ONWARD Medical N.V., the medical technology company creating therapies to restore movement, independence and health in people with spinal cord injury, has announced the appointment of Kristina Dziekan to its Board of Directors.
Dziekan is currently Head of Market Access, Government Affairs and Tendering for Alcon’s Surgical Division in Europe.
She previously served as Senior Global Reimbursement and Health Economics Director for Medtronic Neuromodulation and was also Health Outcomes Manager for GlaxoSmithKline in the UK and parts of Asia.
Dave Marver, CEO of ONWARD, said:
“Kristina strengthens our Board, bringing judgment and expertise needed for our next phase of growth.
“She has extensive experience in market access and reimbursement across global markets, and specific industry experience in neuromodulation.
“All of this will be important as we prepare to commercialise our breakthrough therapies in the US and Europe starting next year.”
She earned an MSc in Health Policy, Planning, and Financing from the London School of Economics, an MA in International Economics and European Studies from Johns Hopkins University, a BA in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from Oxford University, and a Vordiplom in Business Administration and Economics from Georg August University.
Dziekan was appointed to a four-year term during ONWARD’s Annual General Meeting, held 10 June 2022 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
ONWARD’s ARC Therapy, which can be delivered by implantable (ARCIM) or external (ARCEX) systems, is designed to deliver targeted, programmed spinal cord stimulation to restore movement and other functions in people with spinal cord injury, ultimately improving their quality of life.
ONWARD has received three Breakthrough Device Designations from the FDA encompassing both ARCIM and ARCEX.
The Company’s first FDA pivotal trial, called Up-LIFT, completed enrollment in December 2021 with 65 subjects worldwide. It recently completed first-in-human use of its ARCIM neurostimulator in May 2022.
