Xiao-Yan Gong received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Properties of Materials from the University of California at Santa Barbara. Dr. Gong is currently President of Medical Implant Mechanics LLC, addressing the increasing demand for mechanical analysis in the medical device and implant industry. He served as the group leader on "Fatigue to Fracture and Beyond" for ASTM F04.30.06 Task Group on Medical and Surgical Materials and Devices, Cardiovascular Standards Subcommittee. Dr. Gong has more than 22 years experience in Finite Element Analysis on both structural and fluid dynamics. He started working in medical device and implant industry in June 1998 as a Senior Design Analyst for Carbomedics Inc., a prosthesis heart valve manufacturer in Austin, Texas. Where he worked closely design engineers and from them he recognized the value of numerical analysis in the early stages of product design and made the nonlinear finite element analysis in heart valve design a routine practice in the company. Prior to establishing Medical Implant Mechanics, Dr. Gong is a Principal Engineer for Nitinol Devices and Components, a Johnson and Johnson Company. Where he focused on nonlinear Finite Element Analysis on Nitinol, established peripheral stent durability program and conducted Nitinol fatigue research.