IlluminOss Medical, Inc. has announced that Dirk Kuyper has joined the company as president and CEO. Kuyper, who comes to IlluminOss from Alphatec Spine where he was president & CEO, has had a long and successful career in medical device companies.
Kuyper spent 17 years at Aesculap, Inc., a subsidiary of B. Braun Medical Inc., where he rose from a regional sales manager to serve eventually as president. Prior to that, he had extensive experience in sales and marketing at several medical device companies. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the University of Miami and an Executive Education Certificate from the Graduate School of Sales and Marketing at Syracuse University. He achieved the rank of captain in the United States Army.
“Dirk Kuyper is the ideal person to move the company into the commercialization phase of our life cycle, ” said Robert Rabiner, founder and chief technology officer of IlluminOss, in the April 9, 2013 news release. “I look forward to working closely with him to implement market acceptance and distribution of our innovative products while I focus on further development of our technology.”
“The technology Bob Rabiner and his team have developed has the potential to change the standard of care in fracture management, ” said Kuyper. “I am excited about being part of the team and leveraging my global commercialization background to help build IlluminOss into a leading company in the fracture fixation marketplace.”
The IlluminOss Photodynamic Bone Stabilization System creates internal bone support and alignment systems utilizing expandable balloon catheters and a photodynamic (light-curable) polymer system designed to provide stabilization, cosmesis, and flexible surgical approaches in orthopedics.
Kuyper told OTW, “My focus over the short term is moving the company to its next phase of evolution as a commercial enterprise. We will be launching commercial activities in Europe where the IlluminOss technology already has CE mark approval. At the same time, we are working closely with the FDA on US regulatory approval.”
