Zimmer Chief Named AdvaMed Board Chairman

David C. Dvorak has added a third title to his repertoire. The president and CEO of Zimmer Holdings Inc. is now board chairman for the Advanced Medical Technology (AdvaMed) Association. He replaces outgoing Chairman James V. Mazzo for a two-year term.

Dvorak has been an active member of the AdvaMed board since 2006 and has chaired the agency’s Orthopedics Sector for the last eight years. Since 2010 he has been chairman of AdvaMed’s Payment & Health Care Delivery Committee, where he has led the group’s efforts to ensure that new payment delivery programs such as accountable care organizations and bundling systems, support medical innovation and preserve patient/doctor choice.

“It is an honor to be chosen to lead AdvaMed as nations around the world face a number of challenges that medical technology can help to solve, including the growing need for clinically-relevant and affordable healthcare solutions,” Dvorak said in a prepared statement. “AdvaMed will partner with governments and sister organizations around the world to help aging populations facing the burden of costly chronic diseases. We can do this by harnessing the benefits of medical technology.”

As AdvaMed chairman, Dvorak intends to focus on several strategic initiatives:

• Achieving the association’s highest priority advocacy issues, the most important of which are working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ensure the successful implementation of the new user fee agreement; and repealing the 2.3 percent medical device excise tax;
• Enhancing AdvaMed’s advocacy efforts in the emerging markets of China, India and Brazil;
• Further building on the agency’s relationships with patient and physician advocacy groups and other key stakeholders; and
• Strengthening AdvaMed’s in-house research capacity to better inform policymakers, the media and the general public.

“AdvaMed is fortunate to have such a dynamic and committed advocate for medical innovation and patient care as its new chairman. David brings nearly a decade of experience with the Association to the job and a comprehensive understanding of the issues that impact the medical technology industry,” AdvaMed President and CEO Stephen J. Ubl said in a news release announcing Dvorak’s appointment.

Mazzo—Dvorak’s predecessor—became AdvaMed board chairman in 2010. During his tenure, he helped negotiate a user fee deal with the FDA as well as new agreements to harmonize regulatory and ethical practices among countries in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum. He also helped shape AdvaMed’s policies on tax reform principles, a proposed effort to improve and streamline the FDA’s 510(k) clearance process, and the 2.3 percent medical device excise tax. In addition, he helped mastermind the launch of AdvaMeDx (a division of the association that focuses solely on in-vitro diagnostics technologies), the reorganization and expansion of the Emerging Growth Company Council (a division dedicated to the needs of smaller device and diagnostics manufacturers), and the debut of AdvaMed’s Competitiveness Agenda.

“Jim has led AdvaMed through a time of great challenge and great accomplishment,” Ubl said. “His dedication and passion for this industry and this organization are unparalleled and on behalf of AdvaMed, I thank him for his great work.”

Besides appointing Dvorak as chairman, AdvaMed’s Board of Directors made some other changes to its makeup. New committee chairs for 2012-2014 are as follows:

• Nominating Committee—James V. Mazzo, president, Abbott Medical Optics
• Treasurer & Finance, Audit & Compensation Committee—David B. Perez, president and CEO, Terumo BCT
• Secretary— José (Joe) E. Almeida, president and CEO, Covidien plc
• Payment & Healthcare Delivery—Jeffrey R. Binder, president and CEO, Biomet
• Technology & Regulation—Timothy M. Ring, chairman and CEO, C.R. Bard
• International—Kieran T. Gallahue, Chairman and CEO, CareFusion
• Membership—Michael A. Lynch, CEO, Medical Segment, Cardinal Health
• Legal Committee—D. Cameron Findlay, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, Medtronic
• AdvaMed PAC—Michael F. Mahoney, president, Boston Scientific
• Emerging Growth Company Council—Michael R. Minogue, chairman, president and CEO, ABIOMED
• AdvaMeDx—Vincent A. Forlenza, president and CEO, Becton Dickinson and company.