Partnership in Healthcare customers have access to the Healthcare Solutions Team, which provides industry knowledge and expertise in the deployment of quality and productivity improvement engagements and other consultative services that facilitate the sharing of best practices. All members of this expanded account team are Six Sigma trained and represent the following experiences:

Andrew Greenfield, MBA, Vice President, Six Sigma Master Black Belt, brings his expertise in Six Sigma and quality improvement consulting for hospitals. Prior to joining Abiomed, Andrew held multiple positions at GE Healthcare including consulting with large U.S. health systems in the Enterprise Client Group, Six Sigma Master Black Belt, and eBusiness CFO. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Illinois and an MBA in International Marketing from St. Louis University.

Mary Mologne, MBA, Director of Healthcare Solutions, leads the development and implementation of the Partnership in Healthcare Program, working with thought leaders to improve quality, clinical outcomes, and hospital economics. She shares her extensive experience working with the Nation's largest health systems and healthcare suppliers, having held leadership roles at the American Hospital Association, Premier, Inc., and Cardinal Health. She holds an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University and a Bachelor of Science in Health Policy and Administration from The Pennsylvania State University.

Vin Barry, Six Sigma Master Black Belt, leads the Six Sigma efforts internally at Abiomed and with customers to achieve optimal clinical and financial outcomes utilizing Abiomed technology. He spent over ten years with General Electric in a variety of leadership roles. Vin holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Boston University in Boston, MA. He is a registered Professional Engineer and holds two U.S. patents.

Laura Bentley, Hospital Marketing, provides marketing and advertising expertise to hospitals as they grow their cardiovascular programs. She supports hospital efforts to research market referral patterns and competitive landscapes. She brings to Abiomed over six years of experience developing and executing marketing strategies for several different industries including advertising, scientific publishing and biotechnology. Laura received her Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and Communications from Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA.

Nadine Brooks, RN, Clinical Outcomes, leads efforts to share clinical best practices through clinical protocols, clinical data assessments, and onsite clinical training sessions. She has a proven record in educational training and management, with nearly 20 years of critical care experience including total patient care management at some of today's leading cardiovascular hospitals. Nadine holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Health Care Services and is a certified Critical Care Registered Nurse.

Joyce Bruzzeze, RN, MBA, Hospital Marketing, brings over 20 years of experience in critical care nursing, clinical training for intra-aortic balloons, and advanced medical product management. Her experience working with heart failure patients provides a unique capability to identify improvement opportunities between the Cath Lab and Surgical Suite continuum. Most recently, Joyce designed, developed and delivered international customer and sales training programs for Siemens monitoring solutions. Joyce holds an MBA from Suffolk University and a Bachelor of Science degree from Emmanuel College.

Liza Heapes, Media Relations, supports hospital efforts to place patient success stories in both print and broadcast media, and she has been instrumental in the development and implementation of Abiomed's Celebration of Life events. She lends hands-on expertise from more than five years in the medical device PR industry. Liza received her Bachelor of Science from Syracuse University at its S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.

Teresa Levesque RN, BSN, Clinical Operations, brings over 20 years of clinical experience in the cardiovascular arena, with 15 years managing a cardiac catheterization lab. She will work with hospitals and physicians to launch new percutaneous and innovative cardiology products and to assure a seamless patient care path between cardiology and surgery as needed. Her clinical leadership roles with leading cardiology and cardiovascular companies will bring additional insights into various technologies as hospitals develop and grow their recovery programs. Teresa holds a BSN from Regis University in Denver, Colorado.

Bukola (Kola) Masha, MS, MBA, Hospital Program and Marketing, brings to hospitals a unique combination of global marketing expertise, market research, and economic modeling as they develop and grow their cardiovascular programs. Kola shares expertise from across the entire mechanical circulatory assist device industry, as he also leads Abiomed's business and strategic alliance development efforts. Kola joined Abiomed from General Electric Healthcare, from which his experiences in leadership development, supply chain management and quality measurement have proven beneficial to both clinical and operational quality improvements within the hospital setting. Kola received his MBA from Harvard Business School, his Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from MIT, and his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Minnesota.

