In the last 20 years, Shai has been leading development, clinical validation and commercialization of innovative medical devices for various indications. Shai holds an Electrical Engineering degree from the Technion, Israel Institute of technology and an MBA from Columbia University. He is an inventor of over 40 issued patents.

For more than 15 years, Gal has led multidisciplinary system design and development teams, from the concept phase through to production. Most recently, he has been leading the research and development group at Medical Surgery Technologies (MST), a company that develops and markets an image-guided laparoscope positioning system. Previously, Gal had served for 10 years at an elite technological unit in the IDF’s Intelligence Corps, specializing in micro-mechanics, high-precision electro-optical systems, R&D team leading and project management.
Currently, in addition to his CTO role at MEDX Xelerator, Gal is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board at XACT Robotics Ltd.

Gal holds a B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering (cum laude) and an M.E. in Biomedical Engineering, both from the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology.

For more than 10 years, Noam has been practicing financial and operational management. His hands-on experience includes all aspects of accounting, budgeting, fundraising, capital allocation, M&A transactions, tax planning, reporting, and cash flow management. Noam has expertise in business planning and strategy, financial and legal due diligence. He brings extensive experience in finance and management of early-stage companies and specializes in the interface with the Israel Innovation Authority. Most recently he served as the Chief Financial Officer of Hutchison Kinrot Incubator and its portfolio companies. Previously, Noam was the Finance Manager of Israel Petrochemical Enterprises Ltd. where he also held a variety of positions in business development, corporate governance, and investor relations. Noam started his career as a consultant at the Business and Financial Advisory Divisions of Ernst & Young and Deloitte.

Noam holds a BA in Management, Accounting and Economics and an MBA (cum laude) with a major in Financial Management, both from Tel Aviv University. He is also a Certified Accountant (CPA).

For more than 15 years, Soli has held personal assistance and administration roles in hi-tech and consumer products companies in Israel. Most recently she served as a Purchaser in Ludantech company. Previously she held the positions of CEO Personal Assistant & Product Development Manager at Com International Coordination in toiletry and cosmetics fields. Prior to this role, she worked as a CEO Personal Assistant and Office Coordinator at the Walt Disney Company consumer products division in Israel. Previously she worked as a CEO Personal Assistant and Office Manager at Amironic hi-tech company and promoted to a Purchaser.
Soli began her career as an English Teacher at the Ministry of Education in Israel and worked as an English Teacher & English Coordinator for several years.

Soli holds a B.ed in English and a teaching license from Beit Berl College.
Soli graduated the Graphic Design Studio 6b in Tel-Aviv and she holds a Graphic Designer certificate.

Orit has over 25 years of experience in accounting and is an accredited accountant. Prior to joining MEDX Xelerator Orit worked as Chief Accountant at Vidisco, which specializes in the design and manufacturing of X -ray inspection systems. Prior to Vidisco, Orit worked for several years as Chief Accountant at several high-tech companies, primarily in the fields of homeland security and telecommunications. Orit began her career at Tadiran, and Israeli electronics conglomerate, as a bookkeeper. Orit earned her accreditation at the College of Management Academic Studies.

Noam has more than 8 years of experience in finance and business development. She has extensive experience in the fields of healthcare, high-tech and retail. In her previous role she was responsible to curate and bring to fruition a HealthTech ideation sprint in collaboration with Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, the WHO and CornellTech. Prior to that she held several senior positions in the retail industry. Noam holds an MBA in HealthCare Innovation from the Reichman University.

Marjie Hadad is a veteran medtech international public relations pro, an award-winning TV producer and a soon to be published author.
She is the General Manager of Must Have Communication & Consulting Ltd., a full service, international, public relations firm specializing in medical devices and pharmaceuticals. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism and a master’s degree in International Relations from Boston University.

Helen recently joined MEDX Xelerator as Director of Finance.

For more than 10 years, Helen has been practicing financial and operational management. She brings extensive experience in financial controlling and financial management at public and private companies specializing in early-stage companies and the interface with the Israel Innovation Authority.

