REGENESIS - Key Persons


David Armstrong

Job Titles:
  • Deputy Director of Arizona 's Center for Accelerated Biomedical Innovation
  • Foot and Ankle Surgeon
  • Professor of Surgery at the University of Southern California
Dr. Armstrong is Professor of Surgery at the University of Southern California. Dr. Armstrong holds a Master of Science in Tissue Repair and Wound Healing from the University of Wales College of Medicine and a PhD from the University of Manchester College of Medicine, where he was appointed Visiting Professor of Medicine. He is founder and co-Director of the Southwestern Academic Limb Salvage Alliance (SALSA). Dr. Armstrong has produced more than 570 peer-reviewed research papers in dozens of scholarly medical journals as well as over 100 books or book chapters. He is co-Editor of the American Diabetes Association's (ADA) Clinical Care of the Diabetic Foot, now in its third edition. Armstrong was appointed Deputy Director of Arizona's Center for Accelerated Biomedical Innovation (ACABI) and co-founder of its "augmented human" initiative, which places him at the nexus of the merger of consumer electronics, wearables and medical devices. Dr. Armstrong was selected as one of the first six International Wound Care Ambassadors and is the recipient of numerous awards and degrees by universities and international medical organizations including the inaugural Georgetown Distinguished Award for Diabetic Limb Salvage. In 2008, he was the 25th and youngest-ever member elected into the Podiatric Medicine Hall of Fame. He was the first surgeon to be appointed University Distinguished Outreach Professor at the University of Arizona. He was the first podiatric surgeon to become a member of the Society of Vascular Surgery and the first US podiatric surgeon named fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, Glasgow. He is the 2010 and youngest ever recipient of the ADA's Roger Pecoraro Award, the highest award given in the field. Dr. Armstrong is past Chair of Scientific Sessions for the ADA's Foot Care Council, and a past member of the National Board of Directors of the American Diabetes Association. He sits on the Infectious Disease Society of America's (IDSA) Diabetic Foot Infection Advisory Committee and is the US appointed delegate to the International Working Group on the Diabetic Foot (IWGDF). Dr. Armstrong is the founder and co-chair of the International Diabetic Foot Conference (DF-Con), the largest annual international symposium on the diabetic foot in the world. He is also the Founding President of the American Limb Preservation Society (ALPS), an interdisciplinary medical and surgical society dedicated to eliminating preventable amputation in the USA and worldwide.

Dennis Orgill

Job Titles:
  • Plastic Surgeon
  • Engineer With a
Dr. Orgill is trained as an engineer with a BS in Bioengineering from UC Berkeley, a MS in Mechanical Engineering and a PhD in Medical Engineering from MIT. He completed Harvard Medical School and residencies in Surgery and Plastic Surgery at Brigham and Women's Hospital where he now works as a Plastic Surgeon focusing on adult reconstructive surgery. He is the Medical Director for the Brigham and Women's Hospital Wound Care Center. He has over 350 peer reviewed publications and has received numerous awards for his work. His research interests include the use of Biophysical forces to enhance wound healing.

Don Tate

Job Titles:
  • Vice - President, Technology
Early in Don's life he found a passion for innovation and design. During his time at Lake Washington Institute of Technology, Don interned in civil engineering and worked for a company that produced electronic speed controllers. After graduating from the Lake Washington Institute of Technology Engineering program in 1994, he immediately started his career in aerospace working on projects for Lockheed Martin, Air Bus, and Boeing, designing tooling for commercial and military applications. During his time engineering Don was provided the opportunity to administrate an IT Unix environment. Boeing took interest in his work and recruited him to focus on improving cabin control designs. It was during his engineering years he discovered another passion; Information Technology. Don was recruited by Covestic Inc, an IT firm formerly known as Jesco, to support Sprint PCS and their service rollout in the southern California area. His IT career experiences amassed a wealth of knowledge of over 26 years which he applied across a variety of industries such as, cellular services, software development, network systems, biopharmaceuticals, medical research, and financial services. He worked with companies such as AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint PCS, FileNet, Terabeam, IQVIA biopharmaceuticals formally known as Quintiles, TGen, American Express, Charles Schwab, and Vulcan Inc., which is founded by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and his sister Jody Allen supporting their philanthropic endeavors. Today, Don combines his expertise in engineering and IT to provide leadership for our innovation team working passionately to advance the designs of our medical devices, improving the lives of our patients, and moving our products in to the innovative future.

