People & Places

from April 2021 O&P Almanac

State By State

PROFESSIONALS

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND TRANSITIONS

Marc C. Lundeberg has been appointed chief executive officer (CEO) and regional president of Ottobock’s North America operation. Effective Feb. 1, 2021, Lundeberg succeeds Brad Ruhl, who will remain on as non-executive Marc C. Lundeberg chairman until he transitions to retirement after a more than 30-year tenure with Ottobock.

Lundeberg joins Ottobock North America from Amplifon, where he held the position of CEO and president for North America. “After careful consideration, the board concluded that Marc was the right leader to take the reins from Brad, who has led the region to record profitability and expanded Ottobock’s footprint across the United States and Canada,” said Philipp Schulte-Noelle, Ottobock global CEO. “Marc brings a tremendous amount of expertise and a distinguished track record of strategic, operational, and people leadership to our growth path. I am delighted to welcome Marc to the Ottobock Family.”

“I am thrilled to join a global leader in its field and help Ottobock continue setting new standards in the pursuit of its mission to help people maintain or regain their freedom of movement,” said Lundeberg.

IN MEMORIAM

Walter Joseph Gorski III

Walter Joseph Gorski III, who worked as director of legislative affairs for AOPA from 2001 to 2006, passed away on March 10 in Fairfax, Virginia. At AOPA, Gorski’s range of responsibilities included lobbying Congress and CMS, managing PAC activities, coordinating state association and grassroots initiatives, and building coalitions.

After attending the University of Richmond, Gorski was appointed to the staff of the Ways and Means Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives. He later worked on healthcare issues at Black, Kelly, Scruggs, Healey LLP and at Price Waterhouse LLP, before joining AOPA’s staff. He left AOPA in November 2006 to serve as vice president of government affairs at the American Association for Homecare.

The family asks for donations to the American Heart Association. BUSINESSES

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND TRANSITIONS

Hanger Inc. has established the Hanger Institute for Clinical Research and Education (Hanger Institute), a collection of resources and experts dedicated to advancing clinical practice and improving patient outcomes. Focusing on leading-edge clinical research, evidence-based care, and professional education, the Hanger Institute will serve as a platform to collaborate with top-tier medical and academic institutions and industry experts.

Visit www.HangerClinic.com/Institute for details.

Hanger Clinic has established a network of cranial remolding specialists to help parents find expert care for babies with plagiocephaly and similar conditions. The Cranial Asymmetry Remolding Experts (CARE) Network includes more than 200 certified orthotists from 260 clinics with extensive experience correcting babies’ head shapes using custom cranial remolding orthoses.

Hanger Clinic developed the first clinical practice guidelines for treating plagiocephaly, which are used to evaluate the severity of a baby’s cranial asymmetry and educate parents about their care options. “At Hanger Clinic, we harness clinical research and data to drive successful patient outcomes,” said James Campbell, PhD, Hanger’s chief clinical officer. “To ensure optimal care for our littlest patients, our certified orthotists collaborate with referring physicians and meet rigorous annual continuing education requirements. They also leverage their knowledge of musculoskeletal conditions and pediatric anatomy, and the experience of their peers in the CARE Network, to provide personalized, high-quality care for every patient.”

Össur has been recognized by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) for its intellectual property leadership in conventional mobility assistive technology. The “WIPO Technology Trends Report 2021: Assistive Technologies” is the first study to systematically investigate patenting and technology trends across assistive technology at scale, analyzing data on patent filings from 1998-2019.

Key findings in the report show that Össur ranks second in the world for top patent applicants in conventional mobility assistive technologies, following only Toyota and ranking among such other global leaders as Panasonic, Honda, and Stryker. Össur also is listed among the top applicants in patent filings for advanced prosthetics and exoskeletons, and ranks 12th in the world among top patent applicants for emerging mobility assistive technologies.

“We are honored by WIPO’s acknowledgment of our company’s contributions to new innovations that can help more people achieve greater mobility,” said Jon Sigurdsson, Össur president and CEO. “Receiving this acknowledgment during our 50th anniversary gives us one more thing to celebrate, and also inspires us to continue raising the bar even further as we continue progressing as a company.”

WillowWood Global has been awarded a Department of Defense (DOD) grant to utilize the company’s Alpha SmartTemp® platform to research material additives and improve the thermal properties of prosthetic socket technology. WillowWood Global’s liner platform was specifically designed to address issues associated with excessive perspiration. By using a blend of proprietary materials with heat absorption properties, this technology allows the liner to absorb and store heat from a residual limb and delay the onset of sweat. The liner then releases the stored heat as the body cools down, stabilizing the skin temperature to keep an amputee comfortable all day. With the reduction of sweat within the liner, chafing and skin breakdown may be reduced while suspension strength of the prosthesis may be improved. The vision of this project is to develop a solution that addresses the issue of heat and perspiration within the socket using learnings from this liner without adding complexity, weight, bulk, or significant cost to the overall system.

“We are really excited that the DOD has awarded us this grant to continue building upon our Alpha SmartTemp technology platform,” said Daniel Rubin, chief operating officer. “We are focused on improving limb health and achieving the best clinical outcomes for amputees.”