Peter Sheehan, MD was an internationally well-respected specialist in the field of diabetes. He focused his practice on the lower extremity complications of diabetes. Dr. Sheehan had a particular research interest in peripheral neuropathy, wound healing, Charcot osteoarthropathy, and peripheral arterial disease, and brought his expertise to numerous trials dealing with these areas.

Dr. Sheehan graduated from SUNY-Downstate School of Medicine, where he also completed his residency in internal medicine. He continued his training at the Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, where he completed a fellowship in Endocrinology and Metabolism.

Dr. Sheehan was actively involved with the American Diabetes Association (ADA) for nearly thirty years, both, on the local and national levels. He served as Chairman of the Council on Foot Care of the ADA and led a consensus panel on peripheral arterial disease and diabetes sponsored by the ADA and the American College of Cardiology (ACC). He was on the Editorial Boards of ‘Wounds’ and ‘Vascular Disease Management’ and served on the Boards of Directors of the ADA, the PAD Coalition, the American Heart Association, the Wound Healing Society, and the Wound Healing Foundation where he served as President. At the time of his passing, Dr. Sheehan was Chair of the Cardiometabolic Risk Initiative of the ADA, as well as President of the NYC Leadership Council of the ADA.

Dr. Sheehan is missed but not forgotten, as his name and legacy in diabetes and the complications are memorialized through the Non-Profit Peter Sheehan Diabetes Care Foundation, Inc.

Dr. Sheehan designed an effective system for the comprehensive care of patients with diabetes, known as ‘The Sheehan Model’. He envisioned and founded the Wound Healing: Science and Industry conference in 1999.

Professor and Director
Program in Cellular, Molecular and Developmental Biology
Center for Innovations in Wound Healing Research
Tufts University School of Medicine

Ira Herman is tenured professor and director, Center for Innovations in Wound Healing Research, Tufts University School of Medicine. Dr. Herman holds appointments in the departments of developmental, molecular & chemical biology, ophthalmology and biomedical engineering. Professor Herman is founding member and director emeritus, Integrated Studies Program, and is currently director, Cell Molecular and Developmental Biology Program, Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University School of Medicine, where he has received the Distinguished Faculty Award.

Throughout his professional career, and since the time of his graduate and post-graduate studies at Tulane University, Harvard University and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, professor Herman’s research interests have been focused on revealing the mechanisms controlling cellular and tissue responses to injury and tissue regeneration, including the vascular remodeling and angiogenesis of wound healing. These basic studies have given rise to several fundamental insights and a deepened understanding of many physiologic and pathologic processes, including the molecular mechanisms regulating the cellular responses to injury and tissue repair. Furthermore, several of these discoveries have fostered the development of novel technologies for therapeutics and device development, which are described in several issued and pending US and international patents and focus on the promotion of wound healing, scar-less healing, inhibition of ocular or tumor-induced angiogenesis, the etiology of essential hypertension and the abrogation of cancer cell invasion.

During his three-decade tenure at Tufts University, professor Herman has published scores of scholarly reviews and book chapters, and over 80 primary research papers. He serves as editor and scientific reviewer for many scientific journals and is regularly invited as a speaker at scientific meetings, worldwide. Fulfilling his commitment to the scientific community, Professor Herman continues to serve as scientific reviewer and expert consultant for pharma and the biotechnology sectors while having chaired and continuing to participate on grant advisory panels for the National Institutes of Health, Medical Research Council, National Science Foundation, American Heart Association and NASA.

Professor of Surgery
Director of Clinical Research, Division of Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy Director of Interdisciplinary Consortium on Advanced Motion Performance (iCAMP) Baylor College of Medicine Member, WoundHSI Program Committee

Bijan Najafi currently serves with the Baylor College of Medicine, Department of Surgery as a tenured Professor, Director of Clinical Research in the Division of Vascular Surgery, and Director of Interdisciplinary Consortium on Advanced Motion Performance (iCAMP). Prof. Najafi completed his Ph.D. in Bioengineering followed by a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biomechanics at the Swiss Federal Institute of Tech and in Neuroscience at Harvard University. He has almost two decades of experience in designing bio-inspired sensors for objective evaluation of healthy state of patients with locomotor dysfunctions, over 200 scientific publications in peer reviewed journals or conference proceeding, seven issued patents and 10+ pending patents, and has been Principal or a key investigator on over 50 industrial, national and international grants. Prof. Najafi received multiple prestigious award, including the Influential Health and Medical Leaders award in the category of achievement in designing medical devices.

Chief Medical Officer
Healogics Corporation

Scott Covington, Executive Vice President of Medical Affairs and Medical Advisory Board member for Healogics™, oversees medical affairs and assists the staff for over 560 Wound Care Centers. Dr. Covington is the Course Director for the Introduction to Hyperbaric Medicine and Problem Wound Management Course.

