THE STORY OF MEDTECH - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice President, Rapid and Molecular Diagnostics / Abbott
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President of Business Development and Membership Services for AdvaMed
- Senior Vice President, Membership and Business Development
Andrew Steiner is the senior vice president of business development and membership services for AdvaMed. He is responsible for overseeing the organization's general membership relations and non-dues initiatives.
Prior to joining AdvaMed, he worked as a regional sales director for International Data Corporation (IDC) where he was responsible for providing market intelligence and consulting/advisory services to Fortune 1000 companies headquartered in the New York and New Jersey region.
From 2011 to 2014, Steiner served as regional sales director for ACTIVE Network, a cloud-based event management solution.
Steiner is a graduate of Muhlenberg College where he received his B.A. He currently resides in Annapolis, Maryland with his three sons.
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- Chief Executive Officer, America / Sysmex America, Inc.
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- Executive Vice President of Global Strategy
- Executive Vice President, Global, Strategy and Analysis
Ashley Miller is Executive Vice President of Global Strategy and Analysis of AdvaMed. Ms. Miller is responsible for the Association's efforts to provide adequate reimbursement and open market access for medical technology products worldwide. She also serves as the Co-Chair of the Global Medical Technology Alliance.
Before joining AdvaMed's leadership team in early 2022, Ms. Miller worked in the Executive Office of the President as Deputy Assistant United States Trade Representative (USTR) for Market Access and Industrial Competitiveness. In this role, she was the lead negotiator for trade and regulatory issues in U.S. FTAs and had broad responsibility for the development and coordination of U. S. policy on international trade and regulatory matters focused on information technology, semiconductor, medical devices, and pharmaceutical sectors. Prior to joining USTR, Ms. Miller was the Department of Commerce's Market Access and Compliance Attaché at the U.S. Mission to the European Union in Brussels, Belgium.
Ms. Miller received her B.A. from the University of Michigan and her MPA from Rutgers University.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer, North America / Roche Diagnostics
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- President
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- Chief of Staff
- Chief People Officer
- Member of the Executive Management Team
- Chief People Officer & Chief of Staff for AdvaMed
Brian O'Connor serves as the Chief People Officer & Chief of Staff for AdvaMed. In these roles, he ensures the association has the talent, vision, and resources to deliver on the association's mission. O'Connor joined AdvaMed in 2016 as Vice President of Alliance Development, State, & External Affairs, where he led alliance development and state government affairs, coordinating partnerships with advocacy organizations and developing engagement strategies in state capitols across the country.
Previously, Brian was Managing Director, Public Affairs, at the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), where he directed grassroots aspects of state and federal advocacy activity. He also developed and led strategic coalitions with member companies, associations, and other third-party stakeholders to advance consensus-based advocacy goals and educational efforts regarding legislative and other activities. He also served as BIO's director of alliance development and manager of state government relations.
Brian graduated from Appalachian State University in Boone, NC, where he earned a degree in political science. He lives in the Petworth neighborhood in Washington, DC, with his wife, Mallori, and their daughter.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director / Distal Access, LLC
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- Member of the Executive Management Team
- Executive Vice President of Payment and Health Care Delivery Policy at AdvaMed
- Executive Vice President, Payment and Health Care Delivery Policy
Carol Blackford is the Executive Vice President of Payment and Health Care Delivery Policy at AdvaMed. AdvaMed's Payment and Health Care Delivery Policy department develops and advocates for policies to ensure and expand patient access to medical technologies by improving coverage, coding, and payment processes used by Medicare and commercial payers.
Ms. Blackford comes to AdvaMed with over two decades of health care policy experience. Prior to joining AdvaMed in 2023, Ms. Blackford served as a Senior Executive and Director of the Hospital and Ambulatory Policy Group in the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). In this role, Ms. Blackford had responsibility for payment and benefits policy on the acute care side of the Medicare Fee-For Service Program. These payment systems, which account for approximately $270 billion in Medicare spending, include inpatient and outpatient hospital services, physician services, Part B drugs and laboratory services, and other acute care services and providers. During her 28 year career at CMS, Ms. Blackford lead work in every major Medicare fee-for-service payment system and served in a number of enterprise wide leadership roles, including serving as the Agency's COVID-19 Pandemic Response Coordinator.
Carol holds a B.A in Political Science from McDaniel College and a Master's of Public Policy from The College of William and Mary.
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- Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer / PhotoniCare, Inc.