Dr. Bryan T. Fisher Sr.

Job Titles:
  • Certified Vascular Surgeon and Physician
  • Vascular Surgeon
Dr. Bryan T. Fisher Sr. is a board certified Vascular surgeon and Physician Lead for Vascular Services for the HCA Tristar Division in Middle Tennessee. Uniquely qualified to address the challenges and solutions aimed at the delivery of high quality patient care, Dr. Fisher is consistently recognized by his peers as a caring professional and respected collaborative colleague in the local and international community. Dr. Fisher graduated with honors from Tennessee State University and became a Ronald McNair and MARC Scholar. He was accepted into the UW Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, but deferred one year to teach elementary school at Belmont Elementary School in Woodbridge, VA. After medical school, Dr. Fisher completed a five year general surgery residency at The Ohio State University under Dr. E. Christopher Ellison. He then culminated his surgical training at Vanderbilt University under Dr. Thomas C. Naslund. Dr. Fisher is a board certified Vascular surgeon and is a member of The Surgical Clinic in Nashville, TN. He serves as the Co-Chairman of the Tristar Vascular Workgroup, Physician Lead for Vascular Services HCA Tristar Division, and co-Director of the Center for Functional Limb Preservation at Tristar Centennial Medical Center. As the physician lead of Vascular services at the division level, Dr. Fisher provides leadership and the vision of providing cutting-edge, personalized, high quality care for vascular disease; in a truly collaborative environment. Dr. Fisher specializes in complex open, endovascular and hybrid techniques in the treatment of aortic disease and lower extremity occlusive disease. He has a special interest in the treatment of advanced lower extremity disease in patients at higher risk for limb loss. Dr. Fisher has an additional focus on eliminating disparities cardiovascular disease outcomes that adversely affect the Black community. Dr. Fisher owes his success to his wife and friend of 21 years, Latita Fisher. They have four wonderful children (Bryan Jr., Breahn, Breya, and Brylee).

Erica Tassone

Job Titles:
  • Executive Director, Life Sciences
  • Expert
Dr. Tassone is an expert in molecular biology and genomics, with extensive experience in data analysis, experimental design, and molecular techniques. She is a graduate of Arizona State University, where she earned her Ph.D. from the department of Life Sciences in Biology with a focus on Population Genetics. Dr. Tassone has over 15 years' experience working in molecular biology and sequencing, and her work has contributed to over two dozen publications with a range of study organisms, including primates, crops, pests, and people. She has spoken at national conferences covering a range of her research topics. Utilizing cutting edge technology and hypothesis driven experimental design, she is passionate about using a collaborative approach to answer translational research questions for Regenesis patients.

Henry Newman

Job Titles:
  • Co - Founder and General Partner With Solstice Capital
Mr. Newman is a co-founder and General Partner with Solstice Capital, a Boston based venture capital firm, and has over 35 years of venture capital investing, operations and public accounting experience. For more than seven years, Mr. Newman was a Vice President of BancBoston Ventures Inc., a venture capital subsidiary of Bank of Boston. Previously, he held various financial management positions at the Bank of Boston and was a CPA at Coopers & Lybrand. Mr. Newman is a Director of CodeRyte, and was formerly a Director of CellzDirect, Lipton Corporate Childcare and Proton Energy Systems, Inc. He serves on the Investment Advisory Committee of Commons Capital LLC, a positive impact venture fund. Mr. Newman graduated from Bowdoin College and received an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Jack Ahrens II