A general surgeon with over 20 years of wound care experience, Dr. Covington lectures throughout the U.S. and internationally on wound care and hyperbaric medicine. Certified by the American Board of Surgery and a fellow in the American College of Surgeons, Dr. Covington completed his undergraduate and medical education at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He trained at the University of Texas, Houston in General Surgery; he was a Thomas G. Cronin Fellow in Wound Healing Research. Dr. Covington is a Certified Hyperbaric and Wound Specialist by the American College of Hyperbaric Medicine and a Wound Healing Society member.

Board of Director
Vice President, Väsamed, Inc.
President and CEO, PAC Consulting, LLC

Paulita LaPlante is former CEO of Vasämed and now a Consultant for the company. She has thirty years of executive, sales & marketing, new business and training experience in numerous and progressively responsible positions in the medical device industry and strategic planning for women-owned real estate and management services industry. Her broad multifunctional business perspective encompasses critical care medicine, urology, cardiology, vascular medicine and organ transplant while medical educational background enables rapid adaptation to all medical industry segments.

Professor, Plastic Surgery, Orthopaedic Surgery, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

Lawrence Lavery, is a board-certified podiatrist and Professor of Plastic Surgery, Orthopaedic Surgery, and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at UT Southwestern. He also is medical director of UT Southwestern’s Comprehensive Wound Care Center and director of the amputation prevention program at Parkland Memorial Hospital.

Dr. Lavery completed undergraduate studies at Indiana University and then earned his medical degree from the Dr. William School College of Podiatric Medicine in Chicago. He completed a residency in podiatric medicine and surgery at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, where he also earned a Master’s in Public Health.

Prior to joining UT Southwestern in 2010, Dr. Lavery held academic appointments at the Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine in Temple; the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio; and Loyola University Medical Center in the Chicago area. He has also served as a staff podiatrist at VA hospitals in San Antonio and Illinois.

Dr. Lavery is a member of the American Podiatric Medical Association, American Diabetes Association, and Texas Podiatric Medical Association. He has been invited to lecture on podiatric medicine, diabetic ulcers, and wound care at medical conferences around the world and has published a dozen book chapters and more than 150 research articles on these topics.

His research group has published 208 peer-reviewed papers and has received extramural funding from the VA, NIH, AHRQ, American Diabetes Association, and two American Colleges of Foot and Ankle Surgeons.

Assistant Professor of Surgery
Division of Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy
Baylor College of Medicine

Brian Lepow is a board-certified podiatric surgeon practicing in Houston, Texas specializing in Diabetic Foot Amputation Prevention and Limb Salvage. He maintains staff privileges at all major medical institutions in the Houston area. Dr. Lepow holds dual academic appointments in the departments of Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular Surgery at McGovern School of Medicine in Houston Texas as well as at the Baylor College of Medicine in the Division of Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy.

Dr. Lepow is a native Houstonian. He graduated from Westbury High School and attended the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona. He earned his medical degree from Barry University School of Podiatric Medicine in Miami, Florida. Dr. Lepow completed his surgical residency training at The Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York, where he served as chief resident in Podiatric Medicine and Surgery. Following completion of his residency program, he served as Fellow in Diabetic Limb Salvage and Reconstructive Surgery at the University of Arizona. In addition, Dr. Lepow held an academic appointment in the department of surgery at the University of Arizona College of Medicine.It was during his fellowship that Dr. Lepow became acutely aware of the need for early diagnosis and formation of aggressive treatment plans in diabetics with lower extremity complications. He plans to dedicate his participation at the Baylor College of Medicine towards improving patient outcomes in our immediate and extended communities.

Dr. Rhodes holds a Masters Degree with a major in Technology Management from the University of Miami and graduated with honors in Chemistry from Hull University, England, as well as completing research for her PhD in Computational Stereochemistry before relocating to the US.

Associate Professor, Surgery, Division of Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy
Baylor College of Medicine, USA
Associate Clinical Chief, Division of Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy
Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center, Houston, Texas, USA

Miguel Montero-Baker is an associate professor in the Division of Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy in Houston, Texas, specializing in Diabetic Foot Amputation Prevention and Limb Salvage. Dr. Montero-Baker graduated with honors both from medical school and his residency in Vascular Surgery at the University of Costa Rica. After his residency training, he was awarded a DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) scholarship to further pursue his interest in interventional therapies in Leipzig, Germany, and completed a peripheral vascular ultrasound fellowship, as well as an advanced peripheral endovascular interventions fellowship. Driven by his passion for research and development of new diagnostic techniques for ischemic limbs, Dr. Montero-Baker completed an Integrated Vascular Surgery Residency at the University of Arizona and went on to join the faculty as an assistant professor. Dr. Montero-Baker is author of numerous journal publications, has co-authored several textbook chapters and is a well-recognized opinion leader for the Latin American medical community. His main clinical interests are critical limb ischemia, implantable micro-technology and endovascular carotid disease management. Dr. Montero-Baker is an active member of the Society for Vascular Surgery, the International Society for Vascular Surgery, the International Society of Endovascular Surgeons, Endovascular Surgeons of Latin America and the Latin America Society of Vascular Surgeons.