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- Chief Commercial Officer / DiaSorin Inc.
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- Chief Operating Officer
- General Counsel
- Member of the Executive Management Team
- General Counsel & Chief Policy Officer
Christopher L. White, Esq. is the General Counsel and Chief Policy Officer of the Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed).
Mr. White serves as the Association's Chief Legal Officer and manages AdvaMed's Legal Committee to develop and promote legal policy positions enhancing patient access to medical technology. Mr. White also leads the Association's global working groups on legal policy and compliance, including over 1500 in-house medtech lawyers. He testified before state and federal legislative committees on priority legal policy issues; led the drafting team revising the AdvaMed Code; and led the multinational negotiating team to draft the Kuala Lumpur Principles, harmonizing industry Codes of Ethics in Asia. He is a frequent speaker on health law and policy issues, and has guest lectured at Northwestern, UPenn, Wharton, GWU School of Medicine and Health Sciences and is an Advisory Board Member to the GWU School of Medicine and Health Sciences. He serves as a frequent speaker and author on industry legal and compliance issues.
As Chief Operating Officer, he manages the Association's HR, IT, Facilities, and, governance and provides counsel on contract, corporate, tax exemption, HR, and legislative and regulatory matters.
Mr. White is a graduate of Wake Forest University where he studied cell biology, and Catholic University Law School.
He is an avid sailor, cyclist and beekeeper.
"I've had a front-row seat to the amazing work AdvaMed members do every day fighting COVID-19 for patients and caregivers worldwide."
Job Titles:
- Director, Communications & Media Relations, 202 - 316 - 1423
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- General Manager, North America Clinical Operations / BioMerieux, Inc.
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- EVP and President, Life Sciences
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- President and CEO, Americas / Siemens
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- Chief Executive Officer / Smith & Nephew
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- Corporate Vice President Strategy and Corporate Development / Edwards Lifesciences Corporation
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- Chief Operating Officer / Werfen
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- Member of the Executive Management Team
- Chief Advocacy Officer & Head of External Affairs
Greg Crist is Chief Advocacy Officer and Head of External Affairs of the Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed), the world's leading medical device technology trade association. In his role, Greg is responsible for the association's advocacy efforts, representing industry interests from tax and trade policies through regulatory issues before the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), CMS, EPA and other federal agencies. Greg also leads the public affairs team, responsible for all research, message development and communications for more than 400 global medtech companies. While doing so, Greg also maintains a strong network of external relationships, particularly in the health care, political, and business spaces.
Greg's seasoned approach to advocacy strategy has resulted in monumental wins for the medical device industry, including the full repeal of the medical device tax in 2019. During the COVID-19 crisis, Greg has advocated for industry in front of senior HHS, EPA, DoD and Administration officials.
Prior to his time at AdvaMed, Greg served as Senior Vice President of Public Affairs for the American Health Care Association, representing more than 16,000 long-term and post-acute care centers. During this tenure, Greg was responsible for all external communications with the media and aligned health care organizations, as well as all internal communications with more than 4 million health care providers.
Greg has extensive experience in utilizing media strategies for positive legislative outcomes. Prior to joining AdvaMed, he was Senior Vice President for Dutko Worldwide/Grayling. During this time, he launched and directed Strategy 360 -- specializing in crisis communications, polling and research.
Greg spent four years as the personal aide to Virginia Governor George Allen, then logged seven years in various congressional House leadership roles, including the Ways and Means Committee, the House Majority Leader, and the House Republican Conference.
Greg is a graduate of The College of William & Mary where he earned his degree in Public Policy. He is also a Sorensen Fellow at the University of Virginia - a program dedicated to ethics and public policy. He currently lives in Alexandria with his wife, Laura, and their two children.
Job Titles:
- President / CooperSurgical, Inc.
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- President and CEO / Zimmer Biomet, Inc.
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- President & Chief Executive Officer / Accelerate Diagnostics, Inc.
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- President & Chief Executive Officer / AngioDynamics, Inc.
