Correx, Inc. is a privately owned company founded in 2004. Our goal is to provide surgical instruments that will make Aortic Valve Bypass more surgeon friendly and less invasive. Ultimately, in the future we envision a minimally invasive Aortic Valve Bypass Surgery for patients with aortic stenosis.
Our Team
J. Alan Crunkleton, PhD, MD
President
Alan Crunkleton has over a decade of experience running start-up companies. He has worked in the medical device industry for five years. Crunkleton's nonmedical experience includes eight years running a startup company in the superconducting electronics industry and four years running a retail business. He holds PhD and master's degrees in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a medical degree from the University of Massachusetts. Crunkleton holds several patents, medical and nonmedical.
Anthony G. Liepert
Vice President
Mr. Liepert joined Correx in August 2008 as Vice President, responsible for manufacturing operations and engineering. Prior to joining Correx, Liepert worked for 18 years at Varian, Inc, most recently as Advanced Engineering Manager, in the areas of cryogenics, vacuum pumps, and helium mass spectrometry. Prior to that, he served as VP of Engineering at Boreas, Inc., and as a Research Engineer at MIT. Liepert holds a master's degree in mechanical engineering from MIT, and several patents.
Susan Papalia, RN, BSN, CCRA
Vice President of Clinical Affairs
Susan brings more than 20 years of clinical research expertise to Correx. After working for years as a hospital Clinical Coordinator, she entered the biotech industry. Susan worked at Boston Scientific for 16 years where she held management positions in both US and International Clinical Research. In 2006, she joined Mitralign, Inc. (Tewksbury, MA) as Director of Clinical Affairs where she was successful in obtaining international regulatory approvals and designing the clinical study of a novel percutaneous mitral valve repair system. After leaving Mitralign, Susan joined Arbios Systems, Inc., as Vice President of Clinical Affairs where she played a key role in obtaining unconditional IDE approval from FDA for the SEPET™ liver assist device.
At Correx, Inc. Susan will be instrumental in leading the development and execution of a multicenter study for the treatment of patients with critical aortic stenosis using the Correx 18 mm AVB System.
John W. Brown, MD
Dr. Brown contributes 30 years of clinical expertise and case history to the development of surgical tools customized for Aortic Valve Bypass. Dr. Brown participated in the development of the valved conduits and left ventricle connectors that are still used today in Aortic Valve Bypass surgery. He also developed the procedure used by many surgeons today to perform Aortic Valve Bypass. Recognized as a pioneer in Apicoaortic Valved Conduit for application in children with congenital heart defects, Dr. Brown has extended use of the procedure to high risk adults with aortic stenosis. He has trained surgeons at leading medical institutions to perform the procedure. Dr. Brown is Professor and Chief of Cardiac Surgery at Indiana University School of Medicine. John W. Brown on CTS Network
James S. Gammie, MD
Dr. Gammie has emerged as a leader in the trend toward application of Aortic Valve Bypass in high risk patients with aortic stenosis. With extensive experience in minimally invasive cardiac procedures, Dr. Gammie shares the vision of Dr. Brown that Aortic Valve Bypass could be performed as a minimally invasive cardiac procedure with appropriate surgical instruments. Dr. Gammie was an early adopter of the cryogenic maze procedure, and he currently trains other surgeons to perform this procedure. Dr. Gammie is Assistant Professor of Cardiac Surgery at the University of Maryland Medical School. Previously, he was Assistant Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery and the director of the heart transplantation program at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. James S. Gammie on CTS Network
Joseph L. Smith, Jr., ScD
Professor Smith is a world-renowned expert in the fields of cryogenic refrigeration, applied thermodynamics and superconductivity. He has been a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) since 1964. Professor Smith runs the Cryogenic Engineering Laboratory at MIT. He has served as an advisor to early-stage ventures and as a consultant to major corporations. Professor Smith has been involved with the commercialization of technologies developed in his MIT lab, including Crunkleton's first startup company where he served as a director. Professor Smith has been working with medical devices throughout the tenure of his career. He holds many patents, both nonmedical and medical.
Richard Beane
Rich Beane has contributed to medical device development, commercialization and project management for over 30 years. For the past 11 years at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, he has served as Director of Research at the UMass Center for Medical Device Research. His charter at UMass is the development and commercialization of new technologies in cooperation with corporate partners. Beane has been the founder or cofounder of several medical device companies. He holds many medical device patents.
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