News Release: Medevise Consulting Announces Board of Directors and First Subsidiary
From left to right: Bernie Haffey, Gerd Auffarth, Kristine Morrill, Michael Mrochen, Paul Bikard, Vance Thompson
Strasbourg, FR - (April 19, 2022). - Medevise Consulting Announces Board of Directors and First Subsidiary
On its first anniversary, Medevise Consulting, a leader in ophthalmology innovation and market strategy in Europe, announces the installation of its Board of Directors. Bernie Haffey, Gerd Auffarth, Michael Mrochen, Paul Bikard, and Vance Thompson join Founder and President Kristine Morrill in bringing key insight and guidance to Medevise’s international operations, with Tom Ruggia serving as Board Observer.
“We’re extremely excited about what this Board brings to the table,” said Ms. Morrill. “In addition to decades of deeply cross-functional ophthalmology industry experience, three of our board members have just been named to The Ophthalmologist's 2022 Power List of the World’s Top 100 Most Influential People in the World of Ophthalmology.”
“We have a shared vision to develop Medevise Consulting into the ‘go-to’ partner for market access in ophthalmology.”
About the Board:
Bernie Haffey is President and founder of Haffey&Co. He has previously served as President and CEO of two successful venture-backed start-ups, and has held numerous executive, managerial, and strategic leadership positions.
Gerd Auffarth is one of the world’s leading intraocular lens experts. He currently serves as Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at Ruprecht-Karls University in Heidelberg and the Head of the David J. Apple Center for Vision Research.
Kristine Morrill is the Founder and President of Medevise. She brings 30 years of experience in the healthcare and ophthalmology healthcare industries and a background that combines entrepreneurship, business development, market assessment and commercial strategy, along with clinical and regulatory expertise.
Michael Mrochen has over 25 years of experience as a founder, leader, and collaborator with key players in the world of ophthalmic technologies. With a PhD in Theoretical Medicine and an engineering background, he brings a robust skill set to his entrepreneurial ventures and specializes in bringing the technical, clinical, and commercial worlds together.
Paul Bikard joins the Board as Chief Financial Officer. He is a seasoned finance executive with over 20 years of experience in the biotechnology industry. His experience and interest spans companies of all sizes, from start-up to listed. He currently also serves as CFO of Accure Therapeutics.
Thomas Ruggia has nearly 20 years of ophthalmology business experience. He brings an internationally comprehensive and nuanced understanding of development and commercialization of vision products with differing regulatory and pricing structures. He also currently serves as President and CEO of Samsara Vision.
Vance Thompson is a board-certified ophthalmologist specializing in laser vision correction and advanced cataract surgery. He is the founder and director of refractive surgery at Vance Thompson Vision and currently serves as a professor of ophthalmology at the Sanford USD School of Medicine.
In addition to naming a board of directors, Medevise Consulting is pleased to announce the creation of Samsara Medevise, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Medevise Consulting. With Kristine Morrill serving as President, Jason Herod has joined as Chief Commercial Officer, bringing over 24 years of experience and expertise in the Ophthalmic Medical Device, Pharmaceutical and OTC business to the endeavor.
With the European team in place, Samsara Medevise is poised to accelerate the launch of Samsara Vision’s lead product, the Implantable Miniature Telescope (by Dr. Isaac Lipshitz) (IMT).
"The spin out of Samsara Medevise is the next logical step in the development of Samsara Vision's European commercial organization," said Mr. Herod.
“With the growing interest in the SING-IMT, we are looking to expand our European footprint over the course of 2022.”
Key members of the Medevise Consulting team will be attending this year’s Annual American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) Congress in Washington D.C. from April 22-26.
Kristine Morrill, Bernie Haffey, Bruce Gould and Ann Lynch are available to meet and discuss partnerships with ophthalmic innovators and can be reached directly via email, kris@medevise-consulting.com for appointments.