Prior to joining MEDX Xelerator, Helen worked as a Partner, Chief Financial Officer, and team manager at ERB Financial Group responsible for overseeing the financial controlling of the companies she and her team worked with, preparation of financial reports, ongoing Israel Innovation Authority reporting, complex financial and tax issues, Due Diligence process, IPO’s, M&A’s and integration with global companies. Previously, Helen served as the Director of Finance at Smart Medical Systems and the controller at Gefen Biomed Investments (Israeli Public start-up Incubator group) and its portfolio companies. Helen started her career as an auditor at the Hi-Tech & Biotech Divisions of Ernst & Young.

Helen is a Certify Accountant (CPA) with a BA in Management which she graduated with honors and an MBA with a specialty in Financial Management from Tel Aviv University.

For more than 15 years, Eran has been managing projects in the Medical field. He has vast industry experience, overseeing sales figures and new account developments. Leading business development efforts.
He has proven track record of working collaboratively with sales teams to achieve goals, and surpass them while developing and implementing customer retention strategies.
Previously, Eran was VP of Sales and Business Development in Neopharm Medical and Supplies. Where he also holds the communication and relationship with the suppliers worldwide.
Eran Holds BSc in Biotechnology and Genetics, MA in Conflict Resolution Management with major in International Mediation, both from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

For more than 10 years, Inbar has been involved in overseeing early-stage Israel investment in the medical field for international investors and has been leading diverse projects such as establishment of an innovation centers in Israeli hospitals. She has a unique track record of establishing medical ventures from idea stage to commercialization, from an entrepreneurial point of view, HMO’s, and hospital institutes. Previously, Inbar founded and managed a boutique consulting company in the field of medical innovation and the Chinese market. Inbar holds an MBA in healthcare innovation from Reichman university and BA in Economics & Asia studies, specializing in Chinese from Tel Aviv university.

Danna has been practicing in-house IP management in the medical device field for more than 15 years. Her vast IP experience includes strategic planning, portfolio development and management and IP due diligence. Danna has a proven track record of collaborating closely with R&D and business teams to create valuable IP assets which contributed greatly to companies’ competitive advantage and played a key role in successful M&A transactions and funding rounds.
Danna began her IP career at Medingo Ltd., a medical device startup which was acquired by Roche Diagnostics in 2010, and has since managed the intellectual property of several medical device startups.
Danna holds an LL.B. in Law (magna cum laude) and a B.A. in Economics, both from the University of Haifa, with additional background in Biomedical Engineering from the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology.
Danna is licensed to practice law in Israel.

A seasoned executive and entrepreneur in the healthcare space, Harel has over 16 years of experience in leadership positions in the corporate world and the start-up sector in the United States, Europe and Israel. In 2010, he founded MEDX Ventures Group, an investment and management firm with offices in the US, Europe and Israel, and serves as its CEO and Company Group Chairman. In 2015, he established MEDX Xelerator as a partnership between MEDX Ventures Group, Boston Scientific, Intellectual Ventures and Sheba Medical Center. Harel serves as CEO and Chairman of Microbot Medical Ltd. and Chairman of XACT Robotics Ltd., both promising early stage medical device companies in the MEDX portfolio.

Until 2013, Harel served on the board of directors at ConTIPI Ltd., and played an instrumental role in its commercial efforts, resulting in its acquisition by Kimberly Clark Corporation in 2012.

Earlier, Harel was Worldwide Group Marketing Director at Ethicon, a Johnson & Johnson company, overseeing global strategic marketing. During his tenure, Ethicon enjoyed continuous revenue growth and new product launches, from both internal R&D and M&A. He previously led marketing activities for Ethicon in Europe, Middle East and Africa and held key management positions at Johnson & Johnson Medical Israel.

A former professional basketball player, Harel played for numerous professional teams in the Israeli and European leagues. Prior to turning professional, Harel played at Siena College for the Siena Saints, an NCAA Division I Basketball Program.

Harel is a guest speaker for management and innovation courses at leading universities in the United States and Israel.

Harel holds a BSc degree from Siena College (US) and an MBA from Manchester University (UK).

In the last 15 years, Shai has been leading development and commercialization of innovative medical devices for various indications such as heart failure, metabolic and GI diseases. Most recently he has been the Chief Operating Officer of EndoStim Inc. that developed a neurostimulator for treating GERD. Previously he held the positions of VP Business Development at MetaCure Inc. and VP R&D at Impulse Dynamics Ltd. Shai is an author or co-inventor of 28 issued patents.

