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Sonavex Appoints Chief Medical Officer and Announces Formation of Advisory Board

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BALTIMORE (PRWEB)

Sonavex, Inc., a privately held medical device company with ultrasound technologies that deliver quantitative blood flow and other critical vascular data at the point of care, announced today the appointment of Dr. Alex Yevzlin as Chief Medical Officer and the launch of an Advisory Board comprised of world-renowned kidney disease and dialysis access leaders, including Dr. Randy Cooper, Terry Litchfield and Dr. John Ross. The newly formed group of advisors will provide guidance to Sonavex as it strives to improve dialysis access care for kidney disease patients via its initial ultrasound products—EchoMark and EchoSure—that allow medical professionals to collect essential vascular parameters in the dialysis clinic. Additionally, the Advisory Board will support Sonavex as it advances its pipeline of novel imaging-based dialysis access technologies.

“It is a privilege to welcome Dr. Yevzlin, Dr. Cooper, Mrs. Litchfield and Dr. Ross to the Sonavex family,” said David Narrow, CEO of Sonavex. “We are invigorated by each member’s dedication to strengthening care for dialysis patients and are impressed by the diversity of expertise shared by the Board across fields of nephrology, surgery, care delivery, market access, and patient advocacy. We believe that the Board’s deep understanding of the critical stakeholders involved in dialysis care, particularly the patient voice, is essential to creating widespread access to innovative ultrasound technologies to improve the lives of dialysis patients. Our team is thrilled to partner with this outstanding group of leaders as we execute on our mission.”

Introducing the Chief Medical Officer, Alex Yevzlin, MD

Dr. Alex Yevzlin is currently Professor of Medicine and Director of Interventional Nephrology at the University of Michigan. He is an internationally recognized leader in the field of Interventional Nephrology, having edited the first three textbooks on the subject, and is a past President of the American Society of Diagnostic and Interventional Nephrology. His publications have been cited over 1,800 times. Dr. Yevzlin also served as Vice Chair of the National Kidney Foundation’s Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (KDOQI) committee, responsible for the Clinical Practice Guidelines for Vascular Access. In addition to his academic contributions, he has been involved in the invention, design, and commercialization of multiple medical devices in his role as chief medical officer, chief science officer, and founder of multiple start-up medical device and biotech companies. Dr. Yevzlin graduated magna cum laude from Dartmouth College and completed his residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Michigan and fellowship in Nephrology at Northwestern.

Introducing the Advisory Board Members (in alphabetical order)

Randy Cooper, MD, FASDIN

Dr. Randy Cooper joined Southwest Kidney Institute (SKI), a practice with 60 nephrologists throughout Arizona, in 2002 after completing his eight-year tour of duty as a Major in the United States Air Force in San Antonio, Texas and relocating to Phoenix, Arizona. Dr. Cooper is a Board Member of SKI and serves on the Operations Committee. Dr. Cooper founded the SKI Vascular Center Interventional program in 2004 and was instrumental in moving the program from a hospital-based program into three outpatient facilities, improving patient experiences and overall satisfaction. He now serves as Medical Director and Managing Partner of SKI Vascular. Dr. Cooper received his MD degree from Ohio State University College of Medicine in Columbus, Ohio. He then completed his residency program in Internal Medicine at Wilford Hall Medical Center (WHMC) San Antonio, Texas and his nephrology fellowship at the University of Texas Health Science Center (UTHSC), San Antonio. He received board certification in Internal Medicine and maintains an active board certification in Nephrology. In addition, he is certified by the American Society of Diagnostic and Interventional Nephrology (ASDIN) in both peritoneal dialysis procedures and advanced hemodialysis access procedures. Dr. Cooper has presented at national meetings as well as published in peer-reviewed journals.

Terry Litchfield

Terry Litchfield’s role as a patient advocate began in the 1970s with her first job at the National Kidney Foundation. While completing her master’s thesis on rehabilitation in end stage renal disease (ESRD), “Factors that Influence Success”, she met a very special patient, Bill Litchfield, who had become one of the first dialysis patients in the United States in 1968. Renal replacement therapy sustained her late husband’s life for 46 years, making him the longest surviving dialysis patient in the U.S. Mrs. Litchfield has been an active member of the renal community for 30 years, including her role as co-founder and VP of Clinical Operations at Lifeline Vascular Access (DaVita) and co-founder of RMS Disease Management. Terry continues to shape how patients experience kidney care through her roles in a variety of patient advocacy and engagement groups, including the American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP), the Kidney Health Initiative’s Patient and Family Partnership Council and the Dialysis Vascular Access Coalition.

John Ross, MD

Dr. John Ross is widely recognized as one of the world’s leading experts in vascular access. Following his training in general surgery at the Medical University of South Carolina, Dr. Ross dedicated his practice to treating ESRD patients. He was a founding member of the Vascular Access Society of the Americas and was given the Lifetime Achievement Award by the American Society of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology (ASDIN). Dr. Ross is a Fellow of both the American College of Surgeons and ASDIN. Dr. Ross has served as the PI on numerous industry trials, spoken at dozens of medical meetings around the world and has published on a wide variety of topics related to vascular access. In 2011, Dr. Ross founded the Dialysis Access Institute (DAI) in Orangeburg, SC. This one-of-a-kind facility serves as a model for patient-oriented care and hosts training for physicians, staff and administrators on a routine basis.

About Sonavex, Inc.

Sonavex, Inc. is a Baltimore-based medical device company originally spun out of Johns Hopkins. The company has developed a portfolio of novel ultrasound solutions that empower patient care by delivering critical visual and quantitative data to improve outcomes and reduce costs. For more information, please visit http://www.sonavex.com.

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