ATLANTA, March 2 /PRNewswire/ -- A new nonprofit organization -- the Southeastern Medical Device Association (SEMDA) -- is being launched to serve medical device companies in the region. SEMDA will be a networking community to assist inventors and entrepreneurs in locating sources of financing, navigating the complex licensing and regulatory issues, and growing their medical device businesses.
"SEMDA will bring together physicians, inventors, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and top scientists to create a strong support network for medical device companies in the Southeast," says SEMDA President and Co-Founder Rick Haury, who is a partner in the Healthcare/Medical Device Group of the Atlanta law firm Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP.
The organization is expected to provide members with information on topics such as fundraising, domestic and international regulatory issues, commercial and university licensing, commercialization of technology, intellectual property and negotiating strategies.
"The inaugural members of this group have the clout to bring in top speakers and organize extremely informative panels," adds Dr. David Ku, President and CEO of Salumedica, a firm that is pioneering the development of biomaterials to replace soft tissue throughout the body. Dr. Ku is also Regents Professor and Lawrence P. Huang Chair of Engineering Entrepreneurship at the Georgia Institute of Technology, and Professor of Surgery at Emory School of Medicine.
"As a surgeon and inventor, I believe the fact that this organization is specifically targeted toward physicians and businessmen in the medical device field will lead to the sharing of valuable information, and inevitably, significant breakthroughs," adds Dr. Reg Haid, an Atlanta surgeon and Member of SEMDA's Advisory Board.
"Medical devices are tremendous tools for healing," adds Dr. Muta M. Issa, Chief of Urology at Emory University School of Medicine and another SEMDA Advisory Board member. "The fact that this group will encourage innovation in our region is significant in itself," he adds.
Financiers will also form an important component of the organization. "We hope this group will give us a window to help identify new opportunities in the medical device field," adds Steve Getsy of On-Line Ventures(R), a private equity angel investment and management consulting corporation.
The Southeastern Medical Device Association's first chapter is in Atlanta, and the organization plans to expand to other cities across the Southeast.
SEMDA will hold its inaugural meeting Wednesday, March 31 at the Buckhead Club on the 18th floor in the Atlanta Financial Center, 3343 Peachtree Road, NE, Atlanta, Georgia, 30326. Networking will begin at 5:30 p.m., followed by the program at 6:00 p.m. Anyone interested in the field of medical devices is welcome.
For more information, or to RSVP, call Rick Haury at (404) 504-7713 or send an e-mail to rhaury@mmmlaw.com .
SEMDACONTACT: Terri Thornton of Thornton Communications, +1-404-932-4347, orterrithornton@mindspring.com
Web site: http://www.mmmlaw.com/