Dune Medical Devices Taps Medtronic-Johnson & Johnson Exec as New CEO

PAOLI, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dune Medical Devices today announced the appointment of Lori Chmura to Chief Executive Officer. Chmura joined Dune in January 2016 to lead Dune’s commercial activities in the United States. Originally trained as an ICU and ER nurse, Chmura has held roles of increasing responsibility for building and growing businesses at Medtronic, Covidien, and J&J in a career spanning more than 30 years.

“Improving the standard of care around cancer surgery is what we strive for each and every day.”

“This is a natural evolution for a growth stage device company which will enable me to focus more intensely on expansion of our proprietary radio frequency spectroscopy platform into new devices and oncology markets,” said Dan Hashimshony, former CEO and founder. “I am looking forward to continuing to work with Lori and the team at Dune on a set of strategic initiatives to extend the application of Dune’s technology beyond breast cancer surgery.”

The first commercial product based on Dune Medical’s proprietary radio frequency (RF) spectroscopy technology is the MarginProbe. It has been helping surgeons ensure clean margins in lumpectomy procedures since 2013 and is nearing use in its 10,000th patient in October. According to multiple peer-reviewed studies, MarginProbe is shown to reduce re-excision rates in lumpectomy procedures by 50 - 79 percent.

Dune’s next product, which recently earned a €3 million grant from the EC 2020 Horizon program, will expand the company’s surgical oncology portfolio to include a soft tissue biopsy system with its first indication in breast tissue.

“I am humbled by the opportunity and the confidence that Dan and the board have entrusted to me as Dune enters its next stage in commercialization,” Chmura said. “The team’s commitment to quality, passion, excellence and execution will not waiver. We will continue to uphold the company’s foundation and work tirelessly to ensure that we achieve the success within our collective reach.”

“Lori’s considerable industry experience and contributions to Dune Medical to date give us great confidence that she will successfully lead the company as we continue to bring our technology platform to bear in oncology markets,” said Amos Goren, Chairman of Dune Medical Devices.

“We put unique clinically actionable information into the hands of surgeons while in the OR to help them make the best possible decisions for patient care,” Chmura says. “Improving the standard of care around cancer surgery is what we strive for each and every day.”

About Dune Medical Devices

Dune Medical Devices was founded in 2002 by Dr. Dan Hashimshony to realize the extraordinary medical potential of its proprietary tissue characterization technology. Offering surgeons and radiologists the real-time ability to identify cancerous tissues and react immediately, this technology holds the promise for a broad range of surgical and diagnostic applications. Dune Medical Devices is a privately held company with offices in the U.S. and Israel. For more information, please visit www.marginprobe.com.