Dr. rer. nat. Christine König (PhD)

PhD, CEO, is a well-rounded entrepreneur and leader by heart. Christine holds a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Göttingen. She successfully started up award winning biotech (mice & mores, LifeLines), consulting (Koenig & Consultants Inc., Hamburg/Toronto; Ontario Sustainability Services, Toronto, ON) and renewable energy firms (ZooShare Biogas Coop, Toronto, ON; Oxford Community Energy Coop, Woodstock, ON; Sustainability Brant Renewable energy Coop, Paris, ON). She has successfully led complex multi-stakeholder incorporation, financing, and development processes, directed multidisciplinary research and international consulting projects, developed marketing and communication strategies and turned clients’ and own visions into successful operational entities, products, and services. Since 2002 Christine regularly works for the EU Commission as experts in various funding programmes. Since 2018 she is an elected member of the board of directors of the Bio- and MedTech cluster Life Science Nord e.V. and is a frequently sought after Board Member. Christine is the heart and soul of SurgMark. It is owed to her leadership, persistence, and believe in the team and its product that SurgMark has persevered through challenging times.

Dr. med. Peter A. Meier (M.D)

MD, PhD, MBA, co-founder, is responsible for clinical trials and business development at SurgMark. He was CEO of Medovent and Orokoko GmbH and is a Co-founder/CEO in a plasma medicine venture. Until 2013 he was Manager/Principal Scientist at Johnson & Johnson Medical, a worldwide leader in surgical implants. Peter holds an MD and PhD in medical devices and an MBA in Innovation and Entrepreneurship from the TU Munich and HHL Leipzig. Before joining J&J in 2004 he has worked 6 years for Braun/OralB R&D and several years in medical practice in Germany and the UK as family physician. Peter has a passion for innovation and innovative products and chairs a yearly conference: The Front End of Innovation Europe.

Dr. med Frank Schure (M.D.)

Clinical Research

MD, co-founder, is the inventor, creative mind, and application specialist for SchurSign. The first patent for the new marker was filed by Frank and he continues to drive optimization of the marker’s design and improvement of its ultrasound visibility. Frank has more that 30 yrs. experience as practicing gynecologist and obstetrician in various leading German hospital. He has received his OBGYN specialist training and certificate from the Charité Campus Berlin-Buch and led the OBGYN department at the Neckar-Odenwald-Klinikum in Buchen for 12 years, after which he moved on to his own practice. Frank and his wife Viola Schure, MD, have jointly won the 2016 M&K Award for: „Tissue sensitive breast surgery using ultrasound“ in partnership with Samsung. Frank‘s restless pursuit of excellence in treatment of women suffering from breast cancer is the driving force behind SurgMark’s product developments.

Dr. med Rivelino Montenegro (PhD)

Production/Development

PhD, co-founder, holds a PhD in chemistry and is responsible for Technology and Production. Dr. Montenegro previously held leading positions in plastics and metal-processing companies in Brazil. He was also senior researcher at Matregen, a Toronto-based company focused on products for nerve repair. In 2006, he co-founded Medovent together with Thomas Freier and acted as CTO until 2015. At Medovent, he helped to develop and bring to market a novel bioresorbable nerve guide Reaxon which has since been implanted in several thousand patients. Dr. Montenegro was responsible for the FDA clearances of the Reaxon family. He is also the co-inventor of Quractiv Derm, an innovative spray which has helped countless patients suffering from chronic wounds. Since 2016, Dr. Montenegro is the managing director of Monarch Bioimplants, a Swiss medical device start-up in the field of prostate cancer treatment. He has participated in research resulting in more than 15 peer-reviewed papers published in scientific journals, and holds several international patents. He has strong expertise in the regulatory requirements for FDA approval and in the commercialization medical devices.

Dr. rer. nat. Thomas Freier (D.Sc.)

Quality Assurance/Development

PhD, co-founder, is responsible for Quality Management and R&D at SurgMark. He holds a PhD in chemistry and has previously worked at the Center of Excellence for Biomaterials in Rostock/Germany as group leader for polymer chemistry and tissue engineering. Subsequently, at the University of Toronto/Canada, he focused his research on the repair of injured peripheral nerves. In 2006, he co-founded Medovent in Mainz/Germany; a medical device company focused on applications in urology and nerve repair, and has acted as CEO and Head of R&D until 2017. During his time at Medovent, the company has developed and commercialized Reaxon, a novel bioresorbable conduit device for peripheral nerve repair. Between 2010 and 2013, he was also CEO of Medoderm, a start-up focusing on products for the treatment of chronic wounds. Since 2017, Dr. Freier leads the QM at Monarch Bioimplants, a Swiss-based medical device company developing products for prostate cancer treatment. He has participated in research resulting in over 25 peer-reviewed papers and has contributed to several books. He holds multiple international patents related to biomedical devices. Furthermore, he has particular expertise in the CE regulatory requirements and in the commercialization of medical devices.

Dr. Megan Kalambo

Scientific Advisor

Dr. Megan Kalambo is a breast imaging radiologist at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (MDACC) and Clinical Medical Director of Breast Imaging for the community-based practices. She obtained her medical degree from Pennsylvania State College of Medicine in 2007 and completed her residency training at The University of Texas McGovern Medical School at Houston. Following her residency, she completed a dedicated breast imaging fellowship at MDACC. Her career research interests have been focused on best practices during geographic expansion, the value of partnership co-branding, safety and quality improvement, and the implementation of innovative technologies in community-based practice.