Speakers

Building his career on a foundation of expertise in scientific, technological, and business leadership, Al Di Rienzo has contributed significantly to the advancement of commercial, military, and health care applications. In the span of 25 years, his career in industry includes research and development appointments at Welch Allyn, Philips Medical Systems, Siemens Medical Systems, Honeywell/Sperry Aerospace, and General Dynamics Land Systems. Al transitioned from being Welch Allyn’s Chief Science & Technology Officer to being the President & CEO of Blue Highway, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Welch Allyn - focused on science and technology acceleration, primarily from ideation to proof-of-concept for the worldwide health care community.

Connecting his expertise to community involvement, Al has spoken to the U.S. Senate Manufacturing Caucus concerning the impact of Research & Development on Manufacturing Innovation. He also serves on the Columbia University Center for Advanced Information Management External Advisory Board, Consumer Health World Advisory Board, Excell Partners Technical Advisory Board, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Alliance, National Biodefense Science Board, Syracuse University Center for Advanced Systems & Engineering Advisory Board, Syracuse University College of Engineering & Computer Science Dean’s Council, University of Buffalo Center for Advanced Biomedical and Bioengineering Technology Industry Advisory Board, and the Society of Industry Leaders. He is also the Founding Chair of the Syracuse Chapter of Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society as well as one of the Founding Board of Directors for the Continua Health Alliance.

He is active in a number of professional organizations including the: Association for Computing Machinery, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Mathematical Association of America, MedTech Science & Technology Committee, New York Academy of Sciences, Product Development and Management Association, and Software Engineering Institute. Al was also recognized by Frost & Sullivan as a Medical MindXchange Most Valuable Thought Leader, and by the Technology Alliance of Central New York as the Technologist of the Year (2009). Al is degreed in Computer Science from Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA. Dedicated to the ideal of lifelong learning, he has focused on continued professional development over the course of his career, successfully pursuing an extensive list of managerial, leadership, and technical skills courses

Anna Varlese graduated from the University of Rochester with a Bachelors of Science in 2004 and from Cornell University with a Masters of Engineering in 2005. She began working at ConMed Corporation as a Biomedical Engineering Manager in 2007.

Anna is part of an experimental and dynamic New Product Realization team, whose role is to bring new products through the entire process from conception to shelf in the hospital. The team consists of four people who work on the design control process. They facilitate project completion through the areas of R&D, regulatory, purchasing/procurement, quality, engineering, graphic design, drafting, clinical, marketing, and manufacturing.

ConMed Corporation follows the pattern of many large companies. It started in the early 1973’s with two men working out of a garage, and the creation of the first disposable ECG electrode. The company has expanded its products through development and went public in 1987 allowing it to grow through acquisition as well. ConMed is now an $800 million company with 8 main divisions focusing on Arthroscopy, ElectroSurgery, Endoscopy, Endoscopic Technologies, EndoSurgery, Integrated Systems, Patient Care, and Powered Surgical Instruments. Anna is in the Patient Care division which encompasses a lot of commodity items, such as suction tubing and ECG electrodes, and also has some new minimally-invasive technologies which have the potential to change the future of heath care.

Dr. Robert J. Corona is Vice President of Clinical, Medical and Scientific Affairs and Chief Medical Officer at Welch Allyn Inc. He serves as Chief Medical and Science Officer for Blue Highway; a Welch Allyn Company focused on innovation and advanced technology. Dr. Corona is a board-certified and practicing neuropathologist. He is board certified in anatomic pathology and medical management.

Dr. Corona is a Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emergency Medicine, Internal Medicine and Family Medicine at the State University of New York, Upstate Medical University. He also holds faculty appointments at Albany Medical College and LECOM in Bradenton, Fl. He is a Neuropathology consultant for the Central New York Region’s Forensic Sciences Center in Syracuse.