CEO
Rhodes and Associates, Inc.

Tanya Rhodes is President and CEO of Rhodes & Associates, a consulting firm founded in 2004 that provides strategic business consulting services from concept through commercialization. Dr. Rhodes serves on a number of boards in the medical sector including non-profit foundations and for profit start-up and incubator companies.

Dr. Rhodes’ previous roles include CEO of a global medical device company that develops, manufactures and commercializes products for wound healing, repair and regeneration and Chief Technology Officer for a start-up pharmaceutical company specializing in novel drug and biotech compounds. In addition, she has held President and General Management positions in both the Professional and Retail market sectors of wound care bringing forward new innovations and drug device combinations from concept to commercialization. Earlier in her career, Dr. Rhodes was Vice President of Innovation for Smith & Nephew both in the US and UK. During her tenure, Smith and Nephew US grew from $27 million to over $150 million.

Dr. Rhodes holds a Masters Degree with a major in Technology Management from the University of Miami and graduated with honors in Chemistry from Hull University, England, as well as completing research for her PhD in Computational Stereochemistry before relocating to the US.

Medical Director
Amputation Prevention Centers of America


Lee Rogers is the medical director of the Amputation Prevention Centers of America, a division of RestorixHealth, Inc, which manages 130 specialized centers across the US in 24 states. Dr. Rogers is the past chair of the foot care council for the American Diabetes Association. He received the 2011 Rising Star Award from the American Podiatric Medical Association for outstanding national accomplishments and has been selected by Podiatry Management Magazine as one of the most influential podiatrists in America. Dr. Rogers was selected as Educator of the Year from the California Podiatric Medical Association in 2012 and given the Master’s Award from the American Professional Wound Care Association. Dr. Rogers’s work has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, US News & World Report and he’s been a guest on ABC’s The Doctors Show, featured on PBS’s American Medical Journal and Al Jazeera International’s The Cure.

Associate Dean of Research
Professor of Podiatric Surgery and Applied Biomechanics
Professor, Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine
Director, Center for Lower Extremity Ambulatory Research (CLEAR)
Dr. William M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine
Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science

Stephanie Wu is the Associate Dean of Research, Professor of Podiatric Surgery and Applied Biomechanics, Professor, Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, and Director, Center for Lower Extremity Ambulatory Research (CLEAR) for the Dr. William M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science. Dr. Wu has more than 150 book chapters and peer reviewed publications and has served as Principal Investigator in more than 40 clinical research trials. Dr. Wu is also a highly sought after lecturer at national and international forums and has given over 400 presentations in over 40 countries.

Dr. Rhodes holds a Masters Degree with a major in Technology Management from the University of Miami and graduated with honors in Chemistry from Hull University, England, as well as completing research for her PhD in Computational Stereochemistry before relocating to the US.

Director
WoundHSI

Nadège Sheehan is Co-Founder and President of the Peter Sheehan Diabetes Care Foundation (PSDCF) and Director of WoundHSI. She seats on the PSDCF Board of Directors. Dr. Sheehan holds a doctorate degree in Economics, specialized in International Security and Defense. She authored many articles on peacebuilding and peacekeeping, including a scholarly book on the Economics of UN Peacekeeping. Aside from managing the day-to-day operation of PSDCF, Dr. Sheehan leads education activities and public outreach at PSDCF. Along with a team of scientific advisory members, Dr. Sheehan seeks to create environments for scientific exchanges to advance innovation and research in all aspects of diabetes. Dr. Sheehan also leads a program in peacebuilding through health. Her goal is to bring communities together to more effectively prevent and manage diabetes, regardless of nationality, ethnicity, religion, and culture. She is currently developing a lifestyle modification program for Arab-Israeli women in the Galilea area of Israel, creating peaceful exchanges between Jewish and Arab populations within the country.

Professor-in-Chief
Department of Plastic Surgery
Wound Repair and Regeneration
Fukuoka University,
School of Medicine, Japan Endovascular Specialist


Presentation title:
Vascular Anomalies and Lymphedema-Related Wounds by Minimal Surgical Treatment and Adipose-Derived Stem Cell

Sadanori Akita did his residency in plastic surgery at Nagasaki University Hospital. He received his PhD from the Graduate School of Nagasaki University specializing in plastic and reconstructive surgery. He later did a research fellowship at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) under the supervision of Shlomo Melmed MD on a cytokine expression and its regulation in vivo by using a transgenic animal model. Dr. Akita served as president of the World Union of Wound Healing Societies from 2012- 2016. He is also currently president of the Asian Wound Care Association (AWCA). His research interests include: cytokines and stem cells in wound healing, difficult wound healing (radiation injury), regenerative tissue enhancement to HIV-drug related-wasting patients, reconstructive surgery, burn and craniofacial surgery. Dr. Akita’s publications include 65 peer-reviewed English original articles, 12 English overviews, and 14 English book chapters with 3 editorship of the books.

Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Surgery
Simpson-Querrey Institute
Chemistry of Life Processes Institute
International Institute for Nanotechnology

Guillermo Ameer is a professor in the Biomedical Engineering Department at the McCormick School of Engineering and the Department of Surgery at the Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and his doctoral degree in Chemical and Biomedical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr. Ameer’s laboratory pioneered the development and applications of citrate-based biomaterials. His research interests include biomaterials, tissue engineering, regenerative engineering, controlled drug delivery and bio/nanotechnology for improved therapeutics and diagnostics. He has co-authored over 250 peer-reviewed journal publications and conference abstracts, several book chapters, and over 40 patents issued and pending in 9 countries, many of which have been licensed to develop innovative medical products. Dr. Ameer is a Fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering and a Fellow of the Biomedical Engineering Society.

Associate Professor
Biomedical Engineering and Surgery
Beckman Laser Institute
Edwards Lifesciences Center for Advanced Cardiovascular Technology
University of California, Irvine, CA, USA

Presentation title:
Building Tract Housing Under the Skin to Treat Type 1 Diabetes

Elliot Botvinick is Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Surgery at the University of California, Irvine. His research has two areas of focus: one in mechanobiology and the other in medical device development. These two efforts occur in his laboratories located within the Edwards Lifesciences Center for Advanced Cardiovascular Technology and the Beckman Laser Institute and Medical Clinic. In general, both the mechanobiology and medical device efforts utilize photonics tools such as nonlinear microscopy, optical tweezers, luminescent reporters, and laser-induced cavitation. The laboratory also develops state-of-the-art instrumentation and devices for quantitative biophysical measurements towards the study of mechanobiology. These tools are applied to test mechanical hypotheses in the areas of cancer biology, microvascular morphogenesis, tissue engineering, and stem cell biology. Dr. Botvinick’s laboratory is currently funded by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation to develop a novel device for the transplantation of pancreatic or stem cells for the treatment of type 1 diabetes, develop additional signals for the artificial pancreas, including a continuous insulin monitor; develop and test a new material to extend the lifetime of insulin infusion sets; and conduct a clinical study of the foreign body response to alginate microbeads.

Associate Professor of Medicine
Director, Cardiovascular Regenerative Medicine
Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, USA

Presentation title:
Developmental Clues to Cardiac Repair

Hina Chaudhry is currently Associate Professor of Medicine and Director of Cardiovascular Regenerative Medicine at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Dr. Chaudhry was previously Florence Irving Assistant Professor of Medicine at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. She is also Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of VentriNova, a biotech company aimed at clinical development of regenerative strategies she has developed and supported by Broadview Ventures. She holds multiple patents in the areas of cell cycle manipulation for heart repair and the use of placental stem cells for heart repair. She has been honored by many organizations for her work in cardiac regeneration, including TEDMED which named her an Innovation Scholar, American Heart Association (AHA), and is a Principal Scientist for the New York Stem Cell Board. She has been funded by the NIH, AHA, New York Stem Cell Board, and Broadview Ventures. She is also a staunch supporter of women in STEM, having spoken on this topic at both the White House (under the Obama Administration) and twice at the United Nations International Day of Women and Girls in Science. Dr. Chaudhry holds Bachelors’ degrees in Chemistry and Biology from MIT, and an MD with Honors from Harvard Medical School. She trained in Internal Medicine and Cardiology at Duke University Medical Center and the University of Pennsylvania subsequently and later in Developmental Genetics at Columbia University.

Chief Scientific Officer
Osiris Therapeutics Inc. USA

Presentation title:
Clinical and Scientific Advances in the Use of Cryopreserved Placental Membranes

Alla Danilkovitch joined Osiris in 2003. Dr. Danilkovitch has a proven record of successful product development from scientific ideas to market launch, which includes the world’s first approved stem cell drug, remestemcel-L, for graft-versus-host disease as well as BIO4 ™ for bone repair, Cartiform® for cartilage repair, Grafix® for acute and chronic wounds, and two most recent products: Truskin for wounds and Stravix for soft tissue repair. Prior to joining Osiris, Dr. Danilkovitch conducted research at the National Cancer Institute of National Institutes of Health, the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry in Munich, and at Moscow State University. Dr. Danilkovitch earned a Ph.D. in cell biology and an M.S. in cellular immunology and microbiology from Moscow State University.