Job Titles:
  • Founding General Partner of TGap Venture Capital Funds
Mr. Ahrens is a founding General Partner of TGap Venture Capital Funds, headquartered in Kalamazoo, Michigan. TGap I is a $20 million early stage, Midwest focused venture capital fund established in August of 2002 and TGap II is a $26 million fund established in 2008. Jack has been a venture capitalist and fund administrator since 1979; first as President of United Capital Corporation of Illinois (an SBIC), since 1983 as a General Partner of Pathfinder Venture Capital Funds I,II, III. Prior to that he had seven years of experience in bank trust investments and operations. He became a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) in 1982 and has advanced training at the American Institute of Banking, NASBIC Management Institute, and Stanford Advance Management College. He has served on many Boards during his career including Afmedica, Inc., Central Data, Inc., Micro Business Applications, Inc., MedVantx, Inc., MinuteClinic, Inc., NeoChord, Inc., Vector General, Inc. and he is the Chairman of the Great Lakes Entrepreneur Quest. He has been on several 501C3, Not for Profit Boards, and has held various officer roles in these organizations. He is a graduate of Indiana University.

Jeff Page

Job Titles:
  • Foot and Ankle Surgeon
Dr. Page is a podiatric medical educator board certified in wound care and in foot and ankle surgery. Recently retired as the Founding Dean and Professor of podiatric medicine and surgery of the Arizona College of Podiatric Medicine at Midwestern University in Glendale, Arizona, Dr. Page also served as Dean and Professor at the California College of Podiatric Medicine in San Francisco, California. He twice served as the Chief of the Podiatry Section and Residency Director at the Carl T. Hayden VA Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona. He is also a Visiting Professor at the Nankai University School of Medicine in Tianjin, China. Dr. Page has published over 75 manuscripts and peer-reviewed posters and served as a consultant on several medical advisory boards for biotechnology. Dr. Page was awarded fellowships by the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons, the American Professional Wound Care Association, the American College of Foot and Ankle Orthopedics and Medicine, and the American Society of Podiatric Dermatology. He received the Kenison Award, the highest honor bestowed by the American Podiatric Medical Students Association and was selected several times as one of the most influential podiatrists in the U.S. by Podiatry Management magazine. He was also given the John R. Burdick Altruism Award by DOCare International. Dr. Page has been deeply involved in service to the community and the profession. He is the founding Chairman of the Board for the FUEGO Foundation, dedicated to expanding aid and health care access to under-resourced populations abroad. For 18 years he helped to lead interdisciplinary missions to Guatemala and Mexico and the foundation supports foreign clinics and medical trainees desirous of serving health related missions. Dr. Page served for many years on the Board of Neighborhood Outreach Access to Health (NOAH) which operates ten community clinics for the under-served in greater Phoenix and he served for several years with the American Diabetes Association in Arizona. He has devoted many years to the provision of health care to the homeless through direct patient care and through the supervision of volunteer student organizations dedicated to support of the homeless.

Lou Burts

Job Titles:
  • Regional Vice - President, Sales, East
Lou Burts came to Regenesis with 20 years of healthcare sales experience in devices, revenue cycle management, capital equipment and contracting. He worked as a sales representative and regional manager with Boston Scientific in implantable cardiac devices. Lou worked as a business development director for a SaaS- based product for RCM, and most recently was a regional business manager for Integra Surgical Reconstruction. He is an Army Veteran (Infantry). Lou has a BS in Ergonomic Engineering from the United States Military Academy, an MS in Management/Organizational Change from Troy University, and an MBA from Texas A&M.