Dr. Corona’s responsibilities at Welch Allyn include employee and occupational health, clinical testing, patient safety, quality and regulatory affairs (concentrated in good clinical practices), innovation and new product development, new business development, human factors, biostatistics and providing general medical expertise to executive management.

Dr. Corona is an appointed member of the New York State Department of Health’s Office of Professional Medical Conduct. He recently completed serving a ten year appointment on the State Board for Medicine in the New York State Department of Education. Dr. Corona was formerly Physician Director of Medical Informatics, Laboratory Informatics and Telemedicine and a neuropathologist at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, New York.

Dr. Corona is a nationally recognized speaker on innovation and technology in medicine and has won awards as best presenter at many conferences. He is the past recipient of the Computer Professional of the Year Award for the CNY region. He is the only physician to ever receive that award. Dr. Corona is certified by the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation in the FDA Quality System Regulation.

Dr. Corona’s teaching honors include: State University of New York President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching and Best Teacher Award for Pathology. He is listed in Who’s Who of Board Certified Medical Specialists. He has published journal articles in the fields of Alzheimer’s Disease and brain tumors and is a contributing author to a book chapter on Alzheimer’s Disease.

Dr. Corona is a member of the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology, the American Society of Clinical Pathologists, Regulatory Affairs Professionals, Association of Clinical Research Professionals, American College of Physician Executives and is a Fellow of the College of American Pathologists and the American Society of Clinical Pathologists.

After graduating from Ithaca College in 1982, Dr. Corona attended medical school at NYCOM/ NYIT in Long Island, New York. He did a general medical internship at Southeastern Medical Center in Miami, Florida, and his residency and fellowship at SUNY Upstate Medical University and the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Washington, DC. He was Chief Resident in Pathology at SUNY Upstate Medical as well as Co-Chairman of the Chief Resident’s Association.

David Pollock, Senior Discovery Project Engineer, LSI Solutions

David, senior medical device design engineer and project leader, is part of the LSI Solutions Discovery and Development teams. LSI Solutions is a highly innovative and dynamic organization focused on improving challenging surgical procedures by developing novel surgical device solutions for minimally invasive surgery. Current devices service gynecology, bariatric and general surgical procedures. On-going research is investigating new techniques for cardiac surgery and NOTES radical prostatectomy.

David earned his BS degree in Product Design and Engineering. He has been involved in new product development for over thirty years, the last fifteen in biomedical engineering as a researcher, project leader and functional manager. Partnering with leading surgeons in both US and Europe has lead to discoveries resulting in his authoring ten patents and applications in a range of technology spaces, including surgical devices and instruments, ophthalmology as well as oral hygiene.

As Vice President, Product Development, Martin Brusdeilins oversees new
product development, research, and product support in Rochester, NY. His
work encompasses the fields of in vitro diagnostic assays and equipment in
clinical chemistry, immunodiagnostics, transfusion medicine and donor
screening as well as point of care. Martin serves as a board member on the
Ortho Clinical Diagnostics Board.

Martin joined OCD in March 2003. Prior to joining OCD, Martin spent 17 years at Roche Diagnostics. Most recently he was Roche's Senior Vice
President, Head of Research & Development, Roche Near Patient Testing in
Graz, Austria. Before that he was the Vice President and General Manager
responsible for the U.S. branch of the Roche laboratory diagnostics business unit covering research and development, manufacturing and marketing of Drugs of Abuse Testing and Therapeutic Drug Monitoring reagents for the laboratory and near patient testing markets, based in Indianapolis, Indiana.

During his time with Boehringer Mannheim he held various positions of
increasing responsibility including Vice President of Project Management
Systems Development, Senior Vice President of Global Marketing and
finally Senior Vice President of Global Marketing and Technology
Management, all in the Laboratory Diagnostics Division.
Martin earned his B.S. and Doctorate in Biochemistry from Eberhard Karls
University, Tübingen, Germany.

Martin is married and lives with his wife and son in Pittsford, NY.