Shai holds a B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering from the Technion and an MBA from Columbia University.

Dr. Zimlichman is a physician specializing in internal medicine (MD at the Technion Israel Institute of Technology), healthcare executive & an innovation leader.

Dr. Zimlichman serves as a Deputy Director General at Sheba Medical Centre, Israel's largest hospital, as well as a Chief Medical Officer and Chief Innovation Officer.

Prior to his work at Sheba Medical Centre, Dr. Zimlichman held a research and advisory positions regarding healthcare quality and patient safety:
• Lead Researcher at Partners Health Care Clinical Affairs Department in Boston.
• Researcher at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School affiliated Centre for Patient Safety Research and Practice.
• Advisor to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
• Member at steering committees at the Israeli Ministry of Health
• Founding member of the International Academy of Quality and Safety in Healthcare
• An international expert at the International Society of Quality in Healthcare

Dr. Zimlichman is a graduate of the Harvard School of Public Health Executive Healthcare Management (2010, Master of Science program).

Elad has over 20 years of international experience in senior leadership roles in strategy, business development and general management within the healthcare industry, and has deep knowledge of the public and private healthcare sectors, including the pharma, biotech, medical device, and digital health markets.

Elad is currently the Chief Business Development Officer at Operose Health, the UK arm of Centene Corp, a FORTUNE® 50 US government-sponsored health insurer. He is also the founder and Chairman of the Advisory Board of the UK Israel HealthTech Forum. Elad also acts as a senior strategic advisor to CBG, a major UK-based investor in Cleantech and Healthtech with primary focus on the Israeli and EU innovation eco-systems

Elad holds an Executive MBA from the Hebrew University, and a BA in economics and international marketing from ISG in Paris.

Rotem Yehuda Kakon has more than 12 years of experience in Venture Capital investments, business development, entrepreneurship, and the public sector. He has been an active board member of numerous high-tech and industrial companies.

Rotem is a Strategic Investor & Portfolio Manager advisor at CBG and a limited partner in over 15 different Venture Capital Funds with a total of $100M under management. Mr. Kakon currently serves on the board of directors of NewRocket, CENS Materials, MEDX Xelerator, Xenia Venture Capital, and Earth & Beyond Ventures.,

Formerly, he served as Senior Advisor to the Israeli Minister of Economy and Industry, the Israeli Ministry of Environmental Protection, and as Business Development Manager at ANS Tech.

Rotem served in the IDF in an elite unit under the Givati Brigade. Mr. Kakon holds a B.A. in Economics and Management and an MBA in Business Strategy from Bar-Ilan University.

Jonathan is a Director, Global Technology Partnerships, at Boston Scientific Corporation (BSC). Since 2012, he has been interfacing with Israeli investors and projects, generating collaborations across the spectrum of BSC’s R&D, Venture and Business Development functions. Jonathan created the Global Scouting Team, identifying relevant next generation technologies and companies for the BSC pipeline. He now focuses mainly on non-US opportunities of mutual collaboration and investment, to expand BSC’s impact towards meaningful innovation globally.

Jonathan started out as a strategy consultant for Metapraxis Ltd. in London in the early 90s, working with blue-chip companies such as Unilever, Kleinwort Benson and S.G. Warburg. Since moving to Israel in 1995, he has focused on the biomedical field, working initially at one of Israel’s key hi-tech investment banks, followed by extensive periods in Business Development at some of Israel’s most innovative biomedical startups. Jonathan was as a member on the Advisory Board of the award-winning Meytav Technology Incubator, and, was the Israel Editor of Medical Device Daily of the US (Reuters).

Jonathan holds a BSc. in Chemistry & Biochemistry from Imperial College, London, and an MBA from the University of London.

