ONWARD strengthens management team in key positions
24.01.2023 19:24
Medical technology company ONWARD Medical NV, which develops innovative therapies to restore movement, independence and health to people with spinal cord injuries, today announced the appointment of two key members of its leadership team to advance the company's clinical research and commercial activities. Both new hires will be based in the US and will report to Dave Marver, CEO.
Dr. Erika Ross will join ONWARD as Vice President, Global Clinical & Regulatory, effective January 23, 2023. In this newly created position, she will provide global leadership for ONWARD's clinical and regulatory activities. Prior to joining ONWARD, Dr. Erika Ross serves as Director, Global Clinical & Applied Research at Abbott Neuromodulation. Previously, as Neuroscience Director at Cala Health, she led the scientific research program that led to the De Novo approval and launch of the company's neurostimulation technology. Miss Dr. Ross also served at Mayo Clinic as associate director of the Medical Device Innovation Accelerator in the Department of Surgery and as an assistant professor in the Department of Neurological Surgery. She holds a B.Sc. in biology and economics and an M.Sc. in molecular biology from the University of Denver and received his doctorate in neuroscience from the Mayo Clinic.
“I am pleased, Dr. “We welcome Erika Ross to our leadership team,” said Dave Marver, Chief Executive Officer. “Her extensive expertise in neuromodulation will strengthen our company as we prepare to commercialize the numerous promising therapies in our pipeline. Erika also brings with her excellent relationships with researchers and clinicians that she developed while working in neuroscience and neurosurgery at Mayo Clinic and maintained after moving to industry.”
“I am honored to help advance ONWARD's therapies to address the great unmet need of people with spinal cord injuries. “I am also very excited to join this dedicated and highly capable leadership team that is committed to making these important therapies available as quickly as possible,” commented Dr. Erika Ross.
New VP, Global Marketing – Sarah Moore
Sarah Moore will become ONWARD's Vice President, Global Marketing, effective February 1, 2023. In this role, she will be responsible for ONWARD's global marketing activities, including product management and go-to-market planning.
Previously, Sarah Moore served as Head of Commercial Marketing at Nevro, an implantable neuromodulation company. Previously, she held various leadership positions in global marketing for several Johnson & Johnson medical device companies, most recently as head of J&J's Advanced Imaging business unit. Ms. Moore holds an MBA from Duke University and a BA in German from Washington and Lee University.
“Sarah Moore's extensive experience in commercializing medical devices, particularly neuromodulation therapies, will be invaluable to us as we prepare to bring our first therapy to market later this year,” said Dave Marver. “She brings a variety of skills that go well beyond marketing and will help us scale.”
“I am fascinated by ONWARD's mission and am honored to join this world-class team focused on restoring physical function in people with spinal cord injuries. I look forward to working with the medical community to bring this breakthrough therapy to market,” added Sarah Moore.
About ONWARD Medical
ONWARD is a medical technology company developing innovative therapies to restore movement, independence and health to people with spinal cord injuries. ONWARD's work is based on more than a decade of basic research and preclinical development conducted in the world's leading neuroscience laboratories. ONWARD's ARC therapy, which can be delivered using implantable (ARC-IM) or external (ARC-EX) systems, provides targeted, programmed stimulation of the spinal cord to restore movement and other functions in people with spinal cord injuries and thereby improve their quality of life to improve.
ONWARD has received five Breakthrough Device Designations from the US FDA, including both ARC-IM and ARC-EX. ARC-EX is an external, non-invasive platform consisting of a wearable stimulator and a wireless programmer. In 2022, positive topline results were reported from the Company's first pivotal study, Up-LIFT, which evaluated the ability of ARC-EX therapy to improve upper extremity strength and function. The company is now preparing regulatory submissions for the US and Europe. ARC-IM consists of an implantable pulse generator and an electrode that is placed near the spinal cord. The company used the ARC-IM neurostimulator in humans for the first time in 2022.
ONWARD's headquarters are located in Eindhoven, Netherlands. The company has a science and technology center in Lausanne, Switzerland, and a growing U.S. presence in Boston, Massachusetts. ONWARD joins an academic partnership with .NeuroRestore, a collaboration between the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) and the University Hospital of Lausanne (CHUV).