Beyond Clean Expert Series™
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Kurt Audette
Rigid Endoscope Expert™
Kurt Audette is the Sr. Clinical Product Performance Liaison at KARL STORZ Endoscopy. With more than 30+ years of experience within the patient care space, he's discovered his passion for the development of people through education. The sharing of knowledge is a valuable attribute for a leader and creates a much stronger team. Witnessing the moment that a student “gets it” or as he likes to say “the light bulb goes on” makes it all worth while for him.
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As Kurt's professional career has centered around data analytics and education, he's had the opportunity to work with so many amazing folks across North America. Each customer experience, whether it included the assessment of electronic devices, Integrated Surgical Suites, or the reprocessing of the rigid/flexible endoscopes, has helped Kurt to grow as a person and leader.
Malinda Elammari
Sterile Packaging Expert™
Malinda Elammari is a Clinical Education Specialist for Healthmark Industries. She began her career in the medical field as a Certified Surgical Technologist specializing in Open-Heart surgery. Throughout her career, Malinda has served in a variety of positions within SPD, such as Interim Director of Education and Quality, Sterile Processing Educator and Quality Control Manager, and Clinical Operations Manager. In addition, Malinda served as the lead instructor for the Central Sterile program at a Community College in NC.
She holds several certifications in Sterile Processing through CBSPD and HSPA. Malinda is a TeamSTEPPS Master trainer and is certified as a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt. She is an active member of AAMI and sits on multiple national standard writing committees. Malinda sits on the Editorial Board for AAMI Publications ASTM F02.50 Committee, is a project manager for KiiP’s Aseptic Presentation subgroup, and currently serves as president for the North Carolina HSPA chapter. She is a graduate of Duke’s Innovation & Entrepreneurship program and Duke’s Technical Excellence Program and recently received her certification through HACP for Infection Control.
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beth perry
SPD Data Expert™
Beth is a Business Intelligence and Analytics Engineer with Censis Technologies. She has 17 years’ experience exploring databases and designing data visualizations. With her educational background in journalism, she strives to find practical ways to communicate insights both clearly and effectively.
Since 2012, Beth has enjoyed building and supporting tray tracking software programs critical to Sterile Processing teams across the United States. Her passion is to create data and analytics tools that drive operational excellence and ensure patient safety. She won an innovation award in 2022 for her work on Censis' analytics platform.
Matt Rechin & Matt Strunk
Vendor Management Experts™
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Matt is the Chief Commercial Officer at ReadySet Surgical, with over 25 years of experience in healthcare and medical devices. He leads the company's strategic development, corporate planning, sales, marketing, and customer operations, focusing on delivering value to clients, partners, and stakeholders. Leveraging his expertise in commercial operations, product management, and marketing strategy, Matt drives revenue growth, market share expansion, and customer satisfaction.​
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Matt is the Vice President of Customer Enablement at ReadySet Surgical, with over 8 years of experience working with the ReadySet team. He leverages his expertise in healthcare information technology, start-ups, and implementation to drive customer success and growth. Matt's background includes 6 years of experience as a frontline Sterile Processing Lead Tech and Chair of the HSPA (formerly IAHCSMM) Certification Council. His active involvement in industry standards, and subject matter expertise in Sterile Processing make him a valuable asset in advancing healthcare technology solutions.
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Andy Sundet & Jenni gibbs
Borescope Experts™
Andy
Andy is passionate about helping implement tools that help increase patient safety. In 2017, he joined the Clarus Medical Inspection Team. Andy travels the world working with hospital reprocessing teams, device manufacturers, and device repair companies helping them implement inspection into their operation. Andy notes the best part of his job is watching a technician use a borescope to visualize the INSIDE of a device they have worked on for many years.
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Jenni Gibbs is the Manager of the Central Sterile Department at Altru Health System. She began her work in healthcare in 1989 doing inpatient nursing. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of North Dakota. Gibbs has a background in project management and Lean. As CS manager, Jenni developed a dedicated scope team and a career growth track for her employees to include paid certification education and technician levels.
