Celebrating 10 Remarkable Years of the American Medical Device Summit: A Summit Recap

Kicking off our fall summit season here in 2023, the 10th anniversary of our American Medical Device Summit concluded on a high note!

The Summit was held from September 26th to 27th at the Westin Chicago Lombard.

It's a Wrap!

We want to express our heartfelt gratitude to all who joined us, as the active engagement in our lively networking sessions, thoughtful medical device keynotes, and engaging panels was instrumental in making our 10th-year summit a memorable one.

Below, we'll share a recap of the event highlights from our milestone 10th annual American Medical Device Summit.

Day 1 of the 10th American Medical Device Summit began with a warm welcome from our chairs. Serving as our chairs/emcees throughout the summit were Micheael Maszy, SVP, Operations at Shockwave Medical, Inc, Alind Sahay, VP, Research and Development Pentax Medical at Hoya Corporation, Ann Vu, SVP, Regulatory Affairs, Quality Assurance and Clinical at ZimVie, Russell Girton, Director, Solution Support and Lifecycle Services Innovation at Philips. The opening remarks set the tone for what would be an enlightening and collaborative event.

Speaker Highlights of Day 1 sessions include Catherine Bahr, Assistant Director at DHCoE Digital Health Technology Assessment & Strategy at FDA, who took the stage for an engaging opening keynote, casting a spotlight on the future of digital health technology, with a focus on regulatory pathways and bolstering consumer confidence. 

Following the keynote, Jennifer Paine, VP and Head of Global Regulatory Affairs at Johnson & Johnson, led a plenary session highlighting regulatory affairs as a driver of business growth, communicating the value of RA and how businesses can elevate RA as an innovator by embracing digital technologies.

Jaime Wong, SVP and Senior Medical Officer at Intuitive Surgical, delivered another promising session, dissecting the implementation of Artificial Intelligence within product development and the future of medical devices.

The afternoon of Day 1 continued to unfold with notable sessions led by Robert Kossmann, EVP and Chief of Medical Affairs, Chief Medical Officer at Care Enablement at Fresenius Medical Care, Chase Idleman, Global Vice President of Enabling Technologies at Zimmer Biomet, and Mizanu Kebede, Chief Quality and Regulatory Officer at Smith & Nephew. Delivering valuable insights into improving medical device products with immersive technology such as VR and AR, combining technologies to allow for more care options for patients, using AI in drug discovery to predict outcomes in clinical trials, and utilizing programs such as the Quality System Regulation, Compliance Program, and Medical Device Single Audit Plans, as structured parameters for regulatory principles. 

Throughout the day, we also had a plenary led by Tata Elxsi and a number of workshops hosted by other leading Medical Device solution providers including Inovtec, IZiel Healthcare, RegDesk, Gocious, MethodSense, Phillips-Medisize, ISACA, and IPM, covering a diverse array of medical device challenges such as implementing artificial intelligence in product development, sustainability in healthcare, and growth and development across quality and regulatory portfolios in a different angle. 

Continuing the exciting discussions on advanced technology in medical devices, Jessica Smith, Corporate VP and Chief Regulatory Officer at Integra LifeSciences, took the stage to offer profound insights into evaluating the EU MDR extension and shed light on the pivotal role of Global Regulatory Affairs in shaping the external dynamics of the industry. Jessica explained the effects of the delay in EU MDR and the challenges of making medical devices work globally. 

Wrapping up an engaging Day 1, we were treated to an insightful panel discussion. Robert Kossmann, EVP and Chief of Medical Affairs, Chief Medical Officer, Care Enablement from Fresenius Medical Care, Dharti Tripathi, Chief Digital Transformation Officer from GE Healthcare, Juan Daccach, VP, Global Product Safety from Merz Aesthetics and Steve Blatcher, Head of MedTech from Team Consulting,  came together for a discussion into how the industry has changed in the past five years, reminiscing about the hurdles they've faced along the way.

The panel stressed the importance of investing in cybersecurity for the future of medtech and brainstormed the potential game-changers we can expect in the coming years. They also highlighted how collaboration is key to the industry's growth and shared their personal aspirations for the field's future. As a delightful conclusion to the panel, we captured a memorable moment with a selfie of the panel on stage!

Following the industry panel, our delegates, sponsors, and speakers enjoyed the Networking Drinks Reception, featuring our anniversary cocktail, the MED10, as well as our branded photo booth! And, of course, Day 1 wouldn't be complete without mentioning Karen Phillips and Robert Kossmann, who brought their unique flair with cowboy hats.

Day 2 of the 10th American Medical Device Summit commenced with the opening keynote, Karen Phillips, Chief Medical Officer of Respiratory Interventions at Medtronic. She explored the challenges of recruiting and retaining MedTech talent, emphasizing the need for specialized skills and transparent hiring practices.

3M Healthcare’s plenary added depth to the discussion with Matthew M. Cooper, VP of Medical Affairs, speaking on the future state of healthcare in the digital age. He analyzed digital transformation from individual patient care to population management, emphasizing its role in enhancing point-of-care evaluations and precision applications. The session also explored the advancements in artificial intelligence, including its use in healthcare, drug discovery, and improving patient outcomes, showcasing the transformative potential of technology in the medical device landscape.