Marissa Carter

Job Titles:
  • President of Strategic Solutions
Marissa Carter is President of Strategic Solutions and holds an MA in biochemistry from Oxford University and a PhD in chemistry from Brandeis University. Dr Carter has an extremely broad background in science, and has worked in many medical fields, as well as chemistry, biochemistry, engineering, and materials science. She believes passionately in interdisciplinary research as the key to understanding medical problems, and brings to the table many different disciplines to help solve challenging issues. She is also a veteran businesswoman, and has worked for many large corporations, such as GTE, Chevron, and Solvay, in research, pilot and industrial engineering, marketing and sales, and product development. She is a biostatistician, epidemiologist, EBM practitioner, and a health economist. Dr. Carter spends most of her time designing, monitoring, and analyzing clinical studies as well as assisting manufacturers on medical devices and biologics approvals and works in the fields of wound care, epidemiology, ophthalmology, orthopedics, and quality of life. For many years she has collaborated with the FDA, CMS, payer, and other wound care organization personnel to help approve new clinical trial endpoints, conduct CACs, and advance improve the way we do wound care research. She is the author or coauthor of over 130 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters in medical and chemical research and is a peer reviewer for dozens of different medical journals.

Marvin J. Slepian

Job Titles:
  • Cardiologist / Biomedical Engineer
Marvin J. Slepian, M.D. is a Regents' Professor at the University of Arizona; with Professorships in Medicine, Medical Imaging, BioMedical Engineering (Associate Dept. Head), Materials Sciences and Engineering, Chemical and Environmental Engineering, as well as being a McGuire Scholar in the Eller College of Management. Dr. Slepian is the founder and Director of ACABI - the Arizona Center for Accelerated Biomedical Innovation - an across the university "creativity engine," to drive innovation, novel solution development and real-world translation. In parallel with his clinical career Dr. Slepian has had an extensive research career leading to the development of innovative diagnostics and therapeutics for cardiovascular diseases. His work has focused on the development and use of novel biomaterials for tissue engineering, drug delivery and medical device development. His lab has developed many novel diagnostics and therapeutics which have found their way into clinical use today including: drug-eluting stent technologies, stent coatings, "polymer paving," surgical anti-adhesive barriers, stretchable and biodegradable electronics, "wearables," synthetic tissue sealants, myocardial revascularization and cell delivery methods and cardiovascular prosthetic devices - including the only FDA approved total artificial heart. He is the author or co-author of more than 250 articles, textbook chapters and abstracts, published in journals such as Science, Nature Materials, PNAS, PlosOne, Circulation, and the New England Journal of Medicine. He also serves on multiple editorial review boards. He is a prolific inventor with more than 100 issued and filed patents and has been the founder of numerous medical device companies including FOCAL (NASDAQ), Endotex, Angiotrax, Hansen Medical (NASDAQ), Arsenal, 480 BioMedical, MC10 and SynCardia, and has been involved in bringing many new devices through the FDA regulatory process into clinical use, including most notably the total artificial heart. He has received multiple awards for his academic and translational research activities including: the American Heart Association award for the most significant advance in cardiovascular medicine, the AZBio Pioneer Award (2017) for Lifetime Achievement in Biomedical Science Innovation, and in 2019 was named daVinci Fellow - the highest recognition of the University of Arizona College of Engineering; and received the Daniel Drake Medal - the highest distinction of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine for outstanding innovative medical research. In 2020 Dr. Slepian was selected as Founders' Lecturer - the highest honor of the U Arizona College of Medicine. Dr. Slepian is an elected fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI), and is an elected member of BEMA - the Biomaterials Engineering Materials and Applications (BEMA) Roundtable, of the National Research Council of the National Academies. He is the Immediate Past-President of the International Society for Mechanical Circulatory Support (ISMCS) is and was recently elected President of the American Society for Artificial Internal Organs (ASAIO).

