-effective go-to-market strategies in Latin America.
Francisco is a global business executive with over 20 years of experience in the medical device industry. He is a top sales performer establishing record growth and managing market leadership for several medical device companies. He is a proven leader in the development of comprehensive business strategies that result in new markets for emerging medical device companies. Francisco is the principal at Ethos Consulting; an international market development consultancy specializing in the medical device industry. Through Ethos Consulting, Francisco is currently working on reorganizing distribution networks in Spain, Argentina, and Brazil. He is also establishing new distributors in Mexico, Central America, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay, Colombia, and Venezuela. Under this capacity, he is also managing business objectives, regulatory process, cost structure, and marketing programs. Current and past clients of Ethos Consulting include: Synthes, Arthrosurface, Parcus, Innovasis, STDMED, MedicalVision, SyncMedical, Finceramica, Rhausler, Orteq, and Cannuflow.
Alejandro is President of Procursum Medical; a company that helps manufacturers of medical devices looking to launch and commercialize their products in Latin America. Alejandro is a global senior executive with over 30 years of experience in healthcare including P&L management, go to market strategy, setting up new operations and building organizations overseas. He has a unique background in international markets for pharmaceuticals, generics, medical devices, and nutritional products.
Prior to founding Procursum Medical, he held the position of President of International with Hill-Rom where, as a member of the executive leadership team, he managed a $500M business with a focus on improving profitability in Europe and driving sustained and profitable growth in emerging markets.
Before joining Hill-Rom, Alejandro had several executive positions with Hospira including President of the Americas where he was responsible for the medical device and specialty pharmaceutical segments with a total revenue of $2.5B; he also held the positions of Vice President and General Manager of International Commercial Operations and Regional Director for Hospira in Latin America. Prior to joining Hospira, at the time of the spin-off from Abbott Laboratories, he held numerous management roles within Abbott, including General Manager in Mexico and Poland.
Armin is an entrepreneurial medical device executive with a broad, multi-disciplinary background. His extensive work with start-up companies has resulted in many successful worldwide product launches. His broad medical device background includes implantable devices, disposables, diagnostic and biotech products. He is a leader and builder of R&D, quality, regulatory, clinical affairs & operations structures within organizations. Armin is the CEO of SunTrix Medical; a clinical, regulatory and quality medical device consulting company. He is also the co-founder and chief operations officer of VasoFlow Medical; a medical device company focusing on innovative products for the vascular surgery and interventional radiology market. Armin earned his M.B.A in economics and M.S. in engineering, regulatory and quality from the Rheinische Fachhochschule-Koeln university in Germany. Armin is based in Northern California.
Sanjay Shrivastava has been involved in developing, commercializing, evaluating, and acquiring medical device companies for nearly two decades. He worked as a vice president, upstream marketing and strategy at BTG, plc, and as a director, global marketing at Medtronic. Prior to that, he held R&D management positions at Abbott Vascular and Edwards Lifesciences. Sanjay holds 27 issued US patents, another 20 pending, and numerous International patents in medical devices. He has edited two books including one titled “Medical Device Materials” published by ASM International. He was named among the “100 Notable People in the Medical Device Industry” by the prestigious MD&DI (Medical Devices and Diagnostics Industry) magazine. He has been an invited speaker at clinical, business, and engineering conferences to speak about medical device innovation and commercialization. Sanjay holds a doctorate in materials science and engineering from the University of Florida and a bachelor’s from the Indian Institute of Technology.
Steve is the President of Foresight Business Consulting, a Chicago-based marketing firm. Steve is obsessed with making a difference in the way companies commercialize medical products. Steve has been Vice President, Global Marketing for Baxter Healthcare; Chief Operating Officer (COO) for Avocet Polymer Technologies, Inc.; and Vice President Sales and Marketing for Analogix, Inc. Mr. Garchow is also the author of the best-selling book Stratification: How Strategic-Decision Processes Will Create Sustainable Competitive Advantage. Steve earned a Masters in Hospital and Health Services Administration degree from The Ohio State University and a Bachelor of Science degree with honor in Medical Technology from Michigan State University.