Vascular access technology innovator Velano Vascular has welcomed Gary Kurtzman, M.D., and David R. Strand to its Board of Directors. Together, the two add more than 50 years of collective experience in healthcare innovation and investing to the company’s leadership as it scales to combat the urgent challenge of vascular access globally.
 
More than 1 billion inpatient blood draws occur around the world every year, informing nearly 70 percent of all medical decisions. However, the rising incidence of aging, obesity and chronic illness is making venous access more difficult and less efficient. These patients, known as Difficult Venous Access (DVA), represent more than 30 percent of all hospitalized patients worldwide. Velano’s PIVO needle-free blood collection device and its family of vascular access products address these challenges through a new, more humane standard of care.
 
“David and Gary's experience at the forefront of medical innovation for the past three decades will be critical in scaling our work and pioneering new innovations to combat the growth of DVA patients globally,” said Velano Vascular CEO Eric M. Stone. “Together, we will transform vascular access, mitigate infection risks, and create a true and more humane standard of care for one of medicine’s most critical but unheralded procedures.”
 
Kurtzman has over 25 years of experience in healthcare operations and investments and has served as managing director at Safeguard Scientifics since 2006. He is responsible for identifying, deploying capital in and supporting emerging companies in healthcare technology and medical devices. Prior, Kurtzman served as managing director and chief operating officer at BioAdvance, a state initiative committed to funding early-stage life sciences companies. He also served as CEO at Pluvita Corporation, a company developing personalized medicine solutions, as chief operating officer at Genovo, and head of research and development at Avigen, both development stage gene therapy companies. He is a widely acknowledged expert in emerging healthcare technologies and is a lecturer in the Health Care Systems Department at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he teaches an interdisciplinary graduate level course in healthcare entrepreneurship.
 
Strand has spent more than 30 years providing executive leadership to some of the nation’s leading healthcare institutions. He has served as CEO at a number of early-stage companies, including ExperiaHealth, one of the nation’s first patient experience improvement companies, which was acquired by Vocera (VCRA) in 2011. He has also served as chief operating officer (COO) of the Cleveland Clinic, the nation’s premier academic medical center; COO of Allina Health System, an integrated health system; and CEO of Medica, one of the nation’s largest and most reputable health plans. Strand began his career as outside general counsel to United HealthCare, from its formation through its IPO and acquisition of its national network of HMOs. He currently or previously has served on a number of boards, including the San Francisco Symphony, Gustavus Adolphus College, La Luz, American Public Media, Minnesota Public Radio, and Southern California Public Radio.
 
Velano Vascular is a medical device innovator committed to reducing the pain, risk and inefficiencies of traditional blood collection practices while enhancing the clinical domain of vascular access. The company’s U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved PIVO device expands the use of peripheral IV lines for frequent, high quality blood draws, aiming to deliver painless, compassionate care for hospital inpatients, a safer practice for caregivers, and a more financially responsible alternative for health systems.