Gwen Mayes, JD, MMSc, Government Relations, leads hospital advocacy and public policy efforts and serves as primary liaison to the FDA, NIH, CMS, and healthcare associations. She has nearly 30 years experience in clinical care, health law, and public policy formation. Prior to joining Abiomed, Gwen was a practicing attorney specializing in medical malpractice defense, and she has held leadership roles with the Department of Health & Human Services with the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network and the National Scientific Registry of Transplant Patients. Gwen received her AB in biology and pre-medical studies from Transylvania University, her Master of Medical Sciences (Intensive Respiratory Care) from Emory University, and her Juris Doctorate with honors from the University of Maryland.

Jean Pitner, RN, Clinical Operations, brings to hospitals and health systems over 20 years experience that includes 11 years of direct patient care in emergency, critical care, and cardiac cath lab, as well as over 10 years in the cardiac industry.  Her leadership roles in clinical education will bring important insights to customers for improving patient outcomes through increased education of critical care, cath lab and OR nurses, fellows, cardiologists, and CV surgeons.  Most recently, Jean managed the US Clinical Team at Arrow, and she brings this expertise in IABP circulatory support to Abiomed and its customers.  Additionally, Jean’s experiences developing and managing global clinical teams highlights her ability to energize nurses and other clinicians around a common goal of improving patient care.  Jean graduated from Baptist College of Health Sciences with a Diploma in Nursing and has been pursuing advanced education at Alvernia College in Reading, PA. 

John Pristas, MBA,  Director of Clinical Operations, brings to Abiomed over 20 years of experience in the mechanical circulatory support field, with 11 years directing the Artificial Heart Program at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and nine years of industry experience in clinical and educational roles, including WorldHeart, CardiacAssist, and Evaheart Medical.  John will extend this expertise to hospitals by sharing clinical best practices for delivering circulatory support, as well as operational strategies for developing and strengthening a hospital VAD program.  John holds an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from The Pennsylvania State University.

Dan Raess, MD, FACC, FACS, Medical Advisor, is responsible for advising Abiomed's customers on best practices in patient care and will help guide product development for Abiomed's lifesaving circulatory support technologies. He joined Abiomed from the Cardiac and Vascular Surgery Associates (CVSA) Group, a private medical practice specializing in cardiothoracic surgery with St. Francis Hospital and The Indiana Heart Hospital, both in Indianapolis. During his 20-year tenure at CVSA, and more than 10 years using Ventricular Assist Devices (VADs), Dr. Raess has supported more than 50 patients on Abiomed's BVS® 5000 Biventricular Support System and the AB5000T Circulatory Support System. He has shown very high recovery rates (87%) utilizing the AB5000 technology, having recovered the native heart function for seven out of eight patients with such illnesses as viral myocarditis and acute myocardial infarction (AMI or heart attack).

Scott Themo, Customer Programs, provides information and details about the Partnership in Healthcare Program and serves as a coding/financial reimbursement resource to assure optimal reimbursement for mechanical circulatory support. He also manages the e-Learning clinical training offering. Prior to joining Abiomed, Scott held a variety of marketing and account management roles in the software, information technology and biotechnology industries. Scott received his Bachelor of Science in Biology from Northeastern University and completed cooperative education at Massachusetts General Hospital as a circulator in the OR and lab technician in the CV Research Lab.

Paul Wismer, MBA, Hospital Marketing Europe, provides an international perspective to U.S. hospitals, sharing best practices from Abiomed Europe. He brings significant experience in process improvements from the Cath Lab to the OR, with specific insights into the use of Impella. He holds a Bachelor of Science in German and International Business from The Pennsylvania State University. He served three years in the U.S. Army in various leadership positions of an Infantry unit in Germany. While in the Army, he earned an MBA from Boston University.