Wound Healing Foundation Bios

Chris Fashek

Board Member: 2022 – Present

President: 2023 – Present

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Chris Fashek is an accomplished healthcare executive with a winning record of leading billion dollar global and start-up medical-device and pharmaceutical businesses.
Chris is the Chairman of the Board of MedTech Solutions Group (MTSG), a global Sales Management, Marketing and Clinical team managing a worldwide distributor network. Chris also serves as Chairman at NanoVibronix (NAOV – NASDAQ).
He has played key roles in several Advanced Wound Care driven technologies including Vice Chairman, President and CEO of KCI USA, CEO of Spiracur, In., and Chairman of the Board of Systagenix.
Chris serves as a board member of The Wound Healing Foundation (WHF), and the American College of Wound Healing and Tissue Repair (ACWHTR).
Chris is a subject matter expert in business development, marketing, sales, product development, and positioning corporations for hyper-growth and sustainability.

Kris Kieswetter, PhD, MBA

Board Member: 2016 – Present

President Elect: 2021 – Present

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Dr. Kieswetter currently serves as Senior Director, Research & Technology at Acelity, Inc. The Device Sciences organization she leads provides technical and scientific support to product development teams, develops novel concepts and performs technology scouting and assessments. During her twenty-plus year career she has been involved in both device and drug product development. Following a post-doctoral fellowship at the Center for the Bone-Biomaterial Interface at the University of Texas at San Antonio, Kieswetter joined OsteoBiologics, Inc., a start-up firm dedicated to the development of biodegradable implants for cartilage and bone repair. She returned to the medical device arena following two years developing topical wound care products at Healthpoint, Ltd. While at KCI she established the Research organization and has also been responsible for the organization tasked to not only capture and develop ideas, but also to assess and manage potential develop opportunities. She has participated in the development of multiple products in several divisions. In her unique leadership role for innovation and portfolio development, she has become a proponent of thoroughly understanding the related, yet often differing, needs of clinicians, patients, payors and internal customers on a global basis.

Kieswetter is a member of the Society for Biomaterials, Orthopaedic Research Society, Tissue Engineering Society International and the Wound Healing Society and was recently inducted into the College of Fellows of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. She has served on the board of advisors to the Department of Biomedical Engineering at University of Texas at San Antonio and as a member of the panel of judges for the Medical Design Excellence Awards. Her community and professional service include serving on the board of directors of the Antioch Community Transformation Network, Texas Public Radio, The Health Cell and the Wound Healing Society. She has received several patents, published in the fields of biomaterials, orthopaedics and wound healing and mentored two first place teams in the Free Trade Alliance’s International Business Plan competition. She holds Bachelor of Science degrees in Material Science and Engineering as well as Biomedical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University, a Master of Science and PhD from Case Western Reserve University and a MBA from the University of Texas (San Antonio).

Greg Schultz, PhD

Board Member: 2016 – Present

Chairman of the Awards Committee 2023 – Present

University of Florida
Gainesville, FL

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Gregory Schultz, PhD, is Professor Emeritus of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Florida where he served as the Director of the Institute for Wound Research for 32 years.  Dr Schultz graduated with BS and PhD degrees in Biochemistry from Oklahoma State University then completed Postdoctoral research in Cell Biology at Yale University.  A major focus of Dr Schultz’s more recent research is on understanding the role that bacterial biofilms play in stimulating chronic inflammation that leads to highly elevated levels of proteases in wounds that impair healing in chronic wounds by destroying proteins including growth factors, receptors, and extracellular matrix proteins that are essential for healing.  Dr. Schultz has co-authored over 420 scientific publications that have been cited over 26,00 times and served as President of the Wound Healing Society from 1999 to 2001, is a member of the Wound Healing Foundation Board of Directors, and served as a member of the National Pressure Injury Advisory Panel from 2007 to 2010. He is a co-inventory on 36 patents and a cofounder of two successful biotechnology companies, and he was elected a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors in 2021.

Margaret Halstead

Board Member: 2016 – Present

Treasurer: 2023 – Present

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Thirty years of reimbursement/market access expertise with demonstrated success in product design through market share growth. Sales Management experience with a variety of products within hospital systems, skilled nursing facilities and home health setting. Contracting with payers and expanding coverage. Demonstrated success with product launches including biologic and medical device products that improve patient access, drive cost savings, provide better care, and enhance patient experience. Owned and operated Home Medical Equipment business and served on the board of a Home Health Agency.

