ROCKVILLE, Md. and BALTIMORE, July 30, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BioHealth Innovation, Inc. (BHI) today announced the fiscal year 2013-2014 election of officers and a new appointment to its Board of Directors. BHI also announced it has entered into an agreement with BD ( Becton, Dickinson and Company ) to establish an entrepreneur-in-residence (EIR) position at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Technology Transfer. In conjunction with this agreement, BD is entitled to a voting position on the BHI Board of Directors, which will be held by Richard M. "Rick" Ivey, Worldwide Vice President Research & Development, BD Diagnostics - Diagnostic Systems.
"I am pleased to welcome the new roster of officers and a new member to the BHI Board of Directors," said Richard Bendis, BHI President and CEO . "The officers are a committed group of individuals who already have contributed to the steady growth of BHI, and will continue to be important leaders as the organization further develops."
"Rick Ivey joins the Board on behalf of BD as part of the terms of an agreement between BHI and BD to establish an NIH EIR position," added Mr. Bendis. "He represents an important new addition to our Board as he is a seasoned medical technology executive who can offer experience and insights to the growing cadre of start-up diagnostics companies in the State of Maryland."
BHI's 2013-2014 Roster of Officers
The 2013-2014 Officers of the BHI Board of Directors include:
- Douglas Liu, Senior Vice President of Global Operations, Qiagen – Chair
- Dan Abdun-Nabi, President & CEO, Emergent Biosolutions, Inc. – Vice Chair
- Michael Baader, Partner-In-Charge, Venable, LLP – Secretary
- William G. "Bill" Robertson, President and CEO, Adventist HealthCare, Inc. – Treasurer (re-elected)
"I am honored to be appointed Chair of the BHI Board of Directors," said Mr. Liu. "It's a great opportunity to lead such a strong board and to have the opportunity to work with the dedicated staff of BHI."
"It is a privilege to serve as Vice Chair of the BHI Board of Directors. The future for BHI and its various initiatives is very bright – and offers a tremendous benefit to the Central Maryland biohealth community," said Mr. Abdun-Nabi.
New Board Member: Rick Ivey
Mr. Ivey is the overall R&D Leader for the BD Diagnostics - Diagnostic Systems Research and Development Function. He works closely with the company's business leaders to drive new growth opportunities via technology and product development, collaborative partnerships, technology functional excellence, platform management, technology planning, and hiring of talent to meet our strategic goals. The Diagnostic Systems unit comprises several market segment areas including Molecular Diagnostics (BD MAX™ and BD Viper™ systems), Infection Prevention and Management (includes Microbiology, POC and Industrial platforms), and Women's Health. The R&D team is comprised of a strong Systems Engineering function with equally strong Microbiology, Molecular, Chemistry, Immuno and Cytology teams located in multiple sites in North America and the newly added BD Kiestra laboratory automation R&D team in Drachten, The Netherlands.
Mr. Ivey started at in BD in 1982 as Manufacturing Engineer, transitioned to a Design Engineering role, and became a Technical Lead and ultimately Program Manager for key BD BACTEC™ Platform development in the early 1990s. He later was promoted to R&D Director for Blood Culture and TB programs, and Director of overall Product Development for the Microbiology business. He was promoted to Worldwide Vice President of R&D for Diagnostic Systems in 1999.
As a technology leader, Mr. Ivey has successfully championed and delivered multiple new diagnostic platforms for the company including the BD BACTEC™ systems, the TB BD MGIT™ systems, the BD Phoenix™ ID/AST system, BD EpiCenter™, and the BD Viper™ systems. Mr. Ivey led the technical due diligence for the GeneOhm and HandyLab acquisitions, and is continually aligning the global Diagnostic Systems R&D organization to achieve BD's growth and innovation strategy.
Mr. Ivey has received multiple patents in the field of rapid Sepsis Detection, a strong area of personal interest. He received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Virginia Tech and a Masters in Engineering Science and Administration from The George Washington University.
"The diagnostics and medical technology segments of the life sciences industry are critical to the future of healthcare and to the growth of our industry within the State of Maryland," said Mr. Ivey. "Based on my experience as a technology leader at BD, I know how important it is to foster continued innovation. Together, BD and BHI will help to drive successful commercialization of new innovations through a dedicated EIR position."
About BioHealth Innovation, Inc.
BioHealth Innovation, Inc., is a regional innovation intermediary focused on commercializing market-relevant bio-health innovations and increasing access to early-stage funding in Maryland. Learn more at www.biohealthinnovation.org .
Media contact: Rich Bendis, President & CEO, 301-637-6439,
