A Proven Team
The Medical 21 team is led by Manny Villafaña. Manny has a substantial track record starting companies that develop and deliver successful products to the market.
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Cardiac Pacemakers, Inc. (CPI) revolutionized the pacemaker industry by introducing a long-life lithium iodine pacemaker, a technology still used today by 100% of the pacemaker/defibrillator market. CPI is now owned by Boston Scientific.
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St. Jude Medical developed an innovative, mechanical, bi-leaflet heart valve that dramatically reduced the frequency of blood clots. St. Jude is now part of Abbott Medical.
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ATS Medical further evolved the mechanical heart valve, introducing an open-pivot design and capturing a strong share of the market. ATS is now owned by Medtronic.
As a result, Manny has received numerous awards of recognition, including:
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The "Living Legend of Medicine" award from the World Society of CardioThoracic Surgeons.
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MDEA Lifetime Achievement Award. (https://www.mddionline.com/manny-villafa%C3%B1a-relentless-risk-taker-and-enduring-entrepreneur)
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Research at the University of Iowa:
- Medical Devices
- Cardiovascular Biomechanics
- Biomaterial Development
- Mechanical Assessment of Soft Tissues
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Former Process Engineer at 3M.
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Ph.D., Biomedical Engineering, University of Iowa.
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Expert in the pre-clinical development of bypass grafts.
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Accomplished pre-clinical surgeon.
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Extensive experience in the application of Good Laboratory Practices (GLP) quality controls and methodologies.
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Served as Associate Director of cardiovascular research laboratory (ESS) at the University of Minnesota.
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Medical device experience with roles in:
- Manufacturing
- Operations
- Process Development
- R&D
- Quality
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Deep medical/technical experience with nitinol support systems.
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B.S., Mechanical Engineering, University of North Dakota.
more
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30 years of leadership across all sectors of life sciences, with a focus on medical technology
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Served as President of a publicly traded medical technology company with Manny Villafaña.
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Frequent lecturer and guest speaker at prominent life sciences conferences such as The Medtech Strategist, The Medtech Conference (AdvaMed) and The BIO Conference
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Medical Director, Cardiovascular Surgery, St. Joseph’s Hospital, St.Paul, MN
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Boston Children’s Hospital
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Initial research work on St. Jude Heart Valve
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Co-Founder & First President of Int’l Society of Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery
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Member: American Association for Thoracic Surgery and Society of Thoracic Surgeons
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Associate Professor, Cardiac Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
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Former Professor, Mayo Clinic
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Member: Int’l Society for Heart and Lung Transplant, Society of Thoracic Surgeons, and American College of Surgeons
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MBA, University of Chicago
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Harvard Medical School
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Resident, Johns Hopkins
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Fellowship, Stanford University
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Principal at Florida Inst. for Angiography & Gene E. Myers Cardiac/Vascular Consultants
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Completed 20,000+ coronary/peripheral procedures
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Medical device & EMR patents
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Discovered Cervicoprecordial angina disease
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University of Pennsylvania medical school
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Cardiology fellow, Duke & Georgetown (Nat’l Inst of Health, Children’s Nat’l Medical Center)
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U.S. Navy, Lieutenant Commander
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Cardiologist, Norfolk Regional Medical Center/East VA Med School
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Section Chief, Adult Cardiac Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
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Co-surgeon on first permanent implant of the Jarvik 7 total artificial heart
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First to implant a total artificial heart in a woman and a child
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Former positions at the Mayo Clinic, University of Minnesota, and the Minneapolis Heart Institute
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Fulbright Distinguished Chair
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Fellow, American Institute of Medical & Biological Engineering
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25 years experience in cardiopulmonary biomechanics and device design, critical care therapies, soft tissue mechanics, and computational modeling
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Ph.D. in Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh