Verathon Inc., Maker of BladderScan and GlideScope Medical Instruments, Partners With IVUmed to Sponsor Traveling Resident Scholars

BOTHELL, Wash., Feb. 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Verathon Inc. is pleased to announce its sponsorship of two traveling resident scholars for the 2011 scholarship year, through the IVUmed Traveling Resident Program.  In 2011, Verathon® will sponsor Laura Leddy, MD, (University of Washington) in her trip to the Palestinian West Bank, and another resident scholar yet to be selected. This is the sixth consecutive year that Verathon is participating in the program.

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The IVUmed Traveling Resident program enables Urology residents to accompany a mentoring Urologist overseas, where the team teaches urological procedures to local surgeons and physicians. While abroad, IVUmed residents have exposure to a wide variety of cases and often participate in surgeries that are unusual in the United States. Residents also learn resourcefulness, as conditions in their destination countries are often markedly different from those in the United States.

The scholars sponsored by Verathon are chosen from candidates from the Western Region of the US, as defined by the American Urological Association (AUA). Each of those scholars will receive a new BladderScan® portable ultrasound bladder volume instrument, and a new portable GlideScope® Ranger video laryngoscope to take with them as a gift to their destination hospitals. The value of the Verathon donation, in financial support and medical equipment, is over $50,000.

"At a time when access to care is so important, we applaud the work done by IVUmed and their partners such as the University of Washington," said Gerald McMorrow, CEO, and Founder of Verathon. "The IVUmed traveling resident programs directly provide much-needed care for patients, and they also train local health care providers. This translates to improved quality of care and healthier communities around the world."

Dr. Catherine deVries, President and Founder of IVUmed, said, "Verathon has made a contribution that goes well beyond the monetary value of their generous grants. The medical instruments they donate bring a new level of care to patients in underserved areas. The residents they sponsor gain experience in new surgical environments. And as world citizens, the local and visiting doctors gain mutual understanding and lifelong partnerships in patient care."

In 2010 Verathon sponsored Christopher Welty, MD (University of Washington) who traveled to  India and Jim Hotaling, MD (University of Washington) who traveled to Uganda.

"My trip to Kampala, Uganda, to work with Dr. Stephen Watya was life-altering in a number of ways," said Dr. James Hotaling, who was sponsored by Verathon. "Nothing really prepared me for my experience at the Mulago Hospital. I was able to get an excellent sense of what life and work are like and some of the limitations there. I would highly recommend this experience to any of my colleagues."

In 2011, IVUmed will send teams to Ghana, Haiti, Honduras, Mozambique, Vietnam, the Palestinian West Bank, and more. In 2010, IVUmed sent teams to countries including India, Mozambique Swaziland, Senegal, Uganda and Vietnam.

NOTE:  If you are a Urology resident and are interested in applying for a Traveling Resident Scholarship, please visit the IVUmed Web site, www.ivumed.org and contact IVUmed directly for details on applications and due dates.

About Verathon Inc.

Verathon® designs and manufactures reliable, state-of-the-art medical devices and services that offer a meaningful improvement in patient care to the health care community.  The company's noninvasive BladderScan® instrument is a standard of care for portable ultrasound bladder volume measurement.  The brand is found in over 60 countries in Urology and Primary Care practices, as well as Acute and Extended Care facilities.  With the January 2006 acquisition of Saturn Biomedical Systems in Vancouver, Canada, Verathon entered Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Emergency markets with the GlideScope® video laryngoscope brand.  Verathon is headquartered in Bothell, Washington and operates as a subsidiary of Roper Industries. For more information, please visit verathon.com.

About Roper Industries

Roper Industries is a market-driven, diversified growth company and is a constituent of the S&P 500, Fortune 1000 and the Russell 1000 indices.  Roper provides engineered products and solutions for global niche markets, including water, energy, radio frequency, medical and research applications.  Additional information about Roper Industries is available on the Company's website at www.roperind.com.

Verathon Media Contacts:  Rick Goetter, BladderScan Brand Director, Verathon Medical, 425.867.1348 (Ext. 5608); Lorraine Silva, GlideScope Brand Director, Verathon Medical, 425.867.1348 (Ext. 5604)  Alternate Contacts: Jane Mueller, VP of Marketing 425.867.1348, (Ext. 5600) and Nansea Carmichael, Executive Assistant – Marketing, 425.867.1348 (Ext. 5607).

About IVUmed

Although Urology is not a widely discussed topic, millions of people worldwide are plagued by urological disorders. While these conditions often are promptly treated in the U.S., many patients in developing countries do not have similar access to care. IVUmed is committed to making quality urological care available to people worldwide. In fulfilling this mission, IVUmed provides medical and surgical education to physicians and nurses, and treatment to thousands of suffering men, women, and children. IVUmed's motto "Teach One – Reach Many" highlights its goal to "teach the teachers," thus ensuring the future of quality care for generations to come.

© 2011 Verathon Inc.    BladderScan, the BladderScan symbol, GlideScope, the GlideScope symbol, Verathon, and the Verathon Torch symbol are registered trademarks of Verathon Inc.

SOURCE Verathon Inc.