Following the plenary, Day  2 featured four compelling sessions: Leonard Ganz, Divisional VP and Chief Medical Officer at Abbott, presented on Cardiac Rhythm Management, highlighting the latest advancements in this critical field. Alind Sahay, VP of Research and Development at Pentax Medical - Hoya Corporation, shared thoughts on the ever-evolving landscape of medical device development. Dr. Austin Chiang, Chief Medical Officer, Gastrointestinal at Medtronic, delved into groundbreaking developments in gastrointestinal medical devices. Kate Stewart, VP and General Manager, ENT at Stryker, shared her expertise on the latest innovations in ear, nose, and throat medical devices.

Another highlight of the day belongs to the two inspiring panels.

The Women in Leadership Panel, featuring Ann Vu, SVP, Regulatory Affairs, Quality Assurance, and Clinical at ZimVie, Jeannette Bankes, President and General Manager, Global Surgical Franchise at Alcon, Karen Phillips, Chief Medical Officer, Respiratory Interventions at Medtronic, and Huiling Zhang, Global Chief Medical Officer, Connected Care at Philips shone a light on female leadership in the medical device industry. 

Panelists shared the inspiration behind their leadership journeys, discussed building confidence and resilience over their careers, and provided insights into their unique leadership styles and how they lead others. They also addressed the significant barriers to female leadership and proposed actionable steps to foster a culture that empowers women in leadership roles, emphasizing the importance of inclusivity.

Another impactful panel, the Diversity Equity and Inclusion Panel, featured Mignon Early, VP, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Fresenius Medical Care, Sally Saba, VP, Global Chief Inclusion and Diversity Officer, President of The Medtronic Foundation at Medtronic, Abigail Epane-Osuala, Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer, and HR Strategic Initiatives at GE Healthcare, and Margaret Halstead, VP, Health Economics and Market Access at Medline Industries.

This panel spoke to the dynamic landscape of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the medical device environment. Panelists defined these concepts and shared the influences that motivated them to advocate for change. They also highlighted successful outcomes resulting from diversity initiatives and best practices within their organizations. The discussion concluded with a call to action, encouraging the audience to take steps towards building a culture that empowers diversity, equity, and inclusion, recognizing its pivotal role in the industry's progress and innovation.

To show our appreciation for the active engagement of our attendees, we’re thrilled to announce our prize winners who have added an extra layer of excitement to our event. A huge congratulations to Devon Hoesel from Kindeva Drug Delivery, who was selected as the survey winner, and Yuce Hekimogulu from Natus Medical, as the networking champion.

We’re delighted to witness the growth of the medical device network and new business relationships over the two days. A special acknowledgment goes to the Generis operations team, who worked diligently behind the scenes to ensure flawless logistics and seamless execution of this event. It’s been a remarkable journey of our first 10th-anniversary event and we’re excited to replicate the success in the 11th annual American Medical Device Summit! 

Save the Date!

The 11th annual American Medical Device Summit is scheduled to take place from September 30 - October 1, 2024, at the Westin Chicago Lomabrd. 

If you're interested in joining the discussions next year, whether as an attendee, solution provider, or speaker, early registration is now open!

Visit amdsummit.com for more details.

“Energizing! It was great to see all the technology coming into the Med device space and to network with other Med Device developers.”

- Brian E Spiewak, Global Director R&D at 3M Healthcare 

“Excellent. Great management of time between the expo and speakers. Great variety of topics amongst the speeches. The round table was a special experience as well.”

- Devon Hoesl, Sr. Design Quality Engineer at Kindeva Drug Delivery

“The Generis folks were friendly and helpful, the vendors were appropriately vetted for the event, and many of the sessions had informative content.”

- Melissa Cole, Chief Financial Officer at Regenesis Biomedical

“I very much enjoyed the summit experience. The speakers and session topics were relevant and engaging. Networking sessions were well organized. As always, Generis did a great job putting on a high-impact yet intimate event.”

- Sven Schreiber, Principal Advanced Manufacturing Engineer at Medtronic

“Great conference, a relevant and diverse track of topics, lively discussions, and excellent networking opportunities.”

- Huiling Zhang, CMO, CC at Philips 

“Great and insightful Key notes on currently pressing topics. Good connections with the leaders of the industry who are going to impact the industry in the coming times.”

- Abhishek Kumar, Head - Customer Success, Medtech at Mphasis

“Really engaging event with a great atmosphere. Had multiple engaging conversations with multiple key attendees on the next-generation innovation of MedTech and how AI is reshaping the world of Healthcare and Life Sciences.”

- Sourabh Chongdar, Global Practice Leader - Healthcare at HARMAN International

“I was very impressed by how attentive and nice the employees of Generis were and how helpful they were during the whole conference. Fantastic job!”

-  Kathleen Barlow, Regulatory Affairs Manager at Ad-Tech Medical Instrument Corp.

“Thought it was a well-thought-out summit for my first time. The Generis employees were very engaging and enthusiastic. They made me feel welcome and cared about.”

- Mark Jayes, VP Manufacturing at Life Wear Tech

Learn more about our upcoming summit and secure your spot today:

• 8th American Automotive Summit | October 24-25, 2023
• 5th American Food Manufacturing Summit | November 14-15, 2023
• 9th American Aerospace & Defense Summit | December 4-5, 2023
• ... and Spring 2024 events!