 

Paul Y. Liu, MD

Board Member: 2012 – Present

Secretary: 2014 – Present

Rhode Island Hospital/Alpert Med School of Brown University
Providence, RI

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Paul grew up in Colorado, graduated from The Colorado College with a degree in mathematics, and then received a Marshall Fellowship for graduate studies at Oxford University, in the UK. He completed an Honors thesis in immunology, then went on to complete his MD at Harvard Medical School. A decade of surgical training followed, including a wound healing research fellowship in the lab of Elof Eriksson, and plastic surgery residency at the combined Harvard/Brigham/Children’s program. His first academic posting was at the University of Miami, where he was Chief of Plastic Surgery at the Miami VA, and the Director of Research for the Division of Plastic Surgery. He was then appointed as a senior staff surgeon at The Lahey Clinic, in Burlington, MA, where he established a multidisciplinary wound center. He then was selected as Chairman of Surgery for Roger Williams Medical Center in Providence, RI, and was also on staff at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. Three years ago he assumed the position of Chief of the Department of Plastic Surgery for Lifespan (Rhode Island) and Clinical Professor of Surgery at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. He is the program director of the oldest residency in Plastic Surgery in New England, and the Co-Director for the Center for Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Medicine. His NIH-funded lab has developed AAV-vectors for angiogenic genes in flaps and wounds, and more recently, he has assembled an international team of mathematicians and wound healing researchers to model the healing of diabetic wounds. He has been a member of the WHS since the 90’s, and co-chaired the Program Committee with Manuela Martins-Green for the 2008 meeting in San Diego, CA. He has chaired the Publications Committee of the WHS, which oversees publication of Wound Repair and Regeneration. He is currently the President of the Wound Healing Foundation.

Elof Eriksson MD, PhD

Board Member: 2016 – Present

President Emeritus

President: 2021 – 2023

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Elof Eriksson was born in Sweden, and received his graduate medical and research training in Sweden. He then completed a general surgery residency at the University of Chicago, and a plastic surgery residency at the Medical College of Virginia. Subsequently he returned to Sweden and worked six months to complete his training and certification in surgery and plastic surgery, and then for two and a half years in academic plastic surgery in Gothenburg, Sweden. He then returned to the US to be the director of the Burn Center at Memorial Medical Center at SIU in Springfield, IL. Since 1986 he has been the Chief of Plastic Surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School. In 1997, he became the first Joseph E. Murray Professor of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. His research interests have focused on wound repair since approximately 30 years, and he has more than 150 peer reviewed publications in this area. From 2002 to 2004, Dr. Eriksson served as the WHF president. Under his tenure, he initiated, raised the necessary funds, and helped oversee the Wound Healing Guidelines project.

Laura Parnell, BS, MS

Board Member: 2012 – Present

Vice Chairman

President: 2013 – 2021

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Laura K.S. Parnell founded Precision Consulting in 1998 and specializes in wound healing and burn research. Laura designs research protocols, develops scientific niche products and provides scientific knowledge, medical writing and regulatory background based on the needs and budget of her clients. She has an international clientele and has worked extensively with industry representatives and clinicians on research investigations.

Laura’s career in wound healing began in 1990 at Texas A&M University while doing research in microbiology and immunology during graduate school. In 1992, Laura joined the Wound Healing Foundation. She was appointed to the Membership Committee in 1998. In 2006, Laura was elected to the first of two 3-year terms on the Wound Healing Foundation Board of Directors, followed by a one year term as a member at large. In 2012, she was elected to the Wound Healing Foundation Board of Directors and became President of the Foundation in 2013. Under her leadership, the Foundation updated its mission and has strived to broaden its fundraising efforts benefiting researchers and patients through awareness, education and research. Her personal goal is to see wound healing and associated problems be solved in more innovative and creative ways.

When not working on wound healing problems and research, Laura enjoys working at her farm and ranch by tending to the livestock, honey bees, orchards and garden. She is actively involved in scouts and teaching Sunday school with her husband and two children. Laura is an avid reader and enjoys cooking.

Mary Crossland

Board Member: 2002 – Present

Treasurer: 2004 – 2023

Retreat Hospital Wound Healing Center
Richmond, VA

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Mary is a native Virginian who is passionate about nursing and wound healing. She has been involved in the care of wound healing patients since the early 1980s and continues now as the director of HCA Virginia Wound Healing Network and the Clinical Director at the Institute for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery ay the HCA Retreat Hospital in Richmond. She is also heavily involved in many clinical research wound healing studies with her colleagues.

Mary has been a member of the Wound Healing Foundation since 1990 and a Board Member of the Wound Healing Foundation since 2002 and has actively served as the Foundation Treasurer for many years.

In her spare time, Mary likes to travel. Closer to home, she enjoys participating in triathlons and boot camp with the X-Team.