George Vineyard Chair
Biophysics, University of Missouri-Columbia, USA
Chanderna-Stirkey Chair
Theoretical Physics & Scientific Director
Shipley Innovation Center
Clarkson University, USA

Presentation title:
Bioprinting: The State of the Art

Gabor Forgacs is a theoretical physicist turned biophysicist turned bioengineer turned innovator and entrepreneur. His academic affiliations include the George Vineyard Chair in Biophysics at the University of Missouri-Columbia and the Chanderna-Stirkey Chair in Theoretical Physics at Clarkson University, where he is also the Scientific Director of the Shipley Innovation Center. Dr. Forgacs is the scientific founder of Organovo, Inc. and Modern Meadow, Inc. and serves as the Chief Scientific Officer of the latter. He was trained as a physicist at the Roland Eotvos University, Budapest, Hungary. He also has a degree in biology.

Dr. Forgacs’ research interests and contributions span from topics in theoretical physics to physical mechanisms in early embryonic development. He is the author of over 200 scientific publications and 5 books, in particular the co-author of the celebrated text in the field, “Biological Physics of the Developing Embryo” that discusses physical mechanisms that guide embryonic development. He applies these mechanisms to build organ structures using bioprinting, a technology he pioneered. Such structures are already used for drug development and testing. The technology has also been adapted to engineer consumer products of animal origin such as leather and meat in environmentally friendly and ethically conscious manner.

Dr. Forgacs has been recognized by numerous prizes and awards. In particular, he is a member of the National Academy of Innovators and was named as one of the “100 most innovative people in business in 2010” by FastCompany.

Director
Interventional Cardiology & Co-director, Vascular Medicine
St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center
Associate Professor of Medicine
Tufts University School of Medicine, USA

Presentation title:
Endovascular First Approach: What Does the Data Suggests Works Best for CLI?

Lawrence Garcia received his training in Cardiology at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, Iowa and as an interventional cardiologist at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School. Further, he received his peripheral vascular training at St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center, Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Garcia then served at the Beth Israel Hospital as a full time interventional cardiologist and Director of the Peripheral Cardiovascular Program and Peripheral Interventions at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center as well as the Director of the Interventional Fellowship Program and has now returned to St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center as Chief of the Section of Interventional Cardiology and Vascular Medicine Programs. Dr. Garcia continues his research interests in a wide variety of studies including peripheral vascular interventional trials and has served as national or global principal investigator on several trials. He is widely regarded as an expert in peripheral vascular disease and specifically in atherectomy for lower extremity revascularization. His work has been presented in numerous manuscripts, abstracts, textbooks and textbook chapters.

Professor
Director of BC Professional
Firefighters’ Burn and Wound Healing Research Group
Department of Surgery/Plastic Surgery
iCORD (International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries)
Blusson Spinal Cord Centre, Canada

Presentation title:
A Multi-Functional Liquid Skin Substitute (MeshFill) for Treatment of Non-Healing Wounds

Aziz Ghahary is a professor and Director of the Burn and Wound Healing Research Group at the University of British Columbia, Canada. He has published more than 182 peered reviewed articles, most of them in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology. Dr. Ghahary has 7 patents, one of which is related to identifying a high level of a biomarker for early detection of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Another patent is related to an anti-fibrotic agent for treatment of scarring. Upon a successful completing a phase I clinical trial, it has been licensed to a Canadian / US company, BirchBiomed in 2015. Another patent is related to a multifunctional powdered reconstituteable liquid skin substitute to be used for non-healing wounds such as diabetic wounds and pressure ulcers.

Senior Director, Research & Technology
Acelity, Inc.

Kris Kieswetter currently serves as Senior Director, Research & Technology at Acelity, Inc. The Device Sciences organization she leads provides technical and scientific support to product development teams, develops novel concepts and performs technology assessments. During her 20+ year career, Dr. Kieswetter has been involved in both device and drug product development. Following a post-doctoral fellowship, Dr. Kieswetter joined OsteoBiologics, Inc. to develop biodegradable implants. After 2 years working with topical wound care products at Healthpoint, Ltd., she joined KCI and established the Research organization.

Partner
Investment Banking Health Care and Life Sciences
WR Hambrecht + Co.
New York, USA

Presentation title:
Panelist “Innovation in Clinical Trial Design”

Kurt Kruger has enjoyed a 30-year career in Medical Technology. His deep involvement in the field has ranged from product design and development as a biomedical engineer to raising capital for, and following, publicly traded medical product companies as an equities research analyst. As a marketing manager at Guidant, Kruger developed the launch plans for the first-ever implantable defibrillator. As a securities analyst he showed perspicuity leading Hambrecht & Quist in providing venture funds for, and then taking public, Ventritex, which was later acquired by St. Jude Medical. Kruger received an Sc.B. degree in Biomedical Engineering from Brown University; a Master’s degree in Bioengineering from the University of Michigan; and a business degree (S.M) from the Sloan School at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He also completed the premedical post-baccalaureate program at Columbia University.