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John Kimsey
SPD Leadership Expert™
John Kimsey is a seasoned healthcare management professional who helps leadership teams and Sterile Processing departments optimize operational performance. Leveraging 10 years of non healthcare management consulting experience, he joined STERIS in 2001 and began to merge lean operational approaches with healthcare’s clinical requirements,
creating a new vision for Sterile Processing.
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His first published article in 2005, “The Sterile Processing Factory Goal: 100% 3 ” solidified his approach by elevating Sterile Processing and incorporating best practices with People, Process, and Leadership providing efficient and quality patient outcomes. In the years’ since, John has been published several other times and spoken at national and international conferences on sterile processing topics John has managed both onsite and offsite reprocessing centers, consulted large and small healthcare Customers, spoken internationally on Lean Sterile Processing, and continues to offer advice and hands on assistance to optimize customer’s reprocessing departments.
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At STERIS, John helps customers, industry partners, international teams, and healthcare systems optimizing their SPD/CSSD operations for measurable success. Whether solving labor shortages, leadership deficiencies, strategic decisions, or process and quality issues, John comes with a desire to see people succeed.
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Debra Burns
Inventory Management Expert™
Debra has 39 years of experience working in the Sterile Processing field, with 16 years in SPD consulting and 20 years in management. Debra maintains certifications such as CRCST, CIS, and CHL and is a certified instructor through HSPA. She also maintains certification as a Lean Black Belt Professional (LBBP). Her consulting experience includes interim management, process improvement, HSPA certification course instruction, new construction logistics, SPD assessments and asset management relating to instrument tracking systems.
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Debra has managed four healthcare system SPDs, ranging from a multi-facility healthcare system in Saudi Arabia to a teaching medical center in the United States. Debra has served as President of the Nebraskaland Central Service Association. She was a member of the ASHCSP Education Committee.
Pawel Szczygiel
Instrument Repair Expert™
Pawel is a well-established Marketing Manager responsible for Aesculap Technical Services division in the U.S. With over 28 years of experience working in the medical field, Pawel has a wealth of knowledge in manufacturing and service of medical devices. Pawel completed his 5-year apprenticeship program (in Poland and Germany) to become a Master-craftsman in manufacturing, engineering, and service of surgical instruments. He is highly motivated and goal driven individual who has in depth knowledge about medical products.
Pawel is an accomplished leader with team of experts whose goal is to provide excellent service to clinics and hospitals across the nation. His goal is to become a solution provider who understands the industry and cares about the patient’s outcome. Pawel is innovative and highly skilled individual who focuses on quality and precision.
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Michael Matthews
Flexible Endoscope Expert™
Michael Matthews, MBA, CLSSGB, CRCST, CIS, CHL currently serves as the Director of Customer Training and Education for Agiliti. He previously served as Director of Clinical Education and Training for Northfield Medical in addition to former roles of Territory Manager for the Little Rock, Arkansas area, and a Clinical Education Manager for the southeast region. Before working at Northfield, Michael served as the manager for sterile processing at Baptist-Health Medical Center-Conway in Arkansas. During this time, Michael also served as an Infection Preventionist on a PRN basis to consult on reprocessing services throughout the Baptist-Health system. He holds three Healthcare Sterile Processing Association (HSPA) certifications for Sterile Processing.
Michael has also served as a subject matter expert and participated in exam development for HSPA. Michael holds an MBA and has also been certified as a Lean Six Sigma Greenbelt. He has published articles in Infection Control Today, Becker’s Hospital Review, Healthcare Purchasing News, as well as several LinkedIn articles in the Sterile Processing community. Michael is a former cohost of the Beyond Clean podcast, the premier podcast for Sterile Processing professionals throughout the world.
jeffrey paquet
Water Quality Expert™
Jeffrey Paquet is the CEO of MMIC Medical Systems and its VERDA Water Quality Systems. Mr. Paquet is an expert in Product Realization and Commercialization that stems from his career that spans nearly 30 years in various industries including Healthcare, Automotive, and Aerospace. Jeffrey has a Bachelors of Science in Aerospace Engineering from UCLA with his career focused on design, product development, and manufacturing. His experience in the Aerospace industry has driven his belief that the technology and operational systems employed to monitor processes and provide the ability for rapid response to dynamic situations have direct and valuable application in the healthcare environment.
