John R. Mangiardi, MD, FACS — Founder & CEO of Optimus

John Mangiardi is a New York based neurosurgeon who is the founder and originator of the 15 patents that are the source for the Optimus ISE™ project. The design and individual components of the ISE™ grew out of his 30 years of experience working in operating rooms in many different environments. These have included:

• City Hospital systems: San Francisco General Hospital, Detroit General Hospital, Bellevue Hospital, Lincoln Hospital, Metropolitan Hospital
• Veteran’s Hospital systems: Detroit, San Francisco, New York
• University Hospitals: UCSF Moffitt Hospital, NYU, Westchester Medical Center
• Private Hospital systems: Lenox Hill Hospital, Our Lady of Mercy Medical Center and Cabrini Medical Center.

He was the Chief of Neurosurgery at Lenox Hill Hospital for 12 years, and subsequently the Chief of Neurosciences at Cabrini, New York, until he became a full-time Manager for Optimus in July, 2006. He specialized in high-risk minimally invasive brain and spinal surgery, and was a pioneer in the development of image-guided surgery and minimally invasive neurosurgical approaches.

The Optimus project grew out his extensive experience and growing concerns for operating room infrastructure. The growing number of medical errors and staff complications that have resulted from out-of-date operating room design principles lead directly to the modifications that are incorporated into the ISE™ design: Safety, Sterility and Simplicity.

Dr Mangiardi is also a co-founder and the inventor (3 patents pending) of the products being developed and produced by Vycor Medical, LLC, and serves as the Chief Medical Officer for that company. Vycor Medical has received FDA and European (CE mark) approval, as well as ISO certification, for its unique access devices for both the brain and anterior spinal surgery.

Dr Mangiardi has authored over 30 peer-reviewed publications, and is the founder and author of the Brain and Neurosurgery Information Center, the # 1 Google search site under “brain surgery.” (brain-surgery.com)

Thomas Kindler is General Counsel and International Business Developer. Thomas was Head Legal Caribbean Markets of Philip Morris Latin America in New York, USA. Earlier in his career he was Associate M&A, Capital Markets and International Business Transactions with various law firms in Switzerland and the USA. Thomas holds an LL.M. from Georgetown University in WashingtonD.C., USA, and a PhD in Law from the University of Berne, Switzerland.

John W. Gebbie Sr. — Senior Project Manager

John Gebbie brings four decades of management experience to the Optimus Team. He owned and operated his own logistics company for 17 years, coordinating the movement of merchandise all over the world for companies like Jordache, Agricultural Export Company of Israel, Schwinn, and Nike. He has opened his own offices in Eastern Europe and the Caribbean and represented countless foreign freight forwarding agencies.

John was a pioneer working with off-shore manufacturers and has been a consultant to the Office of the US Trade Representative - the White House, Washington, D.C. in the implementation of government programs to increase off-shore manufacturing and trade.

Gerry Katzban — head of Design Integration

A designer with over 20 years experience, Gerry has created graphics and animations for programs seen on PBS, The History Channel, The Biography Channel, and for several museums and science centers, including the newly renovated Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles. He has also created graphics and interactive media for clients such as Minolta, Sharp, Harrah’s, the United Nations, and NYU. In addition to creating visual communications for Optimus, Gerry is designing the optOR ISE user control interface and helping to develop operational protocols for the system components.

Gerry has Masters degrees in Environmental Education and Art Education from New York University, and received his Bachelor of Industrial Design degree from Pratt Institute. He is a senior adjunct professor teaching digital video production and motion graphics animation at Westchester Community College.

Raymond Marcovici — Sterility Research Associate

Raymond Marcovici holds degrees in both Biology and Psychology. He has experience in performing laboratory work, and in analyzing data and research studies. Raymond also has experience in Emergency Medical Services, and has witnessed firsthand the lack of sterility in both the pre-hospital and hospital environment.

Raymond received a B.S. from Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts and hopes to attend medical school in the future.

Richard Carlucci — Executive Assistant, IT Coordinator, & Intra-Office Manager

Richard Carlucci holds a degree in Office Systems Management. He has experience in running the daily operations of an office, and is highly skilled in the use of computer software and systems. Richard has experience in preparing presentations and in editing time sensitive research documents.

Richard received his Associates Degree from Berkeley College in White Plains, NY.

Alex Harrow, AIA — Architectural Director

Alex Harrow has experience in medical architecture as well as retail, commercial, and residential space. Alex has received awards from HGTV, The New York Times, Interior Design Magazine and numerous other trade and general publications.

Alex graduated from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI with a Master of Architecture Degree in 1991 after receiving his Bachelor of Science in Architecture in 1989, also from University of Michigan.

Laurance T. Burden — Strategic business and Marketing Director

Burden is Managing Director, Summit Services LLC  which provides funding and sales, business development, sales channels, and sales alliances for early and growth stage companies — focus is the healthcare industry and applied technology companies.

He is a Director, Founder, and EVP Business Development at Health Forecasts. Previously he served as VP and Executive Consultant at American Management Systems where he built a national consulting & systems integration practice, He was Co-founder and CEO of LoanNet,com. His corporate career includes SVP, CIO at Freddie Mac where he led early e-business operations with 500+ banks, product development for this Global Fortune 10 financial Co. and revenue and savings of over $290 million; and Corporate VP and CIO at Firestone where he was a member of executive turnaround team generating revenues and savings of exceeding $130 million. Firestone became a leader in manufacturing, auto service, IT, and credit card services contributing to its $2.3 billion acquisition by Bridgestone.

Laurance received a B.S. in Mathematics from Grove City College and a Masters in Mathematics from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He has done advanced study and was an Instructor in Computer Science at Pennsylvania State University. He is a graduate of the General Electric Financial and Manufacturing Management Programs.

Josette Dewey - Web Design & Online Marketing

With 8 years experience in marketing, both domestic and international, 11 years in graphic design/art direction and over 9 years in web design and development, Josette brings a wide range of skills to her work. Clients have ranged from small local businesses to international corporations. These include Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Ortho Biotech, Johnson & Johnson, Dannon, Kraft, Rail Europe, among others. Josette has been recognized with significant awards from organizations such as Macromedia, Yahoo and ASTA.