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- Senior Advisor to the President and Senior Executive Vice President
- Senior Executive Vice President, Technology & Regulatory Affairs
Janet E. Trunzo is Senior Advisor to the President and Senior Executive Vice President, Technology and Regulatory Affairs, for the Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed) and leads a team of regulatory experts. During her tenure at AdvaMed, she has focused on the passage of the Medical Device User Fee and Modernization Act of 2002 (MDUFMA), its reauthorization in 2007, 2012, and 2017. She also concentrates on global regulatory harmonization and represents U.S. device industry on the APEC Regulatory Harmonization Steering Committee. Trunzo also represents the device industry on the international Board of Trustees for the Global Medical Device Nomenclature Agency (GMDN) and chairs the Regulatory Committee for the Global Medical Technology Alliance (GMTA). Prior to joining AdvaMed, Trunzo held positions at Hybritech, Inc., a medical device and diagnostics manufacturer, and Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation, a hospital, diagnostic clinic and research institute.
Ms. Trunzo received her M.S. in health physics from Rutgers University and her B.S. in Chemistry from California University of Pennsylvania.
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- Co - Founder and CEO / Emanate Biomedical Inc.
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- Chairman and Chief Executive Officer / B. Braun Medical Inc.
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- Chief Market Leader, North America
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- SVP and Global President / Boston Scientific Corporation
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- Member of the Executive Management Team
- Chief Financial & Operating Officer Executive Director, AdvaMed Advance and AdvaMed Women 's Executive Network
Jennifer Brearey is the Chief Financial & Operating Officer and the Executive Director of AdvaMed Advance and AdvaMed Women's Executive Network. She was appointed chief financial officer of AdvaMed in March 2016, having previously served as the association's vice president of finance and director of finance. Mrs. Brearey also serves as the Executive Director for AdvaMed's inclusion diversity programs which includes the industry initiative AdvaMed Advance and AdvaMed's Women's Executive Network.
Prior to joining AdvaMed in June 2012, Ms. Brearey's experience includes seven years at Ford's Premier Automotive Group where she held management roles in profit analysis and vehicle pricing for Jaguar and Land Rover North America. She also led accounting for the US offices of a privately held legal-services firm, CPA Global. Ms. Brearey began her career in public accounting, and has more than 19 years of finance, accounting, managerial and organizational planning experience. She holds a B.B.A from James Madison University. Ms. Brearey recently served as chairwoman of the FAR Roundtable, a 300-member network of nonprofit executives.
Job Titles:
- Division President, Diagnostic Solutions / Hologic, Inc.
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- Member of the Leadership Team
- Senior Vice President, Head of Public Affairs
Since early 2019, Jim Jeffries has served as senior vice president, head of public affairs, for AdvaMed.
Prior to his time here, Jeffries served as head of executive communications for the late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen at Vulcan, Inc., in Seattle, where his role was to help build Allen's public profile and lead his external and internal communications efforts across Allen's vast and varied business and philanthropic pursuits.
From 2009 to 2016, Jeffries served as senior director of communications for U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and the Senate HELP committee where he led the year-long public affairs efforts pushing for the passage of the bipartisan 21st Century Cures Act and the bipartisan Every Student Succeeds Act (which replaced No Child Left Behind), among other major HELP committee successes.
From 2002 to 2008, Jeffries worked in communications for several members of the U.S. House of Representatives, including House Republican leadership, and spent a year at the language strategy firm Luntz, Maslansky Strategic Research where he worked with Fortune 500 companies, trade associations, and political clients. Jim is a graduate of Brigham Young University in political science; he and his wife have three sons and live in Ashburn, Va.
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- Executive Vice President / Danaher Corporation
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- Operating Partner / Linden Capital Partners
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- CEO / ZOLL Medical Corporation
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- President and Chief Executive Officer / Avanos Medical, Inc.
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- CEO / Vibrato Medical, Inc.
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- President, Beckman Coulter Diagnostics / Danaher Corporation
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- Co - Founder and Managing Partner / Vensana Capital Management, LLC
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President and Head of Federal Government Affairs
- Senior Vice President and Head of Federal Government Affairs for the Advanced Medical Technology Association
Kim Zimmerman is the senior vice president and head of federal government affairs for the Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed), overseeing the organization's federal advocacy on behalf of medical technology companies across the United States.
Kim's health care policy expertise - especially in Medicare coverage and reimbursement - and her vast Capitol Hill experience shape her approach to federal advocacy. Her relationships with Congress, history of managing PAC and grassroots projects, and her dedication to improving patients' lives will help shape the organization's advocacy strategy, resulting in greater investment in and access to innovative technologies for patients.
Prior to joining AdvaMed, Kim honed her skills as a federal affairs expert as vice president at the American Health Care Association, heading up the group's congressional Democratic lobbying team and leading development of the strategy for outreach and engagement, as well as through director roles at The One Campaign, WellPoint, and Cephalon. She also spent four years as health care counsel to Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE).
