VICTORIA, British Columbia, June 24, 2016 – StarFish Medical was chosen 2016 VIATEC Team of the Year at the 15th annual Victoria Advanced Technology Council (VIATEC) awards. The Team of the Year award recognizes a team that has “the perfect mix of outstanding initiative and service delivery, had a significant impact on the company for which they work and exude great personality or team dynamic while getting it all done.” The awards celebrate the achievements of technology companies responsible for making Greater Victoria the fastest growing technology region in B.C.
L-R: James Jackson, Tuyen Nguyen, Sheila McQueen, Aaron Philippsen, Bob Magyar. Not pictured: Mark Drlik
Scott Phillips, President of StarFish Medical accepted the award noting: “What an honour and pleasure to be recognized by peers and colleagues in the VIATEC community. I believe Team Leader James Jackson, Principal Mechanical Engineer Mark Drlik, Mechanical Engineer Bob Magyar, Jr. Mechanical Engineer Aaron Philippsen, Mechanical Engineer Tuyen Nguyen, and Project Manager Sheila McQueen– the team that works with our client, InnovoSciences, on their Surgical Instrumentation project– live up to the spirit of the award. Their outstanding initiative and service delivery, are making a significant impact on our client’s profitability, improving surgeon and patient health, and increasing the visibility and reputation of StarFish and Victoria’s impressive technology and manufacturing expertise.”
Phillips gave a special note to thanks to the client members of the extended team, “I particularly want to thank InnovoSciences Chief Science Officer and Chief Operations Officer Noah M. Minskoff, MD, and Chief Medical Officer Elisabeth J. Leeflang MD, for their innovation, inspiration and support of the team. Together the combined team overcame obstacles and delivered products that will truly save lives.”
InnovoSciences core, patented technologies revolutionize the evacuation of smoke and fluid from the surgical field. Surgical smoke and fluid puts the patient at risk by obstructing the view of the surgical field, impeding the performance of the electrosurgical pencil (ESP), and reducing operator efficiency. Smoke from the tip also causes multiple problems for surgeons. It is the equivalent of smoking three packages of cigarettes.
InnovoSciences worked with the StarFish Medical Surgical Instrumentation team to develop a family of one-time use products that have low manufacturing costs while delivering improved performance over existing devices. Fully Integrated Retractable Suction (FIRST) technology evacuates both surgical smoke and fluid with a single device that works with industry leading ESPs. Pressurized Ultralight Liquid Smoke Evacuator (PULSE) technology, is a ground-breaking stand-alone device for smoke filtration and fluid suction. Separation of evacuated substances is handled by Smoke Liquid Separator (SLS) technology.
Each technology integrates seamlessly with current OR workflow and industry-leading devices as either stand-alone technologies, or utilized together to deliver truly revolutionary smoke and fluid evacuation. The results are now visible on InnovoSciences website. Integrated Surgical is actively seeking a strategic partner for acquisition or licensing of the patented and patent pending technologies.
VIATeC serves as the one-stop hub that connects people, knowledge and resources to grow and promote the Greater Victoria technology sector. This year, the awards attracted a record-breaking 189 nominations. VIATEC announced 58 finalists for its 13 award categories; the largest amount of finalists the event has ever enjoyed. The awards were handed out at a gala on June 24th at the Victoria Conference Centre.
Scott Phillips and StarFish Medical previously won VIATeC awards in 2011 for Executive of the Year and in 2009 for Employee/Team of the Year. Executive of the Year recognizes an individual who has had a significant impact on the success of an organization as a direct result of their leadership. The Team of the Year recognizes an individual or a team in the technology sector who demonstrates outstanding initiative and service delivery, and has had a significant impact on the company for which they work.