SEMDA SpotLight Awards Presented at Conference

ATLANTA, GA--(Marketwire - March 13, 2012) -

BD Technologies and H. Wayne Hodges, Executive Director of the Global Center for Medical Innovation (GCMI), will receive SpotLight Awards from the Southeastern Medical Device Association (SEMDA) as the 2012 Conference kicks off today. SEMDA’s annual conference is recognized as the premier gathering for the Southeast medical device industry.

The awards are one highlight of SEMDA’s sixth annual conference, which has a record 300 people registered to attend. The two-day conference will give 14 emerging companies the opportunity to present to investors and includes education and panel sessions, 1:1 partnering, and a poster session.

“The SpotLight Awards were created to recognize outstanding achievement in fostering the growth of the medical device community in the Southeast, and are presented to one individual and one organization each year during SEMDA’s annual conference,” explained David Hartnett, Vice President of Bioscience/Health IT Industry Development at the Metro Atlanta Chamber, and SEMDA’s 2011-2012 president.

BD Technologies is this year’s winner of the Organization SpotLight Award. Since 1972, when BD established the Becton Dickinson Research Center in Research Triangle Park, NC, the company’s presence in the Southeast has expanded to include more than 850 employees in six locations. This footprint encompasses everything from development of cutting-edge technologies such as biosensors and drug delivery systems to traditional manufacturing of diagnostic tests and laboratory supplies. In addition, BD Technologies has played a major role in launching new medical device companies through its BioVenture Center.

Wayne Hodges, the recipient of the Individual SpotLight Award, has more than 30 years of experience in innovation, commercialization and incubation management. In addition to serving as Executive Director of GCMI, he is Vice Provost Emeritus of the Georgia Tech Enterprise Innovation Institute. Prior to retirement, he was responsible for a comprehensive set of Georgia Tech services that help industry, entrepreneurs, communities and economic developers become more competitive through the application of science, technology and innovation.

As a member of the team that organized the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC) in 1980, Mr. Hodges has been actively involved in the management and growth of what has become an internationally recognized technology incubator that helps entrepreneurs launch and build successful companies. During his tenure at Georgia Tech, Mr. Hodges established and led the ATDC Seed Fund that has invested in more than 75 Georgia companies. He also initiated the formation of VentureLab at Georgia Tech. Mr. Hodges also served as president of the Georgia Advanced Technology Ventures (GATV), an organization formed to manage and develop Technology Enterprise Park adjacent to the Georgia Tech campus.

About SEMDA
The Southeastern Medical Device Association (SEMDA) is a non-profit trade association that supports and promotes medical device companies in the Southeast. Created in 2004, the association provides a unique resource and networking opportunity for medical device companies, inventors, physicians, and investors interested in accelerating the growth of the medical device industry in the Southeast. Through quarterly and members-only meetings, as well as its highly regarded annual Conference, SEMDA meets the needs of members of the medical device community. Learn more at www.semda.net.

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