Tuesday, November 16, 2004 7:00 PM
Sheraton Hotel, Sunnyvale
T. Kim Parnell, Ph.D., P.E., Parnell Engineering & Consulting
Free
No RSVP Needed
Program Slides

Medical device development is an extremely exciting and rewarding field. It is characterized by rapid innovation, high reliability, and the potential for major impacts/improvements on patients and procedures. Medical devices are regulated products (U.S. FDA, etc.) which bring in additional complexity.

The San Francisco Bay area is a hotbed of development for medical devices of all types. Many new companies get their start here due to the critical mass of talent, capital, and university research. All of the major medical device companies are well-represented here as well, and they often view the new players as acquisition targets.

Biotechnology and medical devices have been one of the few bright spots during the business slump of recent years. Is biotechnology the next bubble that may burst?

This presentation will outline some of the unique features of product development in the medical device industry. It will emphasize the view of the industry from the consulting perspective and point out some of the opportunities available. It will also cover technologies such as finite element analysis (FEA) and virtual prototyping to show how they can reduce the development cycle.

Dr. Kim Parnell is Principal and Founder of Parnell Engineering & Consulting, an engineering consulting firm that focuses on providing support for early stage medical device and technology companies. He specializes in the mechanical engineering design and behavior of biomedical devices, shape memory metals, bioabsorbable polymers, MEMs, electronic and miniature components, wireless sensors, telecommunications, and applications of nanotechnology. Dr. Parnell consults actively in these areas as well as failure analysis and reliability. He served as a Visiting Associate Professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department at Stanford University and is a coach and mentor for the innovative Stanford Biodesign program.

Dr. Parnell is also a Director of NanoBioConvergence, and is on the CSIX Connect Executive Team and Education Committee, and was instrumental in the effort to obtain its 501(c)3 non-profit status. He is Co-Founder and Chief Operations Officer for nWire Technologies, and joined Blootech in a consulting role as Vice President of Operations. Dr. Parnell made his first trip to China in 2003 to explore business opportunities and establish partnerships. He worked previously for Rubicor Medical, Exponent Failure Analysis Associates, SST Systems, ATT Bell Laboratories, Stanford University and General Motors. Dr. Parnell holds Ph.D. and MSME degrees from Stanford University in Mechanical Engineering, a BES from Georgia Tech, and completed the Silicon Valley Executive Business Program (SVEBP).