Keynote Address: Thursday, June 7, 2007 Pravin M. Shah, MD, MACC, Medical Director and Chair, Hoag Heart Valve Center Presentation: "Celestial Design of Human Heart Valves; How Do They Perform?" Pravin M. Shah, MD, MACC received his medical degree from the University of Bombay, Bombay, India. He obtained post doctoral training in cardiology in Chicago, London and Toronto. He joined the University of Rochester School of Medicine as Senior Instructor in Medicine in 1966, and was advanced to Professor of Medicine in 1975. Dr. Shah moved to Los Angeles in 1977 as Professor of Medicine at UCLA School of Medicine, and as Chief of Cardiology at the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center. In 1988 he took the position as Professor of Medicine and Director of Training Programs at Loma Linda University Medical Center. In 1999 he joined Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach, California as Medical Director of Non-Invasive Cardiac Imaging and Academic Programs, and in 2006 he accepted the additional role of Chair and Medical Director of the Hoag Heart Valve Center. Dr. Shah received the Gifted Teacher Award from the American College of Cardiology in 1999. He was designated Master of Cardiology by the American College of Cardiology in 2000. Dr. Shah was invited to give the Edler Lecture at the Annual Scientific Session of the American Society of Echocardiography in 2002. He has been active in post graduate education, and has directed more than 50 educational programs for the American College of Cardiology. His clinical and research interests include heart valve disease, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, echocardiography with emphasis on intraoperative echo, and clinical diagnosis. Dr. Shah has traveled extensively in the United States and overseas as a guest lecturer. Invited Speaker: Thursday, June 7, 2007 George Baerveldt, M.D. Presentation: "Biomedical Devices for the Treatment of Glaucoma" Dr. George Baerveldt was appointed the Irving H. Leopold Professor and Chair of the Eye Institute at the University of California, Irvine in 2003. Dr. Baerveldt is the inventor of the innovative "Baerveldt™ Glaucoma Implant" which has resulted in five patents. Multiple models have been developed for various types of advanced glaucoma and are available worldwide. He came to the Eye Institute, University of California, Irvine specifically to develop a groundbreaking new glaucoma surgery. He is the principal inventor and the patents are held by the UC Regents. This new minimally-invasive glaucoma surgical instrument Trabectome™ and supporting technology was developed and is now being manufactured by NeoMedix, a local Orange County company. Dr. George Baerveldt received his medical degree at the University of Pretoria in South Africa followed by a residency in Ophthalmology at the University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. He was a fellow in Anterior Segment Surgery and Neuro-Ophthalmology at the State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn. Dr. Baerveldt was a full-time faculty member at the Doheny Eye Institute, University of Southern California for fourteen years and was the Director of Glaucoma at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation for five years. He returned to California and to the University of California, Irvine specifically for the phenomenal basic science research and the remarkable life science companies that are in Orange County. It is the ability of the University to work with private companies that enabled Dr. Baerveldt to produce both the "Baerveldt™ Glaucoma Implant" and the radically new Trabectome™ technology. He has published over 82 peer-reviewed journal articles, ten book chapters and participated in 44 clinical trials involving glaucoma drugs and glaucoma surgery. Dr. Baerveldt is a founding member of the American Glaucoma Society, the Glaucoma Society of Southern California, and the Orange County Glaucoma Society. Dr. Baerveldt received the American Academy of Ophthalmology Senior Achievement Award, "Best Doctors in America", "Top Docs" by Cleveland Magazine, and his humanitarian endeavors have been recognized by the National Society to Prevent Blindness. He has received "Teacher of the Year" awards in 1981 from the University of Southern California, an unprecedented two years in a row; "Staff of the Year" award from the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, and "Teacher of the Year" award at the University of California, Irvine in 2001. Dr. Baerveldt is married with three children. Invited Speaker: Thursday, June 7, 2007 Warren S. Grundfest, MD, FACS, Physician & Scientist, UCLA Bioengineering/Elec Engr Presentation: "Translation of Medical Needs into Clinical Devices: Overcoming Problems with Technology Implementation" Dr. Grundfest received his M.D. from Columbia University in 1980. He served residencies in general surgery at UCLA Medical Center and later at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and joined the Cedars-Sinai staff in 1985. In 1987, he became director of surgical research and in 1991 received the Dorothy and E. Philip Lion Endowed Chair in Laser Research. Between 1995 and 1998 he was also a visiting associate in mechanical engineering with the California Institute of Technology. Between 1994 and 1999 he was a Research Professor of Bioengineering at USC. In 1999, Dr. Grundfest became the founding chair of the Bioengineering Program at UCLA, and currently serves as Professor of Bioengineering, Electrical Engineering, and Surgery at UCLA. The author of more than 150 scientific papers, Dr. Grundfest has made over 400 scientific presentations at universities worldwide. He has received 16 patents for his developments in optics, lasers, and minimally invasive surgery. In 1996, he was elected as a Fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biologic Engineers for his work in the development of minimally invasive surgery technologies and he was also elected a Fellow in the Society of Photo Instrumentation and Electrical Engineers for his contributions to the field of optical engineering in medicine and biology. From 1999 to 2003, Dr. Grundfest served as a member of the Surgery and Bioengineering Study Section of the Center for Scientific Review of National Institutes of Health. Dr. Grundfest has been involved with the development of more than 15 small companies as inventor, board member or consultant and has also worked closely with large corporations