Avner Halperin is an entrepreneur, executive and researcher in the fields of medical technology, policy and big data economics. He is the CEO of Sheba Medical Center’s innovation and commercialization company. He is also a Research Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School as well as Chairman of the Board at EyeControl (winner of the Genesis Award for contribution to the battle against COVID-19). He is also a lecturer at Tel Aviv University, teaching a course on big data economics.
Previously, he was the founding CEO of EarlySense for 15 years - bringing the company from the idea stage to millions of patients served and tens of thousands of lives saved. Prior to that, Avner was CEO of Emmunet, VP Marketing at Radcom (NASDAQ: RDCM), and R&D leader at Eldat Communications (acquired by Pricer(PRIC.ST)). Earlier, he was Department Head of an R&D Unit in the Israeli Defense Forces Intelligence Corps where he won the Intelligence Innovation Award.
Avner earned an MSc in Applied Physics from Tel Aviv University and an MBA from MIT where he did research on globally dispersed teams. He also taught courses on economics and entrepreneurship in the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His research papers and 34 US Patents have been cited over 4,000 times. He gave a TEDx talk on Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare in 2019.

Raphi Levy has served since 2019 as Chief Financial Officer of Alpha Tau Medical (NASDAQ:DRTS), an Israeli medical device company developing the innovative alpha-radiation cancer therapy Alpha DaRT™. Prior to joining Alpha Tau, Raphi served in the Investment Banking Division at Goldman Sachs from 2006 until 2019 in New York and Tel Aviv, most recently serving as Executive Director in charge of healthcare banking in Israel. He holds a BS in Economics from the Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania, and a BSE and MSE in Electrical Engineering from the School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Bomback has excelled throughout his entire academic career. He graduated cum laude from Columbia College, Columbia University where he was named one of only five Rabi Scholars (for mathematics and science) in his class. He then earned his medical degree at Columbia College of Physicians & Surgeons, Columbia University, once again graduating at the top of his class with honors. He was named to the Alpha Omega Alpha Society and earned numerous accolades including the Bertsch Prize and Cummins awards for most promising surgeon. He then completed his internship and residency in Orthopaedic Surgery at Yale New Haven Hospital, and ultimately served as Chief Resident there as well. His professionalism and spinal research earned him the top two graduating awards (Southwick and Chrisman Awards) in addition to a national Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation Prize.
Dr. Bomback then completed a Spine and Scoliosis Fellowship at the world-renowned Hospital for Special Surgery (New York, NY) studying all aspects of spinal care including both pediatric and adult. He practices in southwestern Connecticut at the state- and nationally- recognized CT Neck & Back, Specialists, LLC. He devotes his entire practice to spine care – both surgical and nonsurgical. He treats all spinal conditions including complex spinal deformities (scoliosis and kyphosis) as well revision spinal fusions. In addition, he performs a vast amount of minimally invasive spinal procedures, reducing pain and hospital stay. He serves on the Professional Practice Evaluation Committee for Western CT Health Network as the sole surgeon representative, reviewing all cases with significant complications (giving him a particular expertise in second opinions and recognition regarding surgical appropriateness.) He also leads as the Medical Director of the Orthopaedic Surgery/Neurosurgery Unit at Western Connecticut Health Network.

Dr. Bomback has published original research in the top spine publications (Spine, The Spine Journal) and has written numerous articles/chapters relevant to his expertise. He has lectured both nationally and internationally on spinal fusion surgery. Reader’s Digest featured him for his “miracle of surgery”. He has consistently been named a Top Doctor by U.S. News & World Report, a CT Top Doc, Americas Top Orthopaedist, as well as Castle Connolly Top Doctor for Orthopaedics.