Melissa Cole - CFO, VP

Job Titles:
  • Chief Financial Officer
  • Vice - President
Mrs. Cole joined the Regenesis Team in June 2022, bringing with her more than 30 years of finance, accounting, and human resources experience, including time spent in the healthcare space across compounding pharmacy, physical therapy, and behavioral and mental health services. Having spent over a decade working with private equity-backed, acquisitive platform companies, Mrs. Cole brings a unique set of skills to serve as a strategic partner to the CEO and Management Team, providing guidance on reporting, positioning the organization for growth, M&A activities, and potential exit strategies. Her experience in human resources, benefits administration, and payroll processes offers the organization a breadth and depth of services not previously part of the CFO role. She hails from the East Coast, having been born, raised, and educated in the Boston area. A graduate of Brandeis University with a B.A. in English Literature, a degree in Accounting from Assumption College, and an MBA from Ottawa University, Mrs. Cole also maintains an active license as a Certified Public Accountant in the state of Arizona.

Pete Gizzi

Job Titles:
  • Regional Vice - President, Sales, West
Pete Gizzi entered the medical device sales environment in 2004 working with Avail Medical (Contract Manufacturer of disposable, sterile goods), Sanuwave (shockwave device), Med-tek and Orthofix (orthopedic device); he transitioned to leading global teams within the clinical trials software industry for the past eight years. Most notably, his time with Orthofix selling bone growth stimulators, external fixation, and biologics translates well with the Regenesis PEMF technology, sales delivery model, and leading teams to a strategic outcome. Pete graduated with a Systems Engineering degree from West Point and served as an Air Defense Artillery officer for seven years. During that time, he served as a commander of a Patriot unit during Iraqi Freedom. Pete also earned a Master's degree from University of Southern California, completing the Executive MBA program in 2012.

R. King Nelson

Job Titles:
  • Director
Mr. Nelson has been a Director of Regenesis since July 2014. King Nelson has over 35 years of diverse experience and expertise with medical devices. He is currently CEO and Director of Q'Apel Medical, a Neurovascular company. He also served as CEO, President, and Director of Uptake Medical; as President and CEO of Kerberos Proximal Solutions, which was acquired by FoxHollow; and as President and CEO of VenPro, which was acquired by Medtronic. Prior to that, he spent 19 years with Baxter and American Hospital Supply Corporation in roles that included division President for Dade Diagnostics, Baxter Perfusion Services, and Bentley Labs. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for of CardieX (ASX: CDX), a lifescience digital company. He graduated from Texas Tech University and has an MBA from the University of Miami Herbert Business School.

Randy Chavez

Job Titles:
  • Vice - President, Regulatory Affairs and Quality Assurance
Mr. Chavez brings 20 years experience to the Regulatory and Quality role at Regenesis. He came aboard in 2008 with a successful track record of implementing Quality Management Systems and OUS applications for the EU, Canadian and Australian market approvals. His work at Regenesis has involved remediation and upgrade of the Quality Management System to FDA and ISO standards to bring the company forward from a specification developer to a manufacturer and release of a upgraded models of the Provant Therapy System. His key Regulatory projects at Regenesis involved multiple 510(k) submissions, reclassification of the Provant from a Pre-Amendments Class III device to a Class II device and CE Marking for expanded indications. Mr. Chavez has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and an M.S. in Regulatory Science from Arizona State University.

Richard D. Shirk - Chairman

Job Titles:
  • Chairman
  • Director
Mr. Shirk has been a Director of Regenesis since April 2012. Richard D. Shirk has more than 30 years of experience in insurance, employee benefits, and healthcare, and over 20 years of experience in investment management. Mr. Shirk was President, CEO and Chairman of Cerulean Companies, the holding company of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia, and was President and CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia from 1992 to 2001. Mr. Shirk also held senior officer positions with The Equitable Life Assurance Society, Equicor, and Cigna. He has served on the Board and as Lead Director of Amerigroup, as well as several privately held companies. He currently serves on the SSGA/SSIIT and Elfun mutual funds. His community service includes the Boards of the Metro Atlanta YMCA, the Woodruff Arts Center and its investment committee, and the Healthcare Georgia Foundation and its investment committee. He has served on the Board of the Southeastern Region American Red Cross Blood Services and as Chair of the American Red Cross Metro Atlanta Chapter Board. He is a Trustee Emeritus and graduate of Gettysburg College.

