Biography

Dr.  Pinchuk has 138 U.S. patents, over 100 publications and founded 10 companies.  His major accomplishments include the invention of the Nylon 12 angioplasty balloon, the helical wire stent, the modular stent-graft, a drug-eluting stent (TAXUS®), several biomaterials (Bionate® and SIBS), a novel glaucoma tube (the InnFocus MicroShunt®) and the next generation intraocular lens.

His inventions are used in hundreds of millions of patients with a financial impact well over $100 billion.  He was inducted into the National Academy of Engineering in 2012, was awarded the 2017 Society for Biomaterials Innovation and Technology Award, San Antonio’s BIOMED SA Award (2017) and the National Academy of Engineering 2019 Fritz J. and Dolores H. Russ Prize.

Dr. Pinchuk received a B.Sc. in chemistry from McGill University (1976) and a Ph.D. interdisciplinary in Engineering and Chemistry from the University of Miami (1984) and an honorary Doctorate of Science degree from McGill University in 2005.

Dr. Pinchuk co-founded Corvita Corporation (1987) which went public in 1994, was acquired by Pfizer, Inc. (1996) and then sold to Boston Scientific (1998).  He then founded Innovia LLC (2002), which spun-out InnFocus, Inc. (2004) which was acquired by Santen Pharmaceuticals in 2016.  Dr. Pinchuk also enjoys an appointment as Distinguished Research Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Miami.

Biography

Scott Phillips is the founder and CEO of StarFish Medical. Phillips holds a degree in Engineering Physics from the University of British Columbia. Prior to starting StarFish, he worked in diverse areas such as lithium battery development and manufacturing, UV spectroscopy instrumentation and hi-fi audio speakers. Under his leadership StarFish has grown into a diverse professional organization with clients around the world and 100% focus on medical devices. Scott is a past Chair and current member of the LifeSciences British Columbia board, member of the 2022 VIATEC Board of Directors,  Fellow of The Canadian Academy of Engineering, winner of the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ 2017 Pacific Awards Technology category, 2017 recipient of the VIATEC Technology Champion award, and volunteers with Junior Achievement, Entrepreneurs Organization, and University of British Columbia.

Biography

Jean-Nicolas is a partner in the Emerging and High Growth Companies Group of our Montréal office. He specializes in intellectual property strategy and transactions for emerging and high-growth companies.

He advises clients on intellectual property issues in relation to the standardization process as well as contributing to developing intellectual property strategies for research consortiums, some of which include businesses, universities, and research centres.

Jean-Nicolas has expertise in implementing patent pools in the wake of new standards adopted by standard-setting bodies and advises clients on intellectual property issues related to the standardization process, including FRAND licensing. Prior to joining Osler, Jean-Nicolas co-led an emerging and high-growth practice for another large Canadian law firm.

Biography

Aaron Weinroth has over 26 years of experience creating and commercializing new medical devices and other technologies. Aaron’s expertise covers the full scope of business strategy and execution including technology assessment, market analysis, health economics, reimbursement, intellectual property, regulatory affairs, financial models, business plans, fundraising, business development, requirements definition, product development, quality management, market introduction, marketing, and sales. In addition to leading and advising companies directly, Aaron is a mentor for start-up entrepreneurs at the Ontario Brain Institute and Invest Nova Scotia, contributes to investor due diligence, serves as an external reviewer for the Ontario Centres of Innovation, the University of Toronto Connaught and Derrick Rossi Innovation Awards, the Fight Against Cancer Innovation Trust (FACIT), and McGill University’s Healthy Brains Healthy Lives program, and is a judge for the SPIE Startup Challenge. He has held senior business and engineering roles developing and introducing new products in medical device fields including neurotechnology, ophthalmology, surgical navigation, imaging, and optics for both small early-stage growth organizations and the large global corporations that acquired them. Aaron earned degrees in electrical and biomedical engineering from the University of Toronto and is a licensed professional engineer.

Biography

Max  Jarvie is a partener at Davies Law Firm. advises Canadian, U.S. and international organizations on privacy and data protection, the use of AI and other advanced technologies, and information governance and risk management strategies. He also advises on transactions involving technology, technology licensing agreements and related corporate commercial matters.

Max’s clients benefit from his in-depth understanding of their technology needs, drawn from 13 years in the IT field prior to beginning his legal career. Prior to joining Davies, Max practised at the Montréal office of a national law firm. He also clerked for the Honourable Justice Nicholas Kasirer of the Québec Court of Appeal and for the Honourable Justice Hanan Melcer of the Supreme Court of Israël.

A frequent writer and speaker, Max shares his expertise on the intersection of law and technology, including artificial intelligence, privacy law matters, privacy-protecting technologies, distributed ledger technologies and smart cities.

Biography

Alexander King is the Vice President of Development at the Montreal General Hospital Foundation. King has been working with the foundation since 2018 and started as the Senior Director in development. He also works as Chairman of The Board of Directors at Living with Dignity.

King has an MBA from Edinburgh Business School and a graduate diploma in French from the Chartered Institute of Linguists. He has had a 20+ year career in fundraising in the non-profit sector in the UK and in Canada.

Biography

Jean-Guy Gourdeau has extensive experience of over 40 years as a Board Member, CEO-COO, CFO, Chief Investment Officer, Head of Strategy, and Chief Development Officer.

He is currently a board member at the Montreal General Hospital foundation, where he previously worked as the President and CEO from 2014- 2023. Gourdeau has been the Founder and President of Solstice Financial Group,which provides Business Owners, Boards and CEOs with strategic advisory services, for 17 years. He is also a board member and Treasurer for the Montreal Holocauste Museum since 2019.

Jean-Guy Gourdeau has a Bachelor of Commerce, Finance and Accounting from McGill University and is a Chartered Professional Accountant.