Dr. Katzen is Voluntary Professor of Radiology at the University of Miami School of Medicine as well as Clinical Professor of Radiology at the University of South Florida College of Medicine, and most recently became Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs at the Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine.
Dr. Katzen received his medical degree from the University of Miami School of Medicine. He completed his radiology residency at the New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, with fellowship in cardiovascular radiology at St. Vincents Hospital Medical Center in New York, as well as the University of Rome, Italy. He later trained in Europe on several occasions, developing a deep understanding of the delivery of healthcare in multinational settings.
Dr. Katzen is considered a pioneer of angioplasty thrombolysis and has a particular interest in treatment of aortic (AAA, TAA) and peripheral aneurysms, peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and critical limb ischemia, carotid artery disease, renal vascular hypertension, and vascular malformations. He has participated in the innovation of new therapies for a number of vascular diseases.
Dr. Katzen had been awarded fellowships in American College of Cardiology, American College of Radiology, Society of Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiology (SIR), and Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiological Society of Europe (CIRSE). He is one of the few and non-surgeons, awarded membership in the Society for Vascular Surgery in the United States.
Dr. Katzen currently serves on the following advisory boards: Boston Scientific, COOK Medical, Philips Medical, Medtronic, IC Sciences, Nellix, Inc., W.L. Gore, Cordis, CR Bard.
Dr. Katzen is a member of several societies, including the Society of Interventional Radiology, American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association; currently he is a member of the Board of Trustees for the RSNA Research and Education Foundation. Dr. Katzen was awarded the Society of Interventional Radiology's Gold Medal for lifetime achievement, as well as receiving the Gold Medal from the Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiological Society of Europe (CIRSE), first American received such recognition. He had also been entered into the "Hall of Fame" University of Miami School of Medicine, as well as receiving the Gold Medal from the Alumni Association.
Throughout his medical career, Dr. Katzen has been a leader in the development of new less invasive procedures, and published extensively in the scientific literature. Additionally, he serves on editorial boards for numerous journals, and has been the founding editor of two journals in the field, he is author and co-author of numerous text books as well. Dr. Katzen had an early interest in the use of the Internet for education and physician interaction, and in 1995, along with his partners, founded the Endovascular Forum, one of the first interactive physician websites in the world.

Prof. Menahem Neuman, specializes in Gynecology, pelvic floor relaxation and pelvic organ prolapse medicine, female urinary incontinence and pelvic floor prolapse surgery.
In addition to his position at the Galilee M.C. Prof. Neuman teaches at the Bar-Ilan University Faculty of Medicine – Safed, Israel, and mentors fellow surgeons from Israel as well as over-seas countries, with the newest surgical methods. Prof. Neuman served J&J Ethicon as a surgical consultant and mentor across Europe, South Africa and was a member of their innovation council for years.
Prof. Neuman is a fellow of the International Urogynecology Association, the International Society of Pelviperineology, the Israeli Society of Pelvic Floor Medicine (and was the secretary of this organization lately). He is a member of editorial boards of the International Urogynecology Journal and of the Pelviperineology. To his credit, Prof. Neuman was developing the newly designed mini-mesh sling at Serag –Wiessner, Naila, Germany. He is the medical director of POP Medical Solutions – a medical devices start-up company, and consultant for Memic (a robotic medical start-up company) and for Bluewind – a magnetic therapy start-up company. Prof. Neuman is world-wide well known for his expertise in female pelvic floor reconstructive procedures.
Prof. Neuman’s research interests are primarily devoted to female urology and pelvic floor medicine. He is the author and coauthor of about 100articles on these and related topics, which are published in prestigious, peer-reviewed scientific journals such as Journal of Urology, European Journal of Urology, European Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Neurourology and Urodynamics, Int. Urogynecology Journal and many others. Prof. Neuman has organized international scientific meetings and delivered local, regional, national, and international invited presentations in his field. He has been Principal Investigator for more than 60 clinical research studies.

Dr. Macomber is a general surgeon and medical technology entrepreneur with a background in medical device development and health information technology. He is the Founder and Chief Medical Officer of UV Therapeutics, a med tech company developing a device based approach for system immune modulation and is currently conducting its first human clinical trial for the treatment of Lupus.
Dr. Macomber recently co-founded a mobile EMR integration platform for providers, Mozaic Medical, that will be launching it’s first platform in 2015. He is the co-founder and assistant director of the Surgical Technology Innovation and Commercialization program at UMass (STIC-UM) and co-founder of the Institute for Inflammatory Disease (INSIDE) at the University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust. He also performs medical technology consulting for industry companies.
Dr. Macomber received a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Music from Union College in 2005, an MBA in Health Care Management from the Graduate College of Union University in 2006 and an MD with Distinction in Health Management Systems from Albany Medical College in 2009, as part of the Eight-Year Leadership in Medicine BS/MBA/MD program. He also completed a two-year research fellowship in surgical outcomes and surgical technology innovation and attended the Program in Clinical Effectiveness at the Harvard School of Public Health in 2011. Concurrently with his role at UVT, Chris is completing his last year of general and laparoscopic surgery as Chief Resident at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. He is a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society and the Gold Humanism Honor Society.

