Titan Medical Expands its Surgeon Advisory Board

Titan Medical Inc. has added five new members to its Surgeon Advisory Board.

“We are proud to announce the new members of our Surgeon Advisory Board, and to be working closely with scientific and clinical luminaries in the field of single access and robotic-assisted surgery. The group of thought leaders we have assembled will assist Titan by providing insights and guidance as we prepare for human clinical studies,” said David McNally, president and CEO of Titan Medical. “We look forward to working closely with this group of surgeons as they are qualified to guide the further development of effective surgeon training programs that will facilitate safe use, and upon regulatory clearance, broaden adoption of our innovative Enos robotic single access system. We are grateful for the many contributions of previous SAB advisors including Drs. Eduardo Parra-Davila, Lee Swanstrom, John Valvo, and Bruce Wolff, who previously provided expert guidance in assessing subspecialties and a broad array of procedural applications outside of our initial targeted indication of use in gynecologic surgery. They have assisted in confirming the potential for broad application of the Enos system in other subspecialties in the future.”  

The new board members are considered industry leaders in single-access and robotic-assisted surgery. The SAB works cohesively with management to advance the company’s Enos robotic single access surgical system through clinical studies.
 
Titan Medical’s SAB members include:

• Arnold Advincula, M.D., is professor, vice-chair of Women’s Health, and chief of Gynecology at the Sloane Hospital for Women, New York Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center. He has more than 20 years of clinical expertise and is a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist as well as a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. Upon graduating with honors from Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, Advincula completed both an OB/GYN residency and a minimally invasive Surgery fellowship at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Formerly, he was a professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, director of the Minimally Invasive Surgery Division and Fellowship, and director of the Endometriosis Center at the University of Michigan. More recently, Advincula was director of the Center for Specialized Gynecology and director of the Education Institute at the Nicholson Center, an advanced medical and surgical simulation training facility at Florida Hospital Celebration Health. He has served as president of the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopy, an 8,000-member organization promoting minimally invasive surgery worldwide, from 2014 to 2016.
•  Ricardo Estape, M.D., is board certified in obstetrics and gynecology, and gynecologic oncology. He attended medical school at the University of Pennsylvania and completed his residency in obstetrics and gynecology as well as his fellowship in gynecologic oncology at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital Program in Miami. He was an associate professor in Gynecologic Oncology and became the director of the Gynecologic Oncology Site Group for the Sylvester Cancer Center at the University of Miami until he went into private practice in South Miami in 2002. Estape is a member of the Society of Gynecologic Oncology, a Fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, a member of the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists, member of the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons, and a member of Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. 
• J. Scott Magnuson, M.D., FACS, is a board-certified otolaryngologist (head and neck surgeon) and is considered a pioneer in robotic surgery for the head and neck. He has advanced training in robotic-assisted surgery and is a leading authority on transoral robotic surgery whose areas of expertise include advanced head and neck surgery, tumor removal, skin cancer surgery, sleep apnea surgery, airway surgery, thyroid and parathyroid surgery, reconstructive surgery, and voice and swallowing disorders. Magnuson founded AdventHealth Medical Group’s ear, nose and throat surgical team. He is also chief medical officer of the AdventHealth Nicholson Center, one of the world’s leading surgical education centers, with a specific focus and expertise in robotic surgical devices and procedures. His credentials include his medical degree earned at the University of Texas Medical School in Houston as well as his internship in general surgery and otolaryngology residency at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. 
• Arleen H. Song, M.D., MPH, is currently an assistant professor in the Division of Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Duke University. She is board certified in obstetrics and gynecology. Song received her medical degree from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine and completed her OB/GYN residency and minimally invasive gynecologic surgery fellowship at the University of Michigan. She remained on faculty at the University of Michigan in the Division of Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery during which time she was a faculty preceptor for fellows and served as director of Clinical Services for the MIGS division. She is a member of the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists (AAGL) and served as chair of the AAGL robotic special interest group. 
• Kevin J.E. Stepp, M.D., FACOG, FPMRS, is director of Urogynecology and Pelvic Surgery at Atrium Health in Charlotte, N.C. Stepp completed his residency in obstetrics and gynecology at MetroHealth/ Cleveland Clinic. He then completed a three-year combined fellowship in minimally invasive surgery and urogynecology/pelvic reconstructive surgery at the Cleveland Clinic. In 2010 he relocated to Charlotte to establish a combined surgical division in Urogynecology and Minimally Invasive Surgery. Under his leadership, the division has grown to one of the busiest surgical programs in the country and become a highly sought-after fellowship in Urogynecology and Reconstructive Surgery. Stepp is a member of the American Urogynecologic Society, the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists, and the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists.

Titan Medical Inc. is headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, and has R&D facilities in Chapel Hill, N.C. The company is focused on enhancing robotic assisted surgery using innovative technology through a single access point. The Enos robotic single access surgical system is being developed with an ergonomic focus to provide a surgical experience that imitates real-life movements that surgeons demand and includes multi-articulating instruments designed to allow surgeons an increased range of motion in a confined space, with dexterity and the ability to exert the forces necessary to complete common surgical tasks. With the Enos system, Titan intends to initially pursue gynecologic surgical indications. Certain aspects of Titan’s robotic assisted surgical technologies and related intellectual property have been licensed to Medtronic plc, while retaining world-wide rights to commercialize the technologies for use with the Enos system.
 
Enos is a trademark of Titan Medical Inc.