BME Expands Surgeon Advisory Board

SAN ANTONIO, July 16, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- BioMedical Enterprises, Inc. (BME, www.bme-tx.com), the privately held U.S. leader in Nitinol technology implants with instruments known under the brands of Speed™ (fully-disposable continuous active compression system), HammerLock^® (intramedullary hammertoe correction system), OSStaple™ (Nitinol continuous active compression system) and OSSforce™ (heat-activating implant controller),  has announced today the addition of a new Foot & Ankle Advisory Board to complement the existing BME surgeon consultants.

Keith M. Peeples, President & CEO of BME, stated, "I am very pleased to announce the addition of a new BME Surgeon Foot & Ankle Advisory Board.  We believe that their contributions to the product development team will impact the future utilization of Nitinol implants within both the orthopedic and podiatric communities.  This select group of foot and ankle specialists will be dedicated to defining new standards of care when using Nitinol shape memory implants for the surgical management of deformity corrections, fusions, and osteotomies.  Their initial focus will be on the forefoot, midfoot, and hindfoot markets. This surgeon team will be led by world-renowned foot and ankle specialist, Mark Myerson, MD.  Dr. Myerson brings with him an expertise in the foot and ankle arena that is hard to compare".

The BME Senior Surgeon Advisory Board includes: 

Mark S. Myerson, MD: Dr. Mark Myerson is the Director of The Institute of Foot and Ankle Reconstruction at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore.  An internationally recognized leader in reconstructive foot and ankle surgery, he began his studies in medicine at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. He completed his orthopedic residency training in Baltimore at the Johns Hopkins and University of Maryland Hospitals, followed by fellowship training in foot and ankle surgery at the Hospital for Joint Diseases in New York City.  Dr. Myerson is past President of the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS).  He is a consultant to the orthopedic industry, an honorary member of numerous international orthopedic societies and plays an active role in defining national standards for orthopedic foot and ankle practice.  Dr. Myerson has authored more than 250 research publications as well as five textbooks covering various treatments of foot and ankle conditions.  He has trained hundreds of residents and surgeons both in the United States and abroad, and education continues to be integral to the vitality of his practiced environment.   In addition to his active clinical practice, Dr. Myerson travels frequently around the world as part of a humanitarian program for underprivileged and disabled citizens with deformities, simultaneously teaching and enabling surgeons in those countries to continue care of these patients.

Thomas Chang, DPM: Dr. Thomas Chang has been a staff member of Redwood Orthopaedic Surgery Associates in California since 2006 and is a faculty member of The Podiatry Institute. He is Clinical Professor and Past Chairman of the Department of Podiatric Surgery at the California College of Podiatric Medicine, San Francisco. He is also Past Chief of Podiatric Surgery at the UCSF/Mt. Zion Medical Center.  He completed a three-year residency program in podiatric medicine and surgery at Emory/Northlake Regional Medical Center in Atlanta. He has received numerous honors and recognitions, including "Top 150 Most Influential Podiatrists" in 2006 and 2011.  He is a published author of numerous scientific articles, including research on Nitinol technology, Dr. Chang has authored the textbook "Master Techniques in Podiatric Surgery: The Foot and Ankle". Dr. Chang brings a global voice and perspective when representing his podiatric surgeon community.

J. Christian Coetzee, MD: A Board Certified Orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Coetzee is currently on staff at Twin Cities Orthopedics in Edina, MN, as the foot & ankle specialist and is a Bespa Consultant.  He completed his residency at the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa and his foot & ankle fellowship at the University of Washington Hospitals in Seattle Washington, Dr. Coetzee was voted "Top Doctor" by his peers for two years in Minneapolis/St. Paul Magazine.  As a renowned, published specialist on this select Surgeon Foot & Ankle Advisory Board, Dr. Coetzee is an elected member of the AOFAS Society and of the AOFAS Education Committee.

Bryan D. Den Hartog, MD: Currently on staff at Black Hills Orthopedic & Spine Center in Rapid City, South Dakota; Dr. Den Hartog completed his fellowship in foot & ankle surgery at The Medical College of Wisconsin.  He is a past member of the Board of Directors for AOFAS, as well as an appointed member of four committees for the American Foot & Ankle Society.  He has participated on other foot and ankle product development teams and brings this experience to BME.  Dr. Den Hartog's focus will be on the midfoot and hindfoot bringing an expertise in the clinical and business aspects of product innovation, research and product development.

Kent Ellington, MD: Board Certified Orthopedic surgeon in foot and ankle, reconstruction and trauma, Dr. Ellington is on faculty at Carolina Medical Center, Department of Orthopedics in Charlotte. He is a member of the Board of Directors for OrthoCarolina Research Institute and the OrthoCarolina Foundation.  He is the Adjunct Assistant Professor of Biology at UNC Charlotte and team physician for the Charlotte Copperheads Lacrosse and Stewart Haas Racing. Dr. Ellington completed his foot & ankle fellowship at The Institute for Foot and Ankle Reconstruction at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore and is a published author on numerous scientific articles.

Anish Kadakia, MD: Currently the Assistant Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago; Dr. Kadakia has held numerous professional positions. They include Assistant Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at the University of Michigan Medical Schools and Chief Division of Foot and Ankle Surgery Department of Orthopedic Surgery, University of Michigan Health System.  He completed his fellowship in foot and ankle at The Institute of Foot and Ankle Reconstruction at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore.  Dr. Kadakia is a published author on numerous scientific articles and is a scheduled presenter at the 2013 American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society Annual Meeting.

This select Surgeon Foot & Ankle Advisory Board will provide improved product offerings that will enhance patient outcomes. This surgeon team will provide insight into the sensitivity of hospital inventory management issues and solutions to current challenges of decreased hospital margins. Their expertise will bring a passionate willingness to drive research modeling, demonstrating clinical effectiveness and cost efficiencies.  The expected outcomes of the surgeon team's initiatives will be a refinement of standards of care for patients suffering with foot and ankle injuries and anomalies when using shape memory materials.

Keith Peeples went on to explain, "It is important for the orthopedic and podiatric communities to know that BME is passionately dedicated to the clinical challenges they face when managing their patients".   

The dedicated strategic focus and resources position BME to win in the foot and ankle arena. An example is the recent hiring of Lisa C. Thompson as Vice President of Marketing (Ms. Thompson was formally Global Vice President of Marketing, Stryker Trauma & Extremities and General Manager of EBI, Inc.). BME has committed to increase its research and development resources in excess of one hundred percent to support this initiative.  Additionally, BME has committed continued support of the 100+ International, National and Regional meetings to ensure every opportunity for surgeons to educate surgeons on the clinical benefits of Nitinol. 

About BME, Inc.:

BME, Inc. is the only U.S. Manufacturer of memory metal implants for musculoskeletal and soft tissue fixation.  For over a decade, BME has spearheaded the innovation in the U.S. markets with Nitinol technology.  BME has begun new manufacturing processes in order to offer additional product development while creating better relationships among the surgeon communities for improved innovation and leadership.

SOURCE BioMedical Enterprises, Inc.