Dr. Lindsay Machan is the regional lead of Angiography and Interventional Radiology at Vancouver Coastal Health, a founding member of the Canadian Interventional Radiology Association, and was formerly President of the Western Angiographic and Interventional Society. In 1992, Dr. Machan co-founded Angiotech Pharmaceuticals Inc. (TSE:ANP) and is the co-inventor of patents regarding paclitaxel stent coating (licensed by Boston Scientific and Cook) and patents on biologically active coatings for endovascular stent grafts. Dr. Machan is the recipient of the 2006 Manning Innovation Principal Award and serves on the board of several medical-device companies.

Dr. Morag currently serves as Chairman of Radiology at Assuta Ashdod Medical Center, Ashdod, Israel.

Recently, he served as the Regional Radiology Director at Mercy Health Partners Hospitals in Toledo, Ohio. He was a member of University Radiology Group (one of the largest private radiology groups in the U.S.), where he headed the International Investment efforts for the Ventures division.

Following his clinical training, Dr. Morag joined a private practice in western Massachusetts, where he served as Chief of Radiology at Holyoke Medical Center for several years.

Dr. Morag has extensive international experience developing and establishing radiology-related businesses. During his fellowship, Dr. Morag co-founded InTek Technology, a medical device startup company. He later founded Global Versa Radiology (GVR), an Israeli- and U.S.- based Teleradiology Company that has expanded reach to provide interventional radiology services to U.S. hospitals. GVR has established imaging centers in Russia and the Ukraine and provided teleradiology services in countries outside the U.S. and Israel. Dr. Morag served as GVR’s Chief Medical Officer and Vice-President. He is currently involved in several startup companies ranging from AI to medical devices.

Dr. Morag is certified by the American Board of Radiology and received his training at top medical institutions including:

• Boston University School of Medicine, MD
• Brockton Hospital, an affiliate of Boston Medical Center & Boston University School of Medicine, Internship
• Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center & Harvard Medical School, Radiology Residency
• Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center & Harvard Medical School, Fellowship in Cardiovascular & Interventional Radiology

Professor Chaim Lotan was born in Israel in 1952, and was educated at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem Medical School. He is an Interventional Cardiologist with over 35 years' experience in the field.
He has been Director of the Heart Institute of The Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center in Jerusalem, Israel, since September 2000.
He is Professor of Medicine in Cardiology at The Hebrew University.
Prof. Lotan served as President of the Israel Heart Society in 2011-2013. He participates in various basic science and clinical research projects, and he is a consultant to several start-up companies.
He is Course Co-Director of the international scientific congress “Innovations in Cardiovascular Interventions” held in Israel.
Prof. Lotan initiated, and together with Dr. Yaakov Nahmias, built the interdisciplinary academic track of Biodesign Innovation at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Charles Knowles is Professor of Surgery at Queen Mary University of London, Lead for Colorectal Surgery at the Cleveland Clinic London and an honorary Consultant Colorectal surgeon at Barts Health NHS Trust and St Marks Hospitals. He qualified from the University of Cambridge and undertook general surgical training and a PhD in London. His main research interests cover the development and evaluation of new technologies for the diagnosis and treatment of chronic bowel diseases (especially neuromodulation and cell therapies). Clinically, he is a key international opinion leader on pelvic floor disorders and GI neuromuscular diseases.

Professor Knowles is the inaugural Clinical Director of Research at the Cleveland Clinic London and hold honorary chairs at UCL (experimental therapeutics) and the University of Antwerp. He has authored over 260 peer-reviewed publications (H-index: 60) as well as contributing to major international colorectal and general surgical texts, national guidance and health policy documents.

Dave Knapp, vice president, Corporate Research, Boston Scientific, has been working to treat unmet needs in coronary, cardiovascular and pulmonary medicine for 20 years. At Boston Scientific, Dave leads initiatives to drive innovation and new growth in white space areas and expand to new geographies. One of his key areas of focus has been coordinating open collaborative efforts, including developing relationships with external institutions and connecting across disciplines and functions to drive meaningful innovation. Dave has held a number of roles within Boston Scientific, spanning from development efforts in drug-eluting stents to exploratory and commercialization phases of the development cycle for various medical technologies in the cardiovascular space. He is an author on a number of publications in the areas of biopolymer rheology, in vitro assays for cell migration and traction, and modeling mechanisms of release from controlled release formulations. He holds a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science of the University of Minnesota.