Orthopedic Occasion

OEMs and outsourcing partners to discuss industry trends, technologies and techniques.

Tim Sohn, Associate Editor

Industry leaders will converge in Memphis, Tenn., later this month to network with their peers and learn about the trends affecting product development and manufacturing. The Orthopedic Design &

Technology Forum will be held April 28 at the FedEx Institute of Technology at The University of Memphis in Memphis, Tenn.

Topics to be covered at the forum include: surgeons as inventors and its effect on future R&D; quality control; material evolution; and OEM/supplier relationships.

The event will feature presentations from industry executives representing such firms as Smith & Nephew; Medtronic Inc.’s Spinal & Biologics business; Theken Spine LLC; Wright Medical Technology Inc.; Nixon Peabody LLP; The Orthopaedic Clinic; OrthoPediatrics Corp.; and Musculoskeletal Clinical Regulatory Advisors LLC.

Panelist Seth Mailhot, an attorney at global law firm Nixon Peabody in Washington, D.C., said: “With the evolving debate over the shape of healthcare reform, significant changes to FDA leadership at the upper echelons of the agency, as well as at the Center for Devices and Radiological Health, and the ongoing review of the 510(k) premarket notification system, the ODT Forum will present a unique opportunity for the orthopedics industry to stay ahead of the curve by learning about these significant changes.”

The event begins with an 8:30 a.m. registration and continental breakfast, followed by a talk by Rhon-da Fellow, senior vice president of government affairs at Arlington, Tenn.-headquartered Wright Medical Technology, which designs manufactures and distributes orthopedic implants and instrumentation. Fellow will discuss new regulatory challenges in a changing global manufacturing environment.

An 11:30 a.m. panel moderated by Holly Rhodes, director of regulatory affairs at Washington, D.C.-based consulting firm Musculoskeletal Clinical Regulatory Advisers, will tackle regulatory compliance and changes in review practices. Panelists will include Ehab Esmail, senior director of regulatory affairs at Wright Medical Technology; Diana Bogard, vice president of healthcare economics, government affairs and reimbursement at Medtronic’s Spinal and Biologics business in Memphis, Tenn.; and Mailhot.

“Traditionally, when we talk about regulatory compliance, FDA is the agency that immediately comes to mind. In today’s global market we need to consider a variety of regulators and new compliance standards if products are to receive CE marks and ultimately be reimbursed,” Medtronic’s Bogard said.

A 12:15 lunch and break at 3 p.m. will offer attendees networking opportunities, and the event wraps up with a discussion by Michael Neel, M.D., of The Orthaopedic Clinic, who will talk about drivers in R&D and connecting innovation with practical application.

For more information, call Howard Revitch at (201) 880-2243 or visit www.odtforum.com.