Vice Chair Operations
Director of Clinical Trials, Professor of Surgery
Department of Surgery Chief of Division
Vascular/Endovascular Surgery
Mount Sinai St Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital Center, New York, USA

Presentation title:
The Role of Non-Cellular and Tissue-Based Therapeutics in the Management of the DFU – Where Are We in 2018?

John Lantis is the Vice Chairman of the Department of Surgery at Mount Sinai West in New York City, where he is also the Chief of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, and the Director of Surgical Clinical Research. Dr. Lantis holds the academic title of Professor of Surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. His clinical practice spans the fields of Vascular/Endovascular Surgery, and lower extremity wound healing. He directs a clinical/basic science research program in the field of lower extremity wound healing and tissue repair and is published extensively. Dr. Lantis is a founding member of the American Board of Wound Medicine and Surgery. He currently sits on the editorial board of WOUNDS, and is a reviewer for half a dozen other journals. To date he is/or has been the principal investigator on more than 55 multi center and single center chronic wound and vascular surgery trials.

Chief of Plastic Surgery, St. Mary’s Medical Center, San Francisco
Assistant Clinical Professor of Surgery,
University of California, SF (UCSF) Plastic Surgery

Charles K. Lee is a plastic surgeon with expertise in reconstructive microsurgery and aesthetic surgery. Dr. Lee graduated from Washington University-St.Louis (BA and MD) and completed his Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery residency at the University of Chicago. He then went on to a fellowship in Microsurgery and Hand Surgery at the Buncke Clinic, San Francisco. Dr. Lee has been on the full-time staff at the Buncke Clinic, clinical faculty at Stanford University and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).   Dr. Lee is an Associate Clinical Professor of Surgery at UCSF and is the Chief of Plastic Surgery and Director of Reconstructive Microsurgery at St.Mary’s Medical Center, San Francisco.

Senior Biomedical Engineering MiMedx Group, Inc.

Jeremy Lim, PhD is a Senior Biomedical Engineer at MiMedx Group, Inc., where he has been a member of the Research and Development team since 2013. MiMedx is the leading biopharmaceutical company developing and marketing regenerative and therapeutic biologics utilizing human placental tissue allografts for multiple sectors of healthcare. Dr. Lim received his PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Georgia Tech and Emory University in Atlanta, GA and received his BS in Biomedical Engineering from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. Dr. Lim’s research investigates the development and characterization of biomaterials to control cytokine delivery and regulate stem cell activity to promote healing and repair.

Associate Professor, Surgery, Division of Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy
Baylor College of Medicine, USA
Associate Clinical Chief, Division of Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy
Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center, Houston, Texas, USA

Presentation title:
The Wound Angiosome Concept: Perfusion Guided Wound Healing: Initial Results

Miguel Montero-Baker is an associate professor in the Division of Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy in Houston, Texas, specializing in Diabetic Foot Amputation Prevention and Limb Salvage. Dr. Montero-Baker graduated with honors both from medical school and his residency in Vascular Surgery at the University of Costa Rica. After his residency training, he was awarded a DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) scholarship to further pursue his interest in interventional therapies in Leipzig, Germany, and completed a peripheral vascular ultrasound fellowship, as well as an advanced peripheral endovascular interventions fellowship. Driven by his passion for research and development of new diagnostic techniques for ischemic limbs, Dr. Montero-Baker completed an Integrated Vascular Surgery Residency at the University of Arizona and went on to join the faculty as an assistant professor. Dr. Montero-Baker is author of numerous journal publications, has co-authored several textbook chapters and is a well-recognized opinion leader for the Latin American medical community. His main clinical interests are critical limb ischemia, implantable micro-technology and endovascular carotid disease management. Dr. Montero-Baker is an active member of the Society for Vascular Surgery, the International Society for Vascular Surgery, the International Society of Endovascular Surgeons, Endovascular Surgeons of Latin America and the Latin America Society of Vascular Surgeons.

SUNY Distinguished Professor
UB School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Director, Translational Pharmacology Research Core
UB New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences
Board of Directors, PSDC Foundation

Panelist:
"Innovation in Chronic Disease Preemption"

Gene D. Morse is a tenured, SUNY Distinguished Professor in the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Director of the UB Center for Integrated Global Biomedical Sciences. He is also the Co-Director of the SUNY Global Health Institute. Dr. Morse has been actively involved in drug development research since the introduction of antiretrovirals for HIV in 1986, with more recent emphasis on HCV infection and drug development. He has National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases support for the UB AIDS Clinical Trials Group, Pharmacology Specialty Laboratory and a contract for the HIV Clinical Pharmacology Quality Assurance Program. These programs integrate with the NIH Fogarty International Center AIDS International Training and Research Program, which Dr. Morse directs with the University of Zimbabwe and is home to the Center of Excellence in Clinical Pharmacology.

