MEET THE Event Speakers
Vernon Hartdegen
Vice President of R&D for Trauma, CMF, Sports, and Extremities at DePuy Synthes
Vernon Hartdegen
Vice President of R&D for Trauma, CMF, Sports, and Extremities at DePuy Synthes
Vernon Hartdegen is a lifelong orthopedic professional. After completing his Bachelor’s Degree in Biomedical Engineering from Louisiana Tech, he joined Smith+Nephew Orthopedics as a product development engineer while simultaneously completing his master’s degree in Biomechanical Engineering from the University of Tennessee. In 2000, he moved to Wright Medical Technology, where he progressed through the ranks from engineer to senior director of product development. During his nine-year tenure at Wright, he oversaw the development of the total knee arthroplasty, upper extremity, and foot & ankle product portfolios. Hartdegen then moved into the start-up company environment with senior leadership roles at two companies before co-founding CrossRoads Extremity Systems in 2014. As president and CEO of CrossRoads Extremity Systems, Hartdegen successfully navigated the 2022 acquisition of CrossRoads by DePuy Synthes. He has continued with DePuy Synthes and is currently the vice president of R&D for the DePuy Synthes Trauma, Extremities, CMF, Animal and Sports franchise.
Christine Scifert
Founder and Partner of MRC Global
Christine Scifert
Founder and Partner of MRC Global
As founder and partner of MRC Global, Christine Scifert’s vision is the driving force behind the company’s continued growth. MRC Global is a regulatory and quality systems consulting firm supporting companies in the medical device industry. Scifert continues to support small and large medical device companies to identify regulatory hurdles, develop strategy, write submissions, implement quality systems, and expedite time to market while taking a risk-based approach. Scifert has been consulting for over 15 years (previously MRC-X and Memphis Regulatory Consulting). Prior to consulting, she spent nine years at Medtronic Spinal and Biologics, directing the regulatory department. As senior director, she set regulatory strategy, oversaw global submissions, and assisted in the development of a design control process. Scifert interfaced directly with the FDA and notified bodies, overseeing submissions and regulatory compliance while performing due diligence activities for potential acquisitions. Prior to Medtronic, Scifert performed evaluations of injury mechanisms associated with automobile collisions, slip and falls, and sport/recreation accidents. Scifert received a Bachelor of Science in Physics from Hamline University and a Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Iowa. She also completed a Master’s in Engineering Management from Christian Brothers University. Scifert has been an adjunct professor at Christian Brothers University, teaching regulatory affairs courses.
David Sheppard
Managing Director at MedWorld Advisors
David Sheppard
Managing Director at MedWorld Advisors
David Sheppard has been a leader in the medical device industry for more than 30 years. His experience includes positions such as GM and VP, as well as high impact sales and marketing leadership roles at major Fortune 500 corporations (Medtronic/Covidien, BD/Bard, Cooper and Ciba). His achievements also involve work at startup organizations (including working pre-IPO on a successful IPO company). As a managing director at MedWorld Advisors, Sheppard is focused on exit strategies for the MedDevice, BioTech, DentalTech, DigitalHealthTec, and OEM Medtech companies. For M&A, the goal is to help small- and medium-sized companies maximize their value with their exit strategy and/or achieve success with their acquisition strategy. Having completed international/cross-border deals, an important component to MedWorld’s success is its global reach and ability to cross boundaries to successfully facilitate transactions. In addition to M&A achievements at MedWorld Advisors, his medtech career worldwide results include completing distribution and licensing deals with international businesses, comprised of major Fortune 500 companies (e.g., GE, Philips, Stryker, NK, Mindray, etc.) as well as smaller entities. These experiences have led to a global network of contacts with channel partners both large and small. Sheppard has been involved in “go-to-market” strategies on every major developed continent (Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, North and South America).
Matt Stekier
Principal at Plante Moran
Matt Stekier
Principal at Plante Moran
Matt Stekier is a principal at Plante Moran with nearly 30 years of experience helping organizations transform their supply chain and operations. He has spent 10 years in industry, followed by almost two decades in consulting, working extensively in the medical device sector. Stekier’s expertise spans supply chain, manufacturing operations, SIOP, inventory optimization, logistics, and organizational transformation, with a track record of guiding companies through complexity to achieve sustainable growth and improved margins. He is passionate about simplifying and optimizing supply chains and leveraging innovation to help businesses compete in a rapidly changing environment. Over his career, Stekier has partnered with clients across sectors such as automotive, life sciences, and healthcare to deliver practical solutions that drive measurable results. He holds a degree in Supply Chain Management and an MBA focused on organizational change. Stekier is also certified as a Six Sigma Green Belt and trained in Theory of Constraints and Lean Manufacturing.
Paul Vasta, Ph.D.
Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer at Gramercy Extremity Orthopedics
Paul Vasta, Ph.D.
Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer at Gramercy Extremity Orthopedics
Dr. Paul Vasta is co-founder and chief technology officer at Gramercy Extremity Orthopedics, bringing over 25 years of medical device industry experience to strategic make vs. buy decisions. As a Ph.D. Biomedical Engineer, he has successfully navigated the complexities of determining optimal outsourcing strategies across diverse R&D projects, including implant systems, surgical instruments, electronics, and software platforms. Having held leadership positions at both resource-constrained startups and larger established companies, Dr. Vasta brings a broad perspective on how company size, stage, and capabilities fundamentally shape make vs. buy decisions. His experiences span product design and development, manufacturing engineering, and process optimization, providing a comprehensive view of evaluating internal capabilities against contracted partnerships.
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