Headquartered in Chicago, IL, an active corridor of innovation creating an ideal ecosystem with industry, academia, and world leading healthcare institutions.

Press Releases

09/2020

DuraSorb® Monofilament Mesh Earns CE Mark Approval

07/2020

Surgical Innovation Associates (SIA) Appoints Jason O’Hearn as Chief Commercial Officer

11/2019

Surgical Innovation Associates’ Recent Series A Supercharged with $2M Grant from US National Cancer Institute (NCI)

10/2019

Surgical Innovation Associates Brings in $4M, New Board Member

09/2019

Surgical Innovation Associates Announces First Commercial Use of DuraSorb® in the U.S.

10/2018

New Surgical Mesh is There When You Need It, Gone When You Don’t

10/2018

Chicago Startup Brings New Medical Device to the Operating Room

09/2018

SIA receives FDA 510(k) Clearance for DuraSorb Monofilament Mesh

Awards

2018

  • Finalist, MedCity INVEST “Pitch Perfect” competition
  • Runner-up, Cubs/AllScripts “First Pitch” competition
  • Invitee, Illinois Trade Delegation MEDICA 2018

2017

  • Member, IL iBIO institute PROPEL
  • Laureate, French Ministry for Foreign Affairs YEi program

2016

  • Winner, Women’s Health Award at Rice Business Plan Competition
  • Winner, Intellectual Property Award, Rice Business Plan Competition
  • Winner, Northwestern University Venture Challenge
  • Selectee, Hello Tomorrow Top 500 Global Challenge
  • Winner, French Tech Ticket

Events

American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS)

Boston, Massachusetts

April 29 - May 3, 2021

Event Website

International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons

Vienna, Austria

September 9-12, 2021

Event Website

American Society of Plastic Surgeons ASPS

Toronto, Canada

October 15-19, 2021

Event Website

The information contained in this website is intended for Health Care Professionals in the U.S. Patients should contact their physicians for additional information.
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John Vacha

John is the Managing Partner of MVC Advisors, LLC which is focused on providing C-Level consulting services. He has 20+ years of med-tech CEO & CFO experience, including both VC-backed startup and publicly traded companies. His last full-time CEO role was with Intact Medical, a breast-focused diagnostic device company that was successfully sold to Medtronic in late 2016.

Robert Hombach

Robert Hombach is a global financial and operations executive with extensive experience in biopharma and medical devices. He recently retired after a 27-year career at Baxter and Baxalta, where he served as EVP CFO/COO. Bob is now on the Board of several public companies, including BioMarin and Aptinyx, and serves on the Board of several private start-up companies in the healthcare space.

Ryan Egeland, MD, PhD

Dr. Egeland is a multidisciplinary medical device executive who recently joined Cardiovascular Systems, Inc (Nasdaq: CSII) as Vice President of Medical Affairs after roles in marketing, medical affairs, and business development at Medtronic. Prior to this, he trained as a plastic/reconstructive surgeon at Northwestern Memorial Hospital after receiving an MD with honors from Harvard Medical School. He also holds a PhD in biochemistry and engineering from the University of Oxford, where he also got his MBA as a Rhodes Scholar.

Mark Sicso, MD, FACS

Dr. Sisco is Chief of Plastic Surgery at NorthShore University HealthSystem in Evanston, IL and Clinical Associate Professor of Surgery at University of Chicago. His practice focuses on breast reconstruction and aesthetic surgery of the face and body. As an avid researcher, he has produced over 40 peer-reviewed articles and presentations, and performed pioneering laboratory research on scar formation and healing.

Albert Losken, MD, FACS

Dr. Losken is a Professor of Plastic Surgery at Emory University Hospital and has a busy clinical practice with a focus on breast reconstruction and abdominal wall hernia repair. He is devoted to patient care and to advancing techniques and technology to improve outcomes. His contributions to the field include over 170 scientific articles and numerous book chapters focusing on reconstructive and aesthetic surgery.

Mark Kuzycz, MD, FACS

Dr. Kuzycz is Chairman of the Department of Surgery and Trauma Surgery at Aurora Medical Center. He joined Aurora when they acquired the multidisciplinary group that he built from a solo practice in general surgery. His practice focuses on hernia surgery ranging from uncomplicated repairs to complex abdominal wall reconstruction, and he is consistently in the 95th percentile for surgical volume in the country. He has served as consultant and advisor to companies from start-up to Fortune 500 level, and has lectured to +1,000 peers on national and international stages.