Co-Chair, WoundHSI
Professor of Surgery, Division of Clinical Research
Division of Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy
Director of Interdisciplinary Consortium on Advanced Motion Performance (iCAMP)
Baylor College of Medicine

Bijan Najafi currently serves with the Baylor College of Medicine, Department of Surgery as a tenured Professor, Director of Clinical Research in the Division of Vascular Surgery, and Director of Interdisciplinary Consortium on Advanced Motion Performance (iCAMP). Prof. Najafi completed his Ph.D. in Bioengineering followed by a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biomechanics at the Swiss Federal Institute of Tech and in Neuroscience at Harvard University. He has almost two decades of experience in designing bio-inspired sensors for objective evaluation of healthy state of patients with locomotor dysfunctions, over 200 scientific publications in peer reviewed journals or conference proceeding, seven issued patents and 10+ pending patents, and has been Principal or a key investigator on over 50 industrial, national and international grants. Prof. Najafi received multiple prestigious award, including the Influential Health and Medical Leaders award in the category of achievement in designing medical devices.

President & Chief Medical Officer
WebCME, Inc.

Jeffrey Niezgoda is the President & Chief Medical Officer of AZH, a company providing clinical hyperbaric and wound care services, as well as the founder of WebCME, an international educational company with a mission to provide wound care and hyperbaric education over the internet. Over the past 10 years, WebCME has trained over five thousand healthcare providers. He is the President of the American College of Hyperbaric Medicine and Vice President of the American Professional Wound Care Association. Dr. Niezgoda holds an M.D. from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, F. Edward Herbert School of Medicine, Bethesda, Maryland, and is a 1981 graduate of U.S. Air Force Academy.

CEO & Founder
BioGenCell, Ltd.

Yael Porat, PhD, is founder and CEO of BioGenCell Ltd (www.BioGenCell.net), a biotechnology company focusing on stem cell therapy and regenerative medicine. Dr. Porat earned her PhD in immunology from the Sackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University.

Prior to founding BioGenCell, she served as head of the Global Biological Development Department at Teva Pharmaceuticals and as CTO at TheraVitae, where she led the translation of innovative research into the production of stem cell-based therapies used to treat patients with severe cardiovascular diseases. BioGenCell is developing groundbreaking technology for automated production of patient-specific, blood-derived stem-cell-based therapies that enable physicians to treat patients the day after diagnosis. The company’s proprietary technology utilizes immune-directed stem-cell specific activity to create cell-based products for a wide range of diseases.

Director, Diabetic Foot Service
Shaarei Zedek Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel

Panelist:
“Innovation in Chronic Disease Preemption”

Jonathan Rosenblum is the Director of the Diabetic Foot Service at Shaarei Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem, Israel. Dr. Rosenblum is the parliamentary liaison responsible for bringing the Podiatry Law in Israel to fruition. He serves as a consultant to numerous Israeli medical startups in a variety of fields. Dr. Rosenblum has lectured worldwide on multiple topics related to Podiatric Medical and Surgical care. He seats on the PSDCF’s Global Project and Initiative Board.

Interventional Radiologist
Director, Interventional Institute
Holy Name Medical Center
Teaneck, NJ, USA

Presentation title:
Salvage Tibiopedal Procedures and Vascular Surveillance For Ischemic Wounds

John H. Rundback is a renowned interventional radiologist in practice for nearly two decades and is the Director of the Interventional Institute at Holy Name Medical Center. He is board-certified in radiology and holds a Certificate of Added Qualification in Angiography and Interventional Radiology. He has been named as a Top Doctor by Castle Connolly. Dr. Rundback's research interests include peripheral arterial, carotid and aortic aneurysmal disease, deep venous thrombosis and varicose veins, as well as state-of-the art minimally invasive cancer therapies, and he is the principal investigator on a number of multi-center trials. He has presented at more than 200 conferences, and is the program chairman for his own peripheral arterial disease symposium. He has served as an editor and reviewer for peer-reviewed medical journals, and published over 100 articles. Dr. Rundback is a past member of the Board of Directors of the Society of Interventional Radiology Foundation and Founding Chair for the Foundation's Cooperative Alliance for Interventional Research Clinical Trials Network. At Holy Name, he serves on the Patient Safety Committee, the Cancer Committee and the Credentialing Committee.

Dr. Rundback earned his medical degree from SUNY Downstate Medical Center, after which he completed his internship at St. Vincent's Hospital and Medical Center, New York, N.Y. He completed his diagnostic radiology residency at Beth Israel Medical Center, New York, N.Y., where he also served as chief resident, and completed his fellowship in interventional radiology at Washington Hospital Center, Washington, D.C.

Partner
Arnold & Porter LLP

Panelist:
“Innovation in Clinical Trial Design”

Paul Rudolf has significant experience in both Medicare and FDA legal, regulatory and policy issues, particularly those relating to counterfeit drugs and radio frequency identification technology as applied to pharmaceuticals and medical devices. He also is widely recognized for his experience with coverage, coding, and reimbursement issues for hospital and physician payment systems under the Medicare payment systems. Dr. Rudolf practiced medicine for more than 15 years and taught at George Washington University before becoming a Medicare Carrier Medical director. He subsequently joined the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services where he led policy development for the physician fee schedule and the hospital outpatient prospective payment system, and became recognized for his in-depth experience with coding and reimbursement for Medicare.

John H. and Mildred C. Lumley Chair of
Medical Research - Professor & Vice-Chairman (Research) of Surgery
Associate Dean (Strategic Industry Partnership), College of Medicine
Executive Director, Comprehensive Wound Center
Director, OSU Center for Regenerative Medicine & Cell-Based Therapies
The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center

Chandan K. Sen is a tenured John H & Mildred C Lumley Professor of Surgery, Executive Director of The Ohio State University Comprehensive Wound Center and Director of the Ohio State University's Center for Regenerative Medicine & Cell Based Therapies. Dr. Sen is also the Associate Dean for Industry Partnership at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. He serves as a program director (Innovation & Collaboratory) for The Ohio State University's Center for Clinical and Translational Science. Dr. Sen represents Medicine and Health Sciences at The Ohio State Global Gateway initiative.

After completing his Masters of Science in Human Physiology from the University of Calcutta, Dr. Sen received his PhD in Physiology from the University of Eastern Finland (Kuopio). Dr. Sen trained as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California at Berkeley's Molecular and Cell Biology department. In fall of 2000, Dr. Sen moved to The Ohio State University where established a program on tissue injury and repair. Currently, Dr. Sen is a Professor and Vice Chair of Research of Surgery.

A major focus on Dr. Sen's research is to induce tissue plasticity in vivo. He and his collaborators have developed the Tissue Nanotransfection (TNT) technology. Dr. Sen's interest in electroceuticals have led to the development of electric field based wound dressing, currently used in clinical care, that is capable of managing antimicrobial-resistant biofilm infection. This work was published in 2017 in Annals of Surgery, the top-ranking journal in Surgery.

Dr. Sen serves on the editorial board of numerous scientific journals. He is the Editor in Chief of Antioxidants & Redox Signaling. Dr. Sen and his team have published over 300 scientific publications. He has a H-index of 88 and is currently cited over 2100 times every year for a total of over 28000 times.

Co-Founder and Executive Director
Peter Sheehan Diabetes Care Foundation, Inc.
New York, NY

Panelist:
“Innovation in Chronic Disease Preemption”

CEO & Founder
TenCure, Ltd.
Board of Directors, Peter Sheehan Diabetes Care Foundation

Presentation title:
The Role of Regenerative Medicine in Wound Healing and Ophthalmology
Panelist:
“Innovation in Clinical Trial Design”

Tamar Tennenbaum is the founder and CEO of Arava Bio-Tech, Ltd. She is an established biotech entrepreneur, a physician and a scientist specializing in discovery and development of innovative pharmaceuticals addressing major medical needs in the fields of wound healing, Oncology and Dermatology. Dr. Tennenbaum holds an MD from the Hebrew University Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem in Israel, and a PhD in cell biology and pharmacology from the Pharmacology Department at the Hebrew University, Jerusalem in Israel. Dr Tennenbaum led the successful translation of advanced leading drug candidates from scientific research at preclinical stage to Phase 3 clinical trials in various wound healing indications. Dr. Tennenbaum is the laureate of prestigious awards and grants and an author of over 50 scientific publications and book chapters in peer review journals. She is the Director of PSDCF Israel.

Associate Dean of Research
Professor of Podiatric Surgery and Applied Biomechanics
Professor, Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine
Director, Center for Lower Extremity Ambulatory Research (CLEAR)
Dr. William M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine
Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science

Stephanie Wu is the Associate Dean of Research, Professor of Podiatric Surgery and Applied Biomechanics, Professor, Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, and Director, Center for Lower Extremity Ambulatory Research (CLEAR) for the Dr. William M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science. Dr. Wu has more than 150 book chapters and peer reviewed publications and has served as Principal Investigator in more than 40 clinical research trials. Dr. Wu is also a highly sought after lecturer at national and international forums and has given over 400 presentations in over 40 countries.