ROBERT L. WERTZ
MEDICAL DEVICE VISIONEER
Bob is known as a multi-functional, strategic thinking, leader who seamlessly merges his medical education and clinical background with in-depth medical device industry experience.
Over the past 12 years he has led high-performance teams from “concept to commercialization”, to launch over 75 spinal implant systems while supporting sales and marketing objectives to surpass financial contribution targets through strategic product differentiation and identification of unmet user needs.
As a proactive communicator, Bob has been acknowledged by executive management teams and co-workers for creating organizational alignment by clearly defining marketing objectives to drive new product launches and position existing product lines to consistently achieve sales revenue and market share goals.
Bob has built bridges between the medical device industry and surgeon community through recruitment of Key Opinion Leaders and creation of multiple Scientific and Surgeon Advisory Boards to ensure stakeholders’ voices are delivered to product development and marketing teams.
Bob has developed strong and sustainable relationships with over 200 neuro and orthopedic spine surgeon consultants by providing product development opportunities for them to leverage their knowledge, expertise, and passion to design innovative products that streamline procedural efficiency, address unmet clinical needs, and improve patient outcomes.
Bob recently led research, product development, and marketing teams for a porous bioactive titanium material that replicated the appearance and functionality of natural bone by combining additive manufacturing (3D Printing) with nanotechnology for accelerated post-surgical healing/implant integration and decreased post-operative infection risk.
Bob received medical licensure in 1997 and raised $5M in venture capital to open the Advanced Spine Center of the Palm Beaches, a multi-disciplinary spine specialty clinic offering a continuum of evidenced based surgical and non-surgical treatment approaches, to patients suffering debilitating spinal conditions.
Prior to entering clinical practice, Bob held several key positions within the pharmaceutical industry assuming leadership roles in sales, marketing, and business development for Pharmacia and Merck.
Bob currently enjoys serving as a Level 1 volunteer chaplain for the Indiana State Department of Corrections every Friday night. He is also a retired MMA fighter and continues to push his levels of endurance and technical proficiency while training 4 -5 times a week. He has advanced belt standing in Krav Maga, Muay Thai Boxing, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Judo, and Tae Kwon Do. Bob is passionate about canine rescue and has rescued, rehabilitated, and raised 2 Chinese Shar Peis to date.
