November 3, 2015
PRESS RELEASE
SAN DIEGO, November 3, 2015 – UL (Underwriters Laboratories), a global safety science organization, continued to exemplify its commitment to safety and learning in the medical device industry sector by moderating one of the “CEOs Unplugged” sessions at AdvaMed’s annual conference in San Diego.
UL’s mission for a safer world resonates closely with AdvaMed’s commitment to safer lives, and the two organizations have been partners for the past nine years. UL EduNeering was honored to act as the moderator for this critically important panel on medical device innovation that offered a panoramic view of the past, present and the future of the medical device industry.
In this CEOs Unplugged Series titled, “Medical Innovation: 40 Years & Beyond: Insights from Industry Innovators and Icons,” UL was represented by Dr. Kavita Mehrotra, Head of Global Strategic Relationships at UL’s EduNeering division. The session harnessed the collective intellect of leaders and luminaries that shape medical devices’ future and included insights from John Brown, Chairman Emeritus at Stryker, Cathy Burzik, General Partner and former President, CEO and Director at Kinetic Concepts, Inc. and Martin Fitchet, M.D., Global Leader, R&D Johnson & Johnson.
“UL’s public safety mission leads us to actively enable innovation and technology” said Dr. Mehrotra, “Leadership in this industry, at its root, represents the collective longing of this larger dream and vision for the medical device industry to innovate and enhance lives.”
The 40-minute session was well-attended by regulators and business heads ranging from small to large companies. Topics discussed included the extent to which innovation has changed the way health care is delivered today compared with 40 years ago, when AdvaMed began its journey. The panel also discussed how technology is expected to evolve in the next decade, especially in the area of medical technology.
According to Ray Briscuso, strategist for AdvaMed and the AdvaMed 2015 conference producer, “The UL moderated panel was among the most insightful sessions of the conference as it featured expert panelists with five decades of executive-level leadership in ushering innovative medical technology products into the marketplace.”
In order to continue the momentum and commitment it symbolizes in the area of safety and standards, UL presents and moderates regularly at many events of globally regulatory significance. Recently, on September 23rd and 24th, UL technical experts presented on FDA audit readiness as well as human factors engineering in a global forum in Guangzhou China at the China International Medical Device Regulatory Forum (CIMDR) Summit.
The CIMDR is the largest medical device regulatory summit in China, and at this year’s 6th CIMDR, UL was represented by two speakers, reinforcing the same theme and commitment to the importance of quality and safety in the medical device and pharmaceuticals industries. In a presentation on “FDA inspection Readiness,” Dr. Mehrotra gave the industry specific, actionable pointers on the etiquette of facing an audit to meet global standards.
Also at CIMDR, Tim Lin, Engineering leader at UL’s Health Sciences division delivered a presentation on Human Factors Engineering - Essentials for medical device design, an important aspect in design safety.
“Leadership and participation in these conferences gives us, as UL thought leaders, an opportunity to be on top of the newest trends in medical innovation,” Isabelle Noblanc, Managing Director, UL EduNeering observes, “which ultimately accelerates our thinking and informs our training and performance strategy.”
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About UL
UL is a premier global independent safety science company that has championed progress for more than 120 years. Its nearly 11,000 professionals are guided by the UL mission to promote safe working and living environments for all people. UL uses research and standards to continually advance and meet ever-evolving safety needs. We partner with businesses, manufacturers, trade associations and international regulatory authorities to bring solutions to a more complex global supply chain. For more information about our certification, testing, inspection, advisory and education services, visit http://www.UL.com.