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Dustin Patterson &
Brayden bennett
Healthcare Storage Experts™
Dustin Patterson is currently the Mid-West Regional Sales Manager with LogiQuip® Healthcare Storage Solutions, based in Kalamazoo, MI, and has served healthcare organizations exclusively for over 30 years. Working alongside Dustin is Brayden Bennett. Brayden is LogiQuip’s Northeast Regional Sales Manager.
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Combined, Dustin and Brayden bring over 21 years of experience in space planning and healthcare storage. Working closely with hospitals and surgery centers to develop tailored solutions using a mix of best practices, Lean principles, and industry-leading storage solutions, Dustin and Brayden have an in-depth understanding of Sterile Processing Departments and have worked with many to maximize storage spaces, balancing trade-offs between high-capacity storage layouts and workflow efficiencies.
Mike Strand
Sterile Containers Expert™
Michael started his medical device journey in 1984 and has spent most of his career in Sales and Sales Management in the Pacific Northwest. The past 31 years have been with Aesculap, based in the Seattle area. Currently, Michael is Aesculap’s Northwest Healthcare Solutions Regional Sales Director, responsible for 9 Sales Representatives and company growth.
With years of experience, Michael enjoys solution-oriented projects that create efficiency and focuses on industry standards and best practices. A passion for education and teaching keeps Michael engaged with Sterile Processing Departments and Operating Rooms, as well as new hires within his organization.
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Kelly Truppo
Multi-Tray Sterilization Expert™
Kelly Truppo is the Product Marketing Director for Turbett Surgical with a passion for educating customers on their revolutionary Instrument POD, a multi-tray sterilization container system that safely speeds up the instrument sterilization process to help increase SPD and OR efficiency.
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Kelly has multiple years of healthcare experience implementing and selling innovative technology to hospitals and ASC’s and has been instrumental in facilitating the use of multi-tray sterilization containers throughout the country. Her efforts are focused on safe patient care, positive outcomes, providing sustainable solutions, and developing best practices specific to customer needs.
Yeshwanth Pulijala, phd
Artificial Intelligence Expert™
Dr. Yeshwanth Pulijala (Yesh) is the founder and CEO of Scalpel. In this role he leads a highly motivated team building AI tools to enhance patient safety across the peri-operative pathway. Scalpel provides a clinically validated surgical intelligence platform that uses computer vision to provide real-time insights into clinical workflows - starting with managing surgical instruments. Trained as a dentist, Yesh has over nine years of interdisciplinary experience in healthcare and technology (Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and Computer Vision). In his doctoral research, he has designed and evaluated one of the first immersive virtual reality training tools for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.
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Pulijala has spent thousands of hours in operating rooms where he has first-hand experienced several surgeries going wrong - of which, to his surprise, nearly 50% were preventable. That significantly impacted him - sparking his mission to improve current surgical processes and prioritize patient safety. In 2017, he founded Scalpel to make surgery safer.
daan hoek
UV Disinfection Expert™
Daan Hoek is the Co-Founder of UV Smart and very passionate about UV-C light as a disinfecting agent in the medical field. UV Smart is an innovative company based in the Netherlands with an established US office in New York. The UV Smart devices can disinfect medical equipment quickly, efficiently, and consistently by using UV-C light. By refining this ancient technology, UV Smart made it possible to disinfect medical equipment in a rapid an effective way. UV-C light also eliminates the use of chemical disinfectants that are harmful to medical equipment, operators, and our planet, while saving a substantial amount of turnaround time. UV Smart is the front-runner in applying UV-C technology to medical devices. UV Smart is currently active in over 20 countries worldwide.
