Vestagen Adds to Executive Team to Support Growing Adoption of VESTEX Protective Healthcare Apparel

Vestagen Technical Textiles, Inc., announces a number of additions and changes to its leadership team. Barbara DeBaun, RN, MSN, CIC, has been named consulting vice president of clinical affairs, Stewart B. Davis, MD, has been named consulting vice president of regulatory and medical affairs, and Marc Lessem has joined as chief marketing officer and senior vice president of sales and marketing. Executive chairman Dale Pfost, PhD, has assumed the additional role of chief executive officer and Vestagen founder Uncas Favret III has been named president.

Vestagen's VESTEX®, the first in a new class of active barrier technologies that combines fluid repellent, antimicrobial and breathability properties, is the only daily-use fabric proven in a hospital setting to reduce harmful contaminants on garments. VESTEX protective uniforms are designed to increase healthcare worker and patient safety by reducing the risk that dangerous pathogens and other contaminants will be spread by workers' attire.

"The caliber of our new hires is a testament to the potential of VESTEX technology to transform healthcare uniforms from a possible hazard into an essential part of the evidence-based infection control measures hospitals are adopting to achieve a culture of safety," says Pfost. "Barb DeBaun's national reputation from her three decades as a highly respected expert in quality improvement, infection prevention and patient safety will be tremendously valuable in our campaign to show how VESTEX can support strategic initiatives to improve worker and patient safety, engagement and satisfaction."

"Dr. Davis' broad expertise in managing the development of novel medical devices will be very helpful as we generate additional clinical and regulatory support for VESTEX," Pfost adds. "Building on the early success of the first system-wide adoption of VESTEX garments at Jacksonville's Baptist Health, Marc Lessem's deep experience in overseeing the sales of novel products to healthcare institutions worldwide should enable us to develop the highly effective sales and marketing organization needed to grow the company to the next stage."

DeBaun is a well-known expert in infection control, patient safety and quality improvement. In addition to Vestagen, she works with Cynosure Health in the development and implementation of performance improvement initiatives for healthcare organizations. Previously, DeBaun held a similar position with the Bay Area Patient Safety Collaborative and was director of patient safety and infection control at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco. DeBaun has served in a number of leadership roles at the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, including serving as an elected board member for two years and as APIC's liaison to the Hospital Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). DeBaun lectures nationally and internationally on patient safety and infection control topics and has published over a dozen articles and book chapters. She was selected as Infection Control Today's 2008 Educator of the Year. DeBaun earned a BSN from Pace University and MSN from San Francisco State University.

Dr. Stewart Davis is a physician and entrepreneur with broad experience in the clinical and regulatory development of novel medical devices. He has managed quality assurance and regulatory affairs activities at six firms, communicated extensively with the Food and Drug Administration and European regulatory authorities, and worked on more than a dozen regulatory submissions. In addition to Vestagen, Davis is currently CEO and president of Bioceptive, a developer of women's health devices. Previously, Davis was chief executive officer of skin cancer diagnostics start-up DermaSensor, and chief operating officer at SafeStitch Medical, where he oversaw the development and commercialization of a novel surgical device. Earlier, Davis was managing partner and medical director of Parasol International, a global healthcare advisory firm. He began his career as an assistant medical director at Innovia LLC. Davis received an MD degree from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and a BS degree summa cum laude from the University of Miami. He has published more than a dozen peer-reviewed articles and a book.

Marc Lessem has extensive management, marketing and sales experience at leading global healthcare supply firms. Before Vestagen, he spent more than 15 years in positions of increasing responsibility at Medline Industries, the largest privately held supplier to healthcare institutions in the U.S. In his role as divisional vice president, Lessem oversaw marketing, operational and business development activities in infection prevention, surgical and wound care markets. Prior to Medline, he was on the founding team as general manager and head of sales for B. Braun Medical's Centralized Admixture Pharmacy Services business. Lessem also served as director of marketing for a generic injectable pharmaceutical manufacturer that was acquired by Fujisawa USA, after he implemented marketing initiatives that generated $160 million in sales in a few years' time. He began his career as a financial analyst before transitioning to a sales role at American Hospital Supply's American McGaw Division. Lessem received an MBA from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University and a BS/BA degree in finance from the University of Florida.

Source: Vestagen Technical Textiles, Inc.