Women’s Health Medical Device Company Deepens Impact with Naming of Advisory Board
EAGAN, Minn., April 2, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Pelvital, the women’s health MedTech company on a mission to transform the standard of care for urinary incontinence, is proud to announce the formation of its formal scientific and business advisory board. This dynamic team of industry leaders and experts will play a pivotal role in supporting the strategic direction and growth of the organization in its ongoing efforts to expand its reach with clinicians, patients, and payors seeking an effective, accessible, conservative treatment option.
The seven-person advisory board assembles a wealth of experience and expertise with each member having a proven track record of excellence.
Susan Alpert, PhD, MD
Dr. Alpert is a health care industry legend with a unique background of regulatory, clinical, business, and technology experience and a long history of working at the interface of government and industry. A passionate advocate for women’s health, and healthcare quality, safety and efficacy, she is an advisor and consultant to a variety of organizations involved with technology, regulatory, and business innovation. Dr. Alpert has taught for many years in entrepreneur programs at U.S. and overseas universities, mentoring students and faculty working in the healthcare industry.
Dr. Alpert retired from Medtronic where she served as Vice President and Global Chief Regulatory officer. Prior to joining the device industry, she led the FDA’s Office of Device Evaluation.
Nissrine Nakib, MD
Dr. Nakib is Medical Director of Urology at M Health Fairview and Associate Professor of Female Urology and Urodynamics at the University of Minnesota, where she oversees a busy clinical practice caring for patients with incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, pelvic pain, recurrent urinary tract infections, as well spinal cord injuries and neurogenic bladders. Additionally Dr. Nakib conducts clinical and translational research on urinary disorder treatments.
A leading advocate for gender equity, patient awareness, and high-quality care, Dr. Nakib strives to increase public awareness and educate her patients on urological issues in women. She is a member of the American Urological Association North Central Section Committee for Women and sits on the Strategic Communication and Collaboration Action Committee in The Center for Women in Medicine and Science, a Committee she formerly chaired.
Paul A. Iaizzo, PhD, FHRS
An expert on muscle physiology, Dr. Iaizzo is a professor in the Departments of Surgery, Integrative Biology & Physiology and the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. He also serves on the graduate faculties in Biomedical Engineering, Neuroscience, Integrative Biology & Physiology, Biological Science, Bioinformatics and Computational Biology and Mechanical Engineering and is Medtronic Professor of the Visible Heart® Research, which is well-known for its multimodal imaging techniques. Additionally, he is the Associate Director and Medtronic Chair of the Institute for Engineering in Medicine, also at the University of Minnesota, where he earned both MS and PhD degrees.
Dr. Iaizzo has authored more than 290 original articles, more than 100 book chapters, edited five books, and is named on numerous patents related to medical devices
Kathy Sherwood, Senior Vice President, Global Market Access, Inspire Medical Systems
An expert in reimbursement and market access strategies both in the U.S. and globally, Kathy Sherwood is a seasoned medical device professional with a multi-disciplinary background spanning nearly 30 years of diverse medical device industry experience. Ms. Sherwood brings significant experience leading global market access teams for cutting edge technologies in urology and pelvic health in addition to cardiac rhythm management, neurology, obstructive sleep apnea, wound care, and diagnostics. Ms. Sherwood holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical-Industrial Engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and an MBA from the University of Minnesota, Carlson School of Management in Minneapolis.
Gunnar Leivseth, MD, PhD
An original co-founder of Pelvital, Gunnar Leviseth, MD is a world-renowned expert on mechanotherapy, and was an author on the paper describing research done in Norway validating the effectiveness of mechanotherapy as a non-invasive treatment option for stress urinary incontinence. Dr. Leivseth has over 40 years of experience in the field of medicine, has published nearly 70 papers in peer-reviewed journals, and has contributed to multiple medical textbooks. Formerly Chief Physician at Unicare Hokksund in Norway, Dr. Leivseth serves as professor and Head of the Department of Clinical Medicine at UIT/The Arctic University of Norway.
Ole Olsen
An original co-founder of Pelvital, Ole Olsen is an expert in mechanotherapy and technology innovation. Mr. Olsen is founder and CEO of Ergotest Innovation, a company focused on products for the evaluation of muscular behavior in humans, including the MUSCLELAB system for the assessment of functional ability in rehabilitation and training of human performance in sports and space exploration. Mr. Olsen is a graduate of the Telemark College of Technical Education.
Craig Hankins, Principal, Besserhealth LLC
Craig Hankins brings seasoned leadership expertise in healthcare economics and product growth, with a proven track record of growing health care ideas into scalable businesses. His extensive experience driving market growth and identifying optimal channels for product success garnered him recognition as an “Industry Thought Leader” by Employee Benefit News. Mr. Hankins honed his expertise in payor models during his 15 years at UnitedHealthcare and a proficiency in virtual healthcare through his role in commercializing first Onduo and now Visana Health, a growing leader in virtual women’s healthcare.
“We are thrilled to welcome such a distinguished group of individuals to our Advisory Board. Their collective knowledge and experience will be instrumental in guiding Pelvital as we embark on an exciting phase of growth and innovation.” said Lydia Zeller, CEO, Pelvital USA, Inc.
About Pelvital
Pelvital USA, Inc. is a women’s health medical device company empowering women and clinicians to restore pelvic health with effective, convenient products backed by strong clinical evidence. Their first product, Flyte®, is an FDA-cleared novel in-home treatment for stress urinary incontinence and weakened pelvic floor muscles. Flyte is the first and only in-home product to deliver the therapeutic treatment modality of mechanotherapy to the pelvic floor. Mechanotherapy is a well-established treatment modality that stimulates tissue regeneration and the creation of neuromuscular memory. Learn more at flytetherapy.com.
