Coherex Medical Hires Top Medical Industry Veteran to Fill Global Market Development Seat

SALT LAKE CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Coherex Medical today announced it has hired Patricia E. Knipper, RN, as vice president of global market development. In her new position, Ms. Knipper will oversee Coherex’s outreach efforts to physicians, medical professionals and patients around the world.

“Coherex has one of the most experienced management teams in the medical device industry and I am excited for this opportunity to contribute to the company’s success, particularly as it has initiated CE Mark trials in Europe this fall, with plans to begin a global FDA trial next year.”

Prior to joining Coherex, Ms. Knipper held several positions during a seven-and-a-half-year period at the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF), one of the premier cardiovascular research and education foundations in the world. She was vice president of strategic planning and managing director of education at CRF. She also served as the vice president of business development and director of educational program development for CRF. During her tenure at CRF, Ms. Knipper oversaw and directed the expansion and growth of the educational business unit, including the annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) symposium, which resulted in more than 11,000 people attending the event, a 60 percent increase in attendees (physicians and industry professionals). She is also credited with establishing inter-related teams, bringing on and training 30 new staffers and creating a middle-management level to help the CRF function more effectively.

Ms. Knipper was also directly responsible for generating commercial support from the industry for each of the 35-45 educational program offerings, including TCT.

“Patricia Knipper is the best individual for Coherex Medical to bring aboard at this juncture,” said Richard J. Linder, Coherex president and CEO. “I have known Pat for years and have particularly watched her tremendous success in building TCT into the premier meeting for interventional physicians. Her valuable experience in medicine, business development and education is the perfect fit for us as we move forward with the introduction of the Coherex FlatStent^TM PFO Closure System in the various markets worldwide.”

In 1992, Ms. Knipper founded Health Care Marketing Concepts, a consulting firm aimed at developing marketing communications and medical education programs for multi-specialty physician practices. She ran the company for 10 years and produced an annual profit from its inception. During this period of time, she also built a network within the interventional cardiology community with physician and industry leaders.

Ms. Knipper is a published author in the American Journal of Cardiology and the Journal of American College of Cardiology, co-authoring a research report on the effects of interventional vascular simulation as a benefit for training new fellows. She has also lectured on several medical-related topics at forums and symposia. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Doc to Dock, a President William J. Clinton Global Initiative, as well as the Medical Device Advisory Board for Enterprise Ireland. Ms. Knipper has also served on several committees at the Cardiovascular Research Foundation and the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics symposium.

As a registered professional nurse licensed in New York State, Ms. Knipper has worked in many areas of medicine including neurosurgery, cosmetic reconstruction of post-traumatic patients and cardiovascular and orthopedic surgery.

“The Coherex FlatStent technology, currently focused in PFO closure, has the potential to become one of the most innovative technologies across multiple areas of medicine,” said Ms. Knipper. “Coherex has one of the most experienced management teams in the medical device industry and I am excited for this opportunity to contribute to the company’s success, particularly as it has initiated CE Mark trials in Europe this fall, with plans to begin a global FDA trial next year.”

About the Coherex FlatStent PFO Closure System

The Coherex FlatStent PFO Closure System is similar in use and function to self-expanding vascular stents which are widely used by Interventional Cardiologists. However, Coherex’s patent-pending FlatStent™ technology incorporates a unique fusion of PFO closure mechanisms and accepted medical practices in a design expected to naturally seal a Patent Foramen Ovale tunnel, a heart defect that occurs in approximately 25 percent of all adults.

About Coherex Medical

Formed in 2003 by Brian Whisenant, M.D., Coherex Medical is focused on addressing structural heart disease and conditions through medical devices. For more information, please visit www.coherex.com or call 801-433-9900.

Coherex Medical, Coherex FlatStent and FlatStent are trademarks of Coherex Medical, Inc. All other trademarks are the properties of their respective owners.