Manuela Martins-Green, PhD

Board Member: 2016 – Present

Vice-President Research: 2016 – 2023

University of California
Riverside, CA

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Dr. Martins-Green is Professor of Cell Biology in the Department of Molecular, cell and Systems Biology at the University of California, Riverside. She came to the US from Portugal on a Fulbright Fellowship and received a PhD in Zoology with emphasis in Developmental Biology from the UCD Dec 1987. She then held a postdoctoral fellowship at the LBNL and then received a 3year NRSA from NCI, and was Adjunct Assistant Professor at Rockefeller University before joining the UC Riverside faculty in 1993-present. Research: Professor Martins-Green is an internationally known researcher in the field of response to injury (including injury caused by tobacco toxins), wound healing and tissue engineering and pioneered the role of chemokines in wound healing and angiogenesis. She has also developed a murine model of chronic wounds to study of the basic cell and molecular mechanisms of chronic wound initiation and development. Her research has been funded by NCI, NIGMS, NAIAD, AHA and TRDRP and she has served on review panels for several agencies, including NIH, DOD and AHA.  Honors/Awards Highlights: In addition to her Fulbright Fellowship for PhD studies in the US, her honors include Postdoctoral NRSA 1989-1991, UCR Faculty Development Award, 1997-1998; Member of the Standing Committee on Women in Cell Biology of the American Society for Cell Biology (2001-2006) of the Advisory Board for the California Tissue Engineering Meeting and of TERMIS.  Associate Editor of several journals through the years. She was Chair of the UCR Academic Senate (President of the Faculty) 2004-2006, a member of the committee to hire the new Chancellor at UCR (2008), a member of the All Campus Committee to develop a UC School of Global Health (2006-2010) and on the Board of Director of the Institute of Global Health (2010-2016). She also served as the Chair of the UCR Academic Senate Committee on Diversity and Equal Opportunity and served on the equivalent UC-wide committee. She was appointed to the UCR Chancellor’s Council on Climate, Culture and Inclusion (2010-present). In 2008-2009, she won both the Distinguished Service Award, the Innovative Teaching Award for UCR and in 2010 was elected fellow of AAAS. Member of the Wound Healing Society Board of Directors 2011-2014. Was recently elected to the Board of Director of the Wound Healing Foundation as Vice-President for Research 2017-. Was Chair of the Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology 2017-2021, received the UC Oliver Johnson Awards in 2020 for her leadership accomplishments at the UC wide system, received the Wound Healing Society distinguished service award in 2021 for leadership in the Wound Healing Society and in 2022 received the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement.

Oluyinka O. Olutoye, MBChB, PhD

Board Member: 2018 – Present

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Yinka is Professor of Surgery at The Ohio State University Wexner College of Medicine, Columbus, Ohio, where he holds the E. Thomas Boles Jr. MD Chair in Pediatric Surgery. He is also a principal investigator at the Center for Regenerative Medicine of the Abigail Wexner Research Institute of Nationwide Children’s Hospital and the Surgeon-in-Chief at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, Ohio.

Dr. Olutoye’s research interests span the extremes of wound biology – from scarless fetal wound healing to hypertrophic scars and keloids – with a goal of understanding how the elements of scarless fetal wound healing can be harnessed to ameliorate the outcomes of hypertrophic scars and keloids. As a pediatric and fetal surgeon, he has special clinical interest in the management of complex wounds in children. He serves on the board of the Wound Healing Foundation.

Rica Tanaka MD, PhD

Board Member: 2018 – Present

Chairman and Professor of Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine Division of Regenerative Therapy
Professor of Juntendo University School of Medicine Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Director of Juntendo University Hospital Podiatry Center

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As a plastic surgeon, I am specialized in plastic surgery, wound healing, limb salvage, lower limb reconstruction, podiatry medicine, stem cell and regenerative therapy, and cosmetic surgery. Since my long-standing interest is establishing simple, minimal invasive, and cost-effective stem cell therapy for non-healing wounds, I plan to investigate the proper use of stem cell therapy for non-healing wounds and provide appropriate information to wound patients and related societies during the term as a WHF member. As a representative member from the Japanese Society of Wound healing, I will also be sharing the updated field of wound healing from Japan to the world and vice versa.

Jim Pinkham

Board Member: 2019 – Present

Boston Edison/Eversource
Norwell, MA

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Jim Pinkham is a 38-year veteran of the utility industry as well as an active member and office-holder of several labor organizations.

Since 1981, he has been an underground cable splicer for Boston Edison/Eversource. For the past 10 years, he has served as President of the Plymouth/Bristol Central Labor Council, representing labor in 26 communities throughout Southeastern Massachusetts.

In conjunction with this role, he has also served as Director of the Pilgrim Foundation Council, a non-profit organization with a $5 million endowment which provides funding for municipal and worthwhile projects for the City of Brockton. Jim is also a member of the Executive Council of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO.

Jim’s experience also includes nine years as a Director for Members Plus Credit Union, and seven years as a Director for the South Shore Workforce Investment Board (2006-2012).

His political experience includes a term as Vice Chair of the Norwell Democratic Town Committee, and being on a transition team for the Massachusetts State Treasurer.

For 20 years, he served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees for Local 369, where he has been an active member for more than three decades.

Jim currently serves on the Board of Registrars for the Town of Norwell, where he resides.

Brenna Li

Volunteer Technology and 

Content producer

Brenna Li is a junior at Dublin Jerome High School. She likes photo and video editing, hanging out with her friends, music and singing, and traveling. Brenna’s favorite classes in school are computer science and math. She also does a lot of volunteering and has won a few PVSA (President’s volunteer service award) awards for her commitment to her community.