ATLANTA, April 8, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CryoLife, Inc. a biomaterials, medical device and tissue processing company, announced today that William F. Northrup, III, M.D. has joined CryoLife as vice president of medical relations and education, reporting to Steven G. Anderson, president and CEO.
In this newly created position, Dr. Northrup, a board-certified cardiovascular surgeon, will create educational programs focused on CryoLife SynerGraft technologies and surgical adhesive products for cardiac and vascular surgeons, as well as training programs for company technical representatives. Dr. Northrup is recognized as an expert in cardiac reconstruction and mitral valve repair, having chaired and moderated numerous international congresses on cardiac surgical techniques in Europe, Japan and the U.S. His post graduate surgical training in cardiac reconstruction was mentored by Mr. Donald Ross, F.R.C.S. and Sir Magdi Yacoub, F.R.S., F.R.C.S. of the U.K. and Alain Carpentier, M.D., Ph.D. of France.
“We are excited to have a surgeon of Dr. Northrup’s caliber join our management team,” said Anderson. “His knowledge and skills as a reconstructive cardiothoracic surgeon will be invaluable to CryoLife and the cardiac and vascular surgeons we partner with.”
Throughout his career, Dr. Northrup has held a deep interest in biological solutions for cardiac disease and has been involved in the development and early implementation of new and enduring cardiac surgical technology. He holds six U.S. patents for medical devices, two of which led to FDA-approved devices.
Dr. Northrup earned his undergraduate degree from Pasadena City College and his medical degree from the University of Southern California. He completed his surgical internship at the University of California, San Francisco, and his general and surgical residencies at the University of Minnesota. He is a member of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery, the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, the European Association for Cardiothoracic Surgery, the Society for Heart Valve Disease and the American College of Cardiology, among others.
Dr. Northrup was in a large private cardiovascular surgery practice, Cardiac Surgical Associates in Minneapolis, with Dr. Demetre Nicoloff for 26 years, during which time he started adult cardiac surgery programs at two Minnesota hospitals, Fairview Southdale Hospital in Edina, and St. Cloud Hospital, St. Cloud. Earlier in his career, he taught cardiac reconstruction surgery at the University of Minnesota and was a staff cardiac surgeon at the VA Medical Center, Minneapolis, and St. Paul Ramsey Hospital, St. Paul.
“This is a wonderful opportunity to work with and represent a company whose people, products and services I’ve long admired and are so closely aligned with my greatest interests,” said Dr. Northrup. “I look forward to serving as the liaison to our surgical customers, developing a deeper understanding of their needs and helping them learn in greater detail how CryoLife’s products can enhance their practices and their patients’ lives.”
About CryoLife, Inc.
Founded in 1984, CryoLife, Inc. is a leader in the processing and distribution of implantable living human tissues for use in cardiac and vascular surgeries throughout the United States and Canada. The Company recently received FDA clearance for its CryoValve(R) SG pulmonary human heart valve, processed using CryoLife’s proprietary SynerGraft(R) Technology. The Company’s BioGlue(R) Surgical Adhesive is FDA approved as an adjunct to sutures and staples for use in adult patients in open surgical repair of large vessels. BioGlue is also CE marked in the European Community and approved in Canada and Australia for use in soft tissue repair. The Company also distributes the CryoLife-O’Brien(R) stentless porcine heart valve, which is CE marked for distribution within the European Community.
CONTACT: Katie Brazel of Fleishman Hillard for CryoLife, Inc.; or D.
Ashley Lee, Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Chief
Operating Officer for CryoLife, Inc., +1-770-419-3355
Web site: http://www.cryolife.com/
