Value-driven Engineering Leadership

With the aim of retaining America’s lead in medical device development and innovation, the Austen BioInnovation Institute in Akron (ABIA) has gathered leaders from industry, academia and the public and private sectors for the “Value-driven Engineering and U.S. Global Competitiveness” national initiative. Led by Dr. Frank L. Douglas, ABIA President and CEO, the effort is geared at providing researchers, device manufacturers and federal legislators with a pathway for industry action and public policy steps necessary to advance America’s capabilities in the face of rising competition from global forces.

A steering committee heads the Value-driven Engineering and U.S. Global Competitiveness movement, which includes the following leaders:

Soumyadipta Acharya, MD, MSE, PhD
Assistant Professor, Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University

Brian L. Davis, PhD
Vice President, Medical Device Development Center, Austen BioInnovation Institute in Akron

Ali Dhinojwala, PhD
Department Chair, H.A. Morton Professor in Polymer Science, The University of Akron

Frank L. Douglas, PhD, MD (Chair)
President and CEO, Austen BioInnovation Institute in Akron

Stephen Fening, PhD
Director of Orthopaedic Devices, Medical Device Development Center, Austen BioInnovation Institute in Akron

Martha Gray, PhD
J.W. Kieckhefer Professor of Medical and Electrical Engineering, Harvard-Massachusetts Institute of Technology Division of Health Sciences and Technology

A. Seth Greenwald, DPhil (Oxon)
Director, Orthopaedic Research Laboratories

Jonathan F.I. Greenwald
Business Development Director, Orthopaedic Research Laboratories

William J. Heetderks, PhD, MD
Director, Extramural Science Program, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering

Mike Hess
Vice President, Innovation Excellence, Medtronic Inc.

A. Jay Khanna, MD, MBA
Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University

Uday N. Kumar, MD
Founder and Chief Medical Officer, iRhythm Technologies Inc. and Fellowship Director, Biodesign Program, Stanford University

Youseph Yazdi, PhD, MBA
Executive Director, Center for Bioengineering Innovation and Design, Johns Hopkins University