Kim is a graduate of Drake University where she earned a degree in political science. From there, she graduated with a master's degree in public policy from Duke.
Job Titles:
- President / Baylis Medical Technologies, Inc.
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- President, N America / Coloplast
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- Chairman of the Board
- Chairman of Board / BrilliantStrings Therapeutics, Inc.
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- President & CEO / Actuated Medical, Inc.
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- Senior Vice President, Non Acute and Inside Sales / Cardinal Health
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- Chief Executive Officer / ResMed Corp.
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- President and Chief Executive Officer / CVRx, Inc.
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- President and Chief Executive Officer / Bio - Rad
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- Member of the Executive Management Team
- Executive Vice President, Conferences & Events
Ray officially joined AdvaMed's full-time staff in February 2018 as executive vice president, conferences and events, having served the previous 12 years creating, growing and managing the association's flagship annual medtech conference in his role as founder and CEO of Life Sciences Conference Group (LSCG).
Ray's career has been business-focused (serving in executive, finance, management and marketing roles), but he has also practiced law (as a member of the Maryland bar) and he has worked in both the public and non-profit sectors. This included serving nearly 15 years with the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO). While at BIO, Ray was a registered federal lobbyist and helped negotiate the original Drug User Fee Act. As BIO's executive director, Ray oversaw the group's state government affairs activities, as well as international, membership and marketing departments, and was responsible for BIO's annual conference. Prior to BIO, Ray worked on the George H.W. Bush presidential campaigns, the 1989 presidential inaugural and in the George H. W. Bush White House.
Ray has extensive experience with large and complex budgets, employee relations, food and beverage issues, events and advocacy. This includes his service on the board of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), helping to launch a community bank, and serving as a member of the board of directors and board treasurer for the national non-profit Rebuilding Together. Ray has also served on the board and executive committee of the Maryland Technology Council and the Maryland Economic Development Commission, and is a past chair of the Maryland governor's office on service and volunteerism.
Ray is a native Washingtonian and a single parent of three children. He holds an undergraduate degree in business administration from Auburn University and a law degree from Georgetown University.
Job Titles:
- President & CEO / FUJIFILM
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- President & CEO / Sekisui Diagnostics, LLC
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- President of Ascensia Diabetes Care
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- Senior Operating Partner / Water Street Healthcare Partners
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- Chief Executive Officer
- Member of the Executive Management Team
- President
- President and CEO of AdvaMed
Scott Whitaker is President and CEO of AdvaMed, the world's largest medical technology association. AdvaMed members make the medical devices, diagnostic products and health information systems that are transforming health care through earlier disease detection, less invasive procedures and more effective treatments, to help people live longer, healthier lives. AdvaMed members range from the largest to the smallest medical technology innovators and companies.
As CEO of AdvaMed, Whitaker is the voice of the medical technology industry. He is widely recognized as a top health care advocate and policy expert with experience across multiple health policy sectors, having worked successfully with diverse stakeholder groups - including hospital, patient and physician groups, regulators, public and private payers, and global trade organizations - to advance medical technology innovation and timely patient access to next-generation treatments and cures.
Prior to AdvaMed, Whitaker was chief operating officer of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), the world's largest trade association representing biotechnology companies, and president of the BIO International Convention, the world's largest biotech conference. Having served as COO of BIO since 2005, Whitaker brings a deep knowledge of the medical technology innovation ecosystem, a wealth of health care advocacy expertise, and strong working relationships with patient groups and other industry stakeholders.
Whitaker also previously served as chief of staff of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) - a cabinet agency with 67,000 employees and a budget of $550 billion - from 2003 to 2005. As HHS chief of staff, Whitaker managed the day-to-day operations of the department; led the department's activities on all major policy and management issues and initiatives; and served as the top liaison to the White House on policy, management and political matters. He also served as assistant secretary for legislation at HHS from 2001 to 2003. Whitaker began his Washington career on Capitol Hill, where he worked for U.S. Senator Don Nickles (R-Okla.).
Whitaker holds a master's degree in government from Johns Hopkins University and a degree in political science from Palm Beach Atlantic University.
Job Titles:
- Senior Director of Communications for U.S
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- President, Diagnostics / Siemens
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- Leader
- Executive Director of the AdvaMed Digital Health Tech
- Executive Director, AdvaMed Digital Health Tech
Shaye Mandle serves as the Executive Director of the AdvaMed Digital Health Tech. Shaye is an accomplished corporate, association, and government executive with more than 25 years of experience in innovation sectors and public policy, including healthcare, technology, entrepreneurship, national defense, and economic development. Shaye has served on multiple Boards and advisory committees, including major research universities and public sector appointments.
For the past 12 years, Shaye has served as a healthcare association executive, including advocacy for medical technology, biotechnology and digital health organizations. Shaye has served as the Chief Operating Officer of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) and as President & Chief Executive Officer of the Medical Alley Association (MAA). Shaye has also served as the Chair of the State Medtech Alliance (SMTA) for AdvaMed.
Previously, Shaye has served as the leader of multiple innovation and economic development organizations, including the FedEx Institute of Technology at the University of Memphis and the Illinois Science & Technology Coalition. Shaye's national defense experience included 5 years with Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC). Shaye has also served on the staffs of U.S. House Speaker Denny Hastert and Illinois Governor Jim Edgar.
Shaye hold a JD, cum laude, from the Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University and a BA in political science and history from Illinois Wesleyan University.
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- President of Corporate Strategy / Diagnostica Stago, Inc.
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- Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer / Hologic, Inc.
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- Chief Executive Officer, Medical Segment / Cardinal Health
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- Managing Partner / RoundTable Healthcare Partners
Thomas Polen - CEO, Chairman, President
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- Executive Vice President and Worldwide Chairman of MedTech / Johnson & Johnson
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- Managing Partner / Water Street Healthcare Partners
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- President & CEO / Regenesis Biomedical, Inc.
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- President & CEO / Materna
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- President / Hollister Incorporated
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- Co - Founder and Chief Executive Officer / Nanowear, Inc
Wendy Siminski joined AdvaMed in April 2018, serving as Senior Vice President of the organization's Conferences & Events department, following AdvaMed's acquisition of The Medtech Conference. An award-winning marketing and event expert, Wendy was selected to lead this new team based on her track record of successfully producing (and growing) some of the top tradeshows in the US.
Wendy's experience included more than 15 years in event production and organizational growth strategies. Prior to joining AdvaMed, Wendy spent nearly six years at the Biotechnology Innovation Organization, where she held management roles in marketing and customer experience. She also worked at several Washington, D.C., associations, including the AUVSI Foundation, O'Keefe Communications, National Trade Productions and the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association. Wendy was a graduate of Virginia Tech, where she pursued a double major in English and Psychology.
An avid Washington Capitals fan, Wendy was also a devoted mom to two daughters, a mentor for young professionals in events, and relentless patient advocate.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director for AdvaMedDx
Zach Rothstein is Executive Director for AdvaMedDx. In this role, Zach directs the policy, advocacy, communications, regulatory, payment and legislative strategy and operations of the association, which represents manufacturers of in vitro diagnostic (IVD) clinical tests in the U.S. and abroad. Prior to this position, Zach was AdvaMed's Senior Vice President for Technology and Regulatory Affairs where he led the association's efforts on digital health, software, cybersecurity and postmarket policy matters. Rothstein also participated in all aspects of the MDUFA V negotiation process, and served as AdvaMed's lead coordinator for its COVID-19 Action team. Zach is also a member of the World Health Organization's Digital Health Technical Advisory Group's Roster of Experts.
Prior to joining AdvaMed, Zach was Deputy Senior Counsel for Public Policy at Samsung Electronics where he was responsible for the company's medical device and healthcare regulatory and policy issues. In this position, Zach counseled Samsung's global business units through all stages of product development on U.S. regulations affecting medical devices. Zach also planned and executed the company's FDA and healthcare regulatory and legislative policy objectives. While at Samsung, Zach served on the Board of Directors for the Personal Connected Health Alliance (formerly Continua) and the Consumer Electronics Association's Health and Fitness Technology Division.
Prior to joining Samsung, Zach was an Attorney in the FDA and Healthcare practice at the law firm of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP. In this role, Zach served as outside counsel to various healthcare companies on FDA and HHS regulatory, compliance, and enforcement matters.
Zach earned his J.D. from The Catholic University of America, where he was a Notes and Comments Editor of the Law Review, President of the Moot Court Board, and won first place and best brief awards at the 2009 National Telecommunications Moot Court Competition. Zach received his B.A. in political science and criminal justice from Indiana University, Bloomington.