about apneon

management team

management team

Nat Bowditch - President and CEO

Mr. Bowditch joined Apneon as President and CEO in May of 2006. Prior to joining Apneon, Nat served as President and CEO of Avantec Vascular. Avantec was acquired by Goodman Co., Ltd. of Japan for $165 million.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Bowditch held management positions with CardioGenesis and Cardiometrics as well as Advanced Cardiovascular Systems, then a subsidiary of Eli Lilly.

Mr. Bowditch holds an MBA from the University of Chicago, an MS in Biology from Stanford and a BA in Biology from Cornell University. Additionally, Mr. Bowditch serves as a volunteer member of the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Team.

Andrew Kramer - Vice President of Research & Development

In June 2006, Andrew Kramer joined the Apneon team as Vice President of Research and Development. Mr. Kramer has over twelve years of experience in the medical device field. Mr. Kramer was previously the Vice President of Research and Development at Avantec Vascular, Sunnyvale, CA. Avantec was a developer of drug eluting stents, coronary dilatation catheters and guide wires with annual sales of $22.5 million.

Previously Mr. Kramer has held management positions at CardioGenesis and Origin Medsystems, later part of Guidant.

Mr. Kramer holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from UC San Diego.

Elisa Hebb - Vice President of Clinical Affairs

Elisa Hebb joined Apneon in October 2007 as Vice President of Clinical Affairs with over 15 years of experience in clinical trials management for medical device companies.

Prior to joining Apneon, Ms. Hebb held the position of Senior Principal Consultant for Alquest, Inc., supporting clinical and regulatory departments in a variety of therapeutic areas including cardio, neuro, and peripheral vascular devices. Additionally, she has served as the Senior Director of Clinical Affairs for Vascular Architects and Director of Clinical Programs for Boston Scientific (Electrophysiology Group).

Ms. Hebb holds a BA in Biology from the University of California at Berkeley.

Brian McCollum - Director of Quality Assurance

Brian McCollum joined Apneon in May of 2006 as the Director of Quality Assurance. Mr. McCollum brings to Apneon over 14 years of experience in the areas of Quality Assurance and Control, Quality Engineering and Regulatory Compliance. Before joining Apneon, Mr. McCollum acted as Director of Quality Assurance at Avantec Vascular in Sunnyvale, CA.

The highlights of Mr. McCollum’s career include his appointment as QS Director for Cardima, Inc., in Fremont, California, his development of effective Quality Compliance strategies at Boston Scientific (EP Technologies and IVUS groups), and his leadership in the areas of Operations, Logistics and Quality at Ford Motor Corporation.

Mr. McCollum serves as a board member of the American Society for Quality – Northern California Biomedical Discussion Group. He holds an MBA from St. Mary’s College of California, as well as, a BS in Aeronautical Engineering from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Gabriela Tomescu - Director of Intellectual Property

In September 2005, Gabriella Tomescu joined the Apneon team and later became the Director of Intellectual Property in January 2007. Ms. Tomescu is a registered patent attorney. Prior to specializing in intellectual property, Ms. Tomescu was a civil litigator, focusing on products liability and insurance law.

Ms. Tomescu earned a JD from Georgetown, a BS in Microbiology from Ohio State, and a BA/MA in French Literature from Columbia University. She is an active member of the American Intellectual Property Law Association and the Association of Corporate Counsel.