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Daan is also the chairman of the Taskforce UV-C light of the Dutch Normalization Committee. Along with the taskforce, he developed the first European guideline for UV-C disinfection devices in the medical field. He is also in charge of all the clinical (multi-center) studies of UV Smart, three of which are running in the US and in Europe.
Jean-luc lemyre
Low-Temperature Sterilization Expert™
Jean-Luc is passionate about science and innovation and has been involved in R&D for two decades, ranging from fundamental academic research to product development. He joined TSO3 in 2016 where he was introduced to low-temperature sterilization of medical devices using hydrogen peroxide and ozone. Today, Jean-Luc is a Senior Manager of R&D at Stryker following the acquisition of TSO3. In this role, he leads a team of scientists and engineers dedicated to innovating for the benefit of sterile processing professionals. During his career, Jean-Luc has been involved in several product improvements along with the associated regulatory clearances. He is also an active member of standards development committees with AAMI and ISO.
Before discovering his passion for Sterile Processing, he started his career doing R&D in the field of personal protective equipment. He has a PhD in chemistry from Université Laval in the beautiful Québec City, where he still lives with his family.
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a. e. ted may
Gas Sterilization Expert™
A.E. Ted May is President & CEO of the Andersen Products Division of Andersen Sterilizers, a North Carolina-based medical device manufacturer specializing in low temperature sterilization equipment and hospital consumables. Ted has over twenty years of experience in the field of infection control. He is an expert on ethylene oxide sterilization, with a particular expertise in EO flexible chamber systems. He is a cleared advisor to the US Federal International Trade Advisory Committee on medical devices (ITAC3), where he is Co-chair of the Life Sciences Sub-committee. Ted serves on a number of AAMI committees and has been a subject matter expert for the US delegation to the international ISO Ethylene Oxide Working Group (ISO TC198 WG1). He is a frequent speaker and writer on the subject of sterilization and infection control.
Thomas Overbey
Ultrasonic Expert™
Thomas Overbey’s experience originated as media producer at the University of South Florida, College of Medicine, producing content for medical research and education. Overbey has generated live and on-demand surgical procedures for peer-to-peer training and produced the first live hybrid surgical case pushed to iPhones and computers. For the past six years, Overbey has served as the marketing director for Ultra Clean Systems promoting safe cleaning practices, and serves as an advocate for connecting the OR to the SPD for maximum operational efficiency. Tom has presented numerous times at HSPA conferences as well as at the inaugural OR Today Live! event in 2015 on residual protein detection. He has published educational content for Healthcare Purchasing News as well as PROCESS, formerly Communiqué, an educational and feature publication for IAHCSMM. Tom also publishes NewSplash, a weekly newsletter bringing positive news and educational event information for the sterile processing and infection control community.
JOEL schafer
Steam Sterilization Expert™
Joel Schafer is the National Service Manager for Streamline Hospital Services, in Houston, TX. Joel has over 15 years’ experience working alongside Sterile Processing department staff and management. Growing from an onsite instrument repair technician into a consultative sales representative, Joel was able to personally design and manufacturer Sterile Services proprietary autoclave validation tools, including an inner-lumen sensor unique to surgical instrumentation validation. Joel is CRCST certified and a founding member of the Houston HSPA chapter. With the increased awareness of the steam sterilization processes, Joel’s ambition is to highlight the role of every hospital’s Sterile Processing department and the steam sterilization process.
David Schurk
HVAC Expert™
David serves as Director of Healthcare and Applied Engineering for Global Plasma Solutions, headquartered in Charlotte NC (USA). In previous positions he worked for three of the world’s largest HVAC manufactures, including Carrier, Daikin, and Trane. David is a Licensed Designer of Engineering Systems with over 38-years of experience in the design and analysis of heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning systems for a variety of market sectors, with a special focus on hospital/healthcare environmental control and indoor air quality.
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David has authored numerous technical articles for industry magazines and journals including ASHRAE, Medical Construction & Design, Healthcare Design, Engineered Systems, Heating-Piping & Air-Conditioning, and others. He is a featured presenter at national, international, and regional industry associations and events.