Scott Robey

Job Titles:
  • Vice - President, Marketing
Mr. Robey is a 30+ year marketing veteran. Prior to Regenesis he served as Senior Director of Marketing at Kinetic Concepts, Inc (KCI) for the V.A.C. Therapy brand during the time US product sales grew from about $70M in 2000 to about $1 billion by 2007. He has held marketing positions at Medtronic, Sulzer Carbomedics, and Burron Medical (B. Braun Medical, Inc). His responsibilities have included product management, new product development and commercialization, branding, clinical education programs, and key opinion leader and society relationship development. Mr. Robey has an M.S. in Management from Purdue University, and a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Louisiana Tech University.

Shamsideen (Deen) Musa

Job Titles:
  • Anesthesiologist and Interventional Pain Physician

Thomas Greer

Job Titles:
  • Founder and Partner of Fulcrum Equity Partners
Mr. Greer is a founder and Partner of Fulcrum Equity Partners. He has over 20 years of investment, financial and operating experience. Mr. Greer was the founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of Regency Healthcare, Inc. ("Regency") a provider of hospice services throughout the Southeast. He grew Regency to 5 offices, 120 employees in 3 years which culminated with the sale of a majority of Regency to EDG Partners, an Atlanta based private equity firm, in February 2006. Mr. Greer served as Chairman of the Board at the successor to Regency, Regency Healthcare Group, LLC, up until the sale of Regency to a Chicago based private equity firm in April 2011. In addition, Mr. Greer previously served on the boards of Implantable Provider Group and SunCrest Healthcare, both Fulcrum portfolio companies that had successful exits. Currently he serves on the board of directors/managers of Enduracare Acute Care Services, LLC. Mr. Greer is also on the board of Special Olympics Georgia. Prior to founding Regency he was Vice President of Healthcare Investment Banking for Robinson Humphrey where he worked on mergers, acquisitions, private placements, and public offerings for healthcare and life science companies. Prior to Robinson Humphrey Mr. Greer was a manager in the Corporate Finance and Investment Banking Group at Eli Lilly & Company in Indianapolis, IN. He worked exclusively on structuring and negotiating licensing arrangements, joint ventures, acquisitions and investments with domestic and international biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. Prior to Eli Lilly, he served as Director in KPMG's Corporate Finance practice where he executed equity raises, debt placements, sell side and buy side transactions. Additionally, he served as a Director in PriceWaterhouseCoopers Corporate Value Consulting group. Mr. Greer received his B.S. degree in Finance from Clemson University and his Masters of Business Administration degree from Wake Forest University.

Tom Eisiminger - CEO, President

Job Titles:
  • Chief Executive Officer
  • President
Mr. Eisiminger is President, Chief Executive Officer, and on the Board of Directors. Tom joined Regenesis in 2006 after a short tenure with GlaxoSmithKline, and served in successive leadership roles culminating in his most recent position as President and CEO. Tom served our country in the Army for 20+ years and is a decorated combat veteran. He held numerous leadership positions from platoon to battalion command. He managed the largest geographically dispersed Army Recruiting Battalion responsible for operations in SW Washington, Oregon, Northern California, Hawaii, Korea, Japan, Guam, American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands, and the Freely Associated States of the Republic of the Marshall Island, Republic of Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia. He twice earned awards as top recruiting unit in the Army. Tom is a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, and the Disabled American Veterans. He is a veteran's advocate and serves as President of the Veterans Medical Leadership Council (VMLC), a Phoenix based non-profit whose mission is to ensure quality medical & mental health care for Veterans and to encourage initiatives that honor the contributions made to the city, state & nation by Veterans and the men and women serving in the U.S. military. A former Board member of several veteran non-profits, he is also a member of the Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame Class of 2018. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) - Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. He earned his B.S. from the U. S. Military Academy at West Point, his M.A. in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College, and his MBA from Marylhurst University in Portland, Oregon..