Management

Bob Lash, M.D., B.S.E.E./C.S., Senior Vice President & Chief R&D Officer
Dr. Lash brings 18 years of engineering management experience to ViOptix, with 10 years of medical device industry experience leading device development and production. He co-founded M.D. Engineering, where as CEO he led the development and manufacture of embedded-control based surgical instruments for cosmetic and laparoscopic surgery. The company grew to be the largest producer of liposuction equipment at that time, and was later acquired by Medical Device Resource Corporation. He subsequently co-founded M.D. Personal Products, a Hambrecht & Quist backed venture, where he led the development of the "Women's Choice" female condom. Dr. Lash also served as CTO for WebChat Communications, which was acquired by Infoseek, and led its engineering integration into Disney's GO Network. He most recently served as VP of Engineering for Driving Media, a venture formed by the founder of Amiga Computer. Dr. Lash has developed over 14 medical devices and has been awarded a number of U.S. patents. He received his M.D. degree from the University of California at San Diego, and his B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the University of California at Berkeley.

George A. Gardiner, Vice President of Sales
Mr. Gardiner is an experienced sales management professional with over 25 years of medical device industry experience and success. Before joining ViOptix, he was Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Daniels Sharpsmart, Inc., providing reusable sharps safety and medical waste solutions to acute care facilities. George also served as Western Area Business Director for Cyberonics, Inc. where he was instrumental in the successful marketing of vagus nerve stimulator pacemakers for control of epileptic seizures to neurologists and hospitals. Prior to that, George spent many years at US Surgical/Tyco Healthcare Inc., holding sales and sales management positions finishing his tenure as a Division Business Director. He started his career in medical devices at Johnson & Johnson. George brings to ViOptix a track record of success in growing market share with new and innovative technologies as well as strategically implementing the processes for sales force success.

Alex Keller, MD, Consulting Medical Director
Dr. Alex Keller is a recognized expert and published author in the field of microsurgery. He is a renowned pioneer and expert in state-of-the-art free flap DIEP flap breast reconstruction. Dr. Keller has trained in general surgery, plastic surgery and microsurgery. He received his medical degree from New York University and completed his postgraduate training in surgery and plastic surgery at New York University. Dr. Keller is in private practice in Great Neck, NY and also holds the positions of Clinical Instructor of Plastic Surgery at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York University Medical Center, and State University of New York at Stony Brook. He performs surgery at Long Island Jewish Hospital. Dr. Keller is a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the American Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery, the Northeastern Society of Plastic Surgeons, the International Society of Reconstructive Microsurgery and the New York Head and Neck Society.

Jian-min (Jimmy) Mao, Ph.D.,Vice President of Technology and Chief Technology Officer
Dr. Mao was appointed Vice President of Technology and Chief Technology Officer in April 2007 and previously served as Director of Technology. He brings to ViOptix the skills of converting knowledge in biomedical physics and mathematics into technology in the field of biotechnology. Dr. Mao has published 36 scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals, and 10 articles in conference proceedings or books. Prior to joining ViOptix Dr. Mao held professorships at The College of William and Mary and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Dr. Mao was awarded a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Houston.

Victor Colunga, Consulting Chief Financial Officer
Victor serves as Chief Financial Officer for ViOptix. Since 2001 he has served diverse clients as a CFO on a consulting basis. He is a Co-Founder and a Managing Partner of FLG Partners, the leading CFO services and Board advisory firm in Northern California. Victor has over thirty years of business experience, including serving as a Chief Financial Officer for 18 years. Victor's career ranges from taking startups through the IPO process to leading the operations of a highly profitable $200 million multi-national company. Victor's career has been centered in high technology, life sciences, and medical devices. Victor holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business from Santa Clara University.

Mark Lonsinger, Vice President of Operations
Mark brings 9 years of medical operations and supply chain management to ViOptix. Mark comes from Philips Medical Systems, formerly ADAC Laboratories, where he was the Director of Operations for the Nuclear Medicine business. He previously was responsible for the sales operations and supply chain for the Radiation Therapy Planning (RTP) and the Positron Emission Tomography (PET) businesses and also held positions in manufacturing, project management, and finance. He was part of the ADAC team that won the Malcolm Baldrige award for quality assurance in 1996. Mark holds a BA in Economics from the University of California at Berkeley.

Denise Yarmlak, Senior Director of Marketing
Ms. Yarmlak has broad medical device marketing experience in industry leading companies and startups. Prior to joining ViOptix in 2006, she served as senior product manager at Carl Zeiss Meditec where she was responsible for ophthalmology products representing 40% of divisional profit. Earlier, at Landec Corporation she led the launch of the company’s first product, an orthopedic medical device, enabling a successful IPO in 1996. Prior to Landec she spent 10 years with Pilkington Vision Care, a leading manufacturer of eye care products, where she was involved with product development , launch and market management for professional and consumer medical products. Ms. Yarmlak also spent four years with Kendall Healthcare Products Company in sales and marketing positions. She holds a bachelor of science from the College of New Jersey and an MBA from Northeastern University.

Melissa Liu, Controller
With over 12 years of related experience with technology companies, Melissa Liu is the Controller of ViOptix and responsible for worldwide accounting and financial management, and human resources. Before joining ViOptix, Ms. Liu held senior financial management positions with CoWare Inc. and ArcSoft Inc. Her recent experience has centered on developing and growing finance and operations for these companies. She holds an M.B.A. from Northwestern Polytechnic University.