including Pfizer, Bristol-Meyers Squibb, General Electric Medical Systems Division and the US Surgical Division of Tyco Healthcare. Dr. Grundfest currently consults for the FDA, the Center for Scientific Review of the NIH and the Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center of the US Army. Dr. Grundfest currently serves as a Member of the Executive Committee of UCLA's CASIT Center (Center for Advanced Surgical and Interventional Technologies). He continues his research in the development of new minimally invasive surgery techniques, laser applications in medicine, and optical diagnostic technologies. Dr. Grundfest is currently Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Surgery at UCLA. He received his MD degree from Columbia University in 1980 and trained in General Surgery at UCLA and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. He was appointed Assistant Director of Surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and Assistant Clinical Professor of Surgery at UCLA in 1987. He served as a Research Professor in Biomedical Engineering at University of Southern California and as Visiting Associate in Mechanical Engineering at California Institute of Technology. From 1991-2001 Dr. Grundfest was the Director of the Cedars-Sinai Laser Research and Technology Development Program where he held the Dorothy and E. Philip Lyon Chair in Laser Research. Dr. Grundfest developed a broad range of laser, endoscopic, and minimally invasive surgical devices and techniques to improve the efficacy and decrease the pain and cost of medical therapies. He has received 15 patents for these efforts. In 1994 he was inducted into NASA's Space Technology Hall of Fame for the application of Excimer lasers to biologic systems. In 1996 he was elected Fellow, American Institute of Medical & Biologic Engineers (AIMBE), and Fellow, SPIE, for his work in biomedical photonics. Dr. Grundfest served as the first Chair of the UCLA Biomedical Engineering Program from 1999-2002. Dr. Grundfest served as a member of the Surgery and Bioengineering Study Section of the NIH, external Co-Chair of the NIH BECON Consortium, and Chair of SPIE's Biomedical Optics Conference for many years. Dr. Grundfest currently consults for the NIH and the FDA and serves as a Senior Technology Advisor to TATRC (Telemedicine and Technology Research Center of the Army). His current research efforts include the development of minimally invasive surgical tools, robotic systems, optical and ultrasonic sensors, haptic feedback systems, and biomedical photonics. Keynote Address: Friday, June 8, 2007 Thomas E. Ahlering, M.D., Professor of Urology, Chief of the Division of Urologic Oncology, UCI Medical Center Dr. Ahlering is a highly regarded surgeon in Urologic cancers. His years of experience in treatment of prostate, bladder, kidney and testicular cancers has placed him as one of the original America's Best Doctors since his membeship in 1994. He trained under Dr. Donald G. Skinner at USC in urinary diversion and reconstruction, and has continued to pioneer innovation to the Indiana pouch, and Ileal Neo-bladder reconstructions. Formerly the Chief of the Division of Urology (1992-2002) after his arrival at UCI from the City of Hope in 1992, Dr. Ahlering became Chief of the Division of Urologic Oncology when the new Department of Urology was established in 2002. He majored in chemistry as an undergraduate at the University of California, Berkeley, then received his medical degree at St. Louis University School of Medicine, followed by a residency in urology at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. He then completed a two-year fellowship in urologic oncology under the clinical training of Dr. Donald G. Skinner and laboratory training under Peter Jones, Ph.D. Dr. Ahlering became a member of the Society of Urologic Oncology in 1998; his clinical practice is devoted to urologic cancer. He has received local, national, and international recognition for his expertise in urologic oncology, in particular continent urinary diversion. His research focuses on the invasion and metastasis of prostate cancer, and development of minimally invasive radical prostatectomy assisted by the da Vinci robot. He has performed nearly 500 such robotic surgeries, including the first robotic prostatatectomies in Denmark, Canada and Australia. Dr. Ahlering has active research projects in prostate and bladder cancer, and has produced over 85 publications of journal articles and book chapters. He is also a member of the editorial boards of the journals: Urology, Journal of Robotic Surgery and the Journal of Urology. He is a member of the Societies of the American Urological Association, and is the Treasurer of its Western Section. As a commitment to public service, he as lectured at the American Cancer Society's Prostate Cancer Awareness Forum in Southern California for the last four years. He was also an invited speaker at Senator Barbara Boxer's Prostate Cancer Forum in 1996. Keynote Address: Friday, June 8, 2007 Stanton Rowe, Corporate Vice President, Advanced Technology, Edwards Lifesciences Presentation: "Insight Into Innovations In Medical Devices" Stanton Rowe is responsible for all early stage development work within Edwards Lifesciences as well as Discovery, the efforts to identify external technologies or companies which add value to Edwards. These include efforts to development a range of minimally invasive and percutaneous approaches to heart valve replacement or repair. He previously served as President and CEO of Percutaneous Valve Technologies Inc., which was acquired by Edwards in January 2004. Prior to PVT, which he helped to found in 1999, Rowe was Corporate Vice President of Business Development and Strategic Planning for Datascope Corp. Prior to this, he was Vice President of Business Development for Johnson & Johnson's Interventional Systems Division (JJIS), responsible for the company's coronary stent development efforts. At JJIS, and the related Cordis Corporation, Rowe held a variety of positions with increasing levels of responsibility, including heading the company's Business Development, Advanced Technology, Worldwide Clinical Research, and Marketing groups. Rowe joined Cordis after having held several positions in product management for various medical device companies. He holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Alabama. He also sits on the Board of Directors of both Remon Medical Ltd. and Biomerix Corp.