John Kim, MD, FACS

Dr. Kim is the Clinical Director of the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine’s Division of Plastic Surgery and a nationally recognized leader in innovations in plastic and breast surgery. He sits on the Editorial Board for the Annals of Plastic Surgery and his work has been featured in national media outlets, including ABC News and the Chicago Sun-Times. Dr. Kim has given over 100 lectures and Grand Rounds presentations on new techniques in plastic surgery and has published more than 100 articles and chapters in the plastic surgery literature and holds several patents on novel medical devices.

Nolan Karp, MD, FACS

Dr. Karp is a Professor of Plastic Surgery at NYU School of Medicine, Vice Chair of Clinical Operations at Hansjörg Wyss Department of Plastic Surgery, and Chief of Plastic Surgery and Director of the Breast Service at NYU-Tisch Hospital. He specializes in breast and body contouring plastic surgery and has extensive experience in all areas of breast surgery. He has authored over 10 chapters and 100 peer-reviewed papers, with particular focus on 3D scanning to plan and follow plastic surgery of the breast, and internal support for aesthetic and reconstructive breast surgery.

Hilton Becker, MD, FACS, FRCS

Dr. Becker is a renowned voice in plastic surgery, having invented multiple marketed products, lectured all over the world on his surgical techniques, and published more than 50 articles in medical literature. He primarily operates at his private practice in Boca Raton, FL, while also serving as Affiliate Associate Professor at FAU College of Medicine and Volunteer Faculty at Cleveland Clinic, Florida, Department of Plastic Surgery. His primary clinical and research interests lie in cosmetic and reconstructive breast surgery.

Jason O’Hearn, Chief Commercialization Officer

Jason has 27 years of experience and a proven track record of developing and leading successful commercial organizations in plastic surgery, and he is now focused on taking SIA from a best-in-class clinical company to a first-in-class commercial company. He previously held executive roles of increasing responsibility within Sientra (NYSE: SIEN) and Mentor Corporation WW LLC, a division of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ). During his tenure at these companies he led the Sales, Marketing, Professional Education, KOL Management and Clinical groups. He held these responsibilities globally – including both the introduction of new brands and the growth of market-leading devices in reconstructive and aesthetic surgery.

Michele Hilmer Director, Clinical Affairs

Michele brings over thirty years of diverse pharmaceutical and device clinical trial expertise to SIA and oversees both ongoing global post-market studies and a first-in-class U.S.-based Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) study of breast reconstruction. Her previous work includes positions with the DOD, research sites, CROs, and sponsor companies. She is spearheading the planning and development of upcoming clinical trials and will oversee operations to ensure trial conduct adheres to GCP guidelines and FDA regulations.

Nelson Torres, PhD Director, Regulatory and Quality Affairs

Nelson is responsible for maintaining SIA’s Quality Management System and authoring regulatory submissions. He previously led regulatory and quality efforts at SA Scientific supporting diagnostic devices for infectious diseases and supporting the organization’s ISO 13485 compliant Quality Management System. Most recently, he led regulatory efforts for the pre-market notification of Fresenius Kabi’s DXT Data Management System. Nelson graduated with a BS in Biology and a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Texas at San Antonio.

John Slump, Chief Financial Officer

John is a serial entrepreneur who co-founded three medical device companies and brings 15 years of operating CFO experience to SIA. John was most recently CFO/Co-Founder of Attune Medical, manufacturer of a novel patient temperature management device with scaling global sales. Prior to that, John co-founded Farapulse (formerly known as Iowa Approach), a company pioneering a disruptive atrial fibrillation ablation technology funded by Boston Scientific (NYSE: BSX) and several venture capitalists. Previously, John was CFO/Co-Founder of Corvida Medical, a device he invented and commercialized to enable safer delivery of chemotherapy medications. John holds multiple patents and received a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance from University of Iowa.

Todd Cruikshank, Chief Operating Officer

Todd has served as COO of SIA since 2016 and has nearly 15 years of experience developing and implementing operational strategies for healthcare companies. Todd previously operated at Baxalta within the Office of the CEO (acquired by Shire) and Baxter Healthcare (NYSE:BAX) holding positions of increasing responsibility in marketing, business intelligence and analytics within the Bioscience division focused on plasma-derived therapies for rare and orphan diseases. Todd has a B.A. degree in English from Illinois Wesleyan University and an M.B.A. from Northwestern Kellogg School of Management where he was a distinguished Zell Fellow.

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