Grace Student Secures Job With WishBone Medical

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WINONA LAKE — Grace College senior engineering student Natalie Gerber has a job lined up at WishBone Medical Inc., a leader in pediatric orthopedic medical devices.

Gerber is one of several engineering graduates at Grace with a job lined up for May. The program’s hands-on model connects students with local experts in the orthopedic industry as early as their freshman year.

“Located in the ‘Orthopedic Capital of the World,’ our students are weekly rubbing shoulders with individuals who just might be their future employers,” said Dr. Fred Wentorf, chair of the Department of Engineering. “We saw those connections pay off for last year’s graduates and the same is true for the 2022 graduates like Natalie. That is not something you get at all of the other engineering colleges in Indiana.”

Gerber knew she wanted to go into mechanical engineering from a young age.

“Growing up, I remember looking around our house and trying to find things with screws in them so that I could take them apart,” Gerber said.

It was at a Women in STEM career day at her school in sixth grade that she realized engineering merged all of her interests.

With dreams of one day becoming an engineer, Gerber began going on college visits.

“When I visited Grace, I fell in love with the campus right away,” said Gerber. “I knew I could see myself here, but at the time, they didn’t have an engineering degree.”

On Gerber’s second visit, she was thrilled to find out that the school was launching a mechanical engineering degree the following fall. At that very moment, she knew that she was headed to Grace.

“With the program being smaller, every student can have personal attention from the professors,” she said. “Our professors all have a lot of experience. They know what’s required in the industry, and they have a lot of connections. There’s no question this is a good education.”

Gerber was first introduced to WishBone Medical when she worked with the company on a project in one of her classes. She had met Mary Wentorf, a mechanical engineer at WishBone and wife of Fred Wentorf, at a “Day in the Life of an Engineer” event put on by the Engineering Department. Through that connection, Gerber worked as a co-op at WishBone over the summer of 2020 and enjoyed making an impact on children’s lives.

After an internship at the Medicines Innovation Hub with Eli Lilly the following summer, Gerber knew that orthopedics, and specifically WishBone, had a special place in her heart.

That September, she talked to Mary Wentorf and secured a job at WishBone for after graduation.

Gerber is most excited about the chance to help pediatric orthopedic patients. “I’ve always had an open and willing heart for God to show me what He wants me to do,” Gerber said. “Knowing that there is a real impact and that I can help kids with physical differences have normal lives is really rewarding.”

To learn more about the mechanical engineering degree at Grace, visit https://www.grace.edu/programs/mechanical-engineering/.

WishBone and SpineGuard Sign National Distribution Agreement for US Pediatric Orthopedic Centers

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New partnership to broaden access for pediatric orthopedic surgeons performing spine surgery

WARSAW, Ind., Boulder, Co. and Paris, France – January 6, 2022 – 6:00 pm CET / 12:00 noon EST— WishBone Medical, Inc., a leader in pediatric orthopedic medical devices, and SpineGuard (FR0011464452 – ALSGD), an innovative company that deploys its Dynamic Surgical Guidance (DSG) sensing technology to secure and streamline the placement of bone implants today announced a long-term collaborative partnership with, for exclusive distribution rights of PediGuard® smart spinal drilling devices to children’s hospitals across the United States.
“This strategic alignment with SpineGuard enables WishBone’s spine division to support and focus 100% on the pediatric spine community. Our goal is to provide clinical solutions to surgeons’ unmet needs related to improving patient safety and enhancing practice outcomes,” says Jeff Wertz, Executive Vice President of Spine, WishBone Medical. “Increasing accuracy rates when making a pilot hole in axially rotated spines in scoliosis surgery is critical to a successful outcome. In addition, Surgical teams can significantly reduce the amount of radiation exposure to children associated with pre-op CT scans and intra-op X-rays taken during surgery—an important risk factor that can be greatly reduced and minimized in AIS procedures.”
“We will implement this very promising collaboration in close cooperation to integrate with our existing network of US agents, leveraging the new DSG Connect platform that adds visual display and data recording capabilities. Despite today’s evolving spine surgery solutions, the inherent design rationale behind DSG continues to elevate the key elements which have kept DSG technology extremely relevant in that risk mitigation, low radiation exposure, minimal set-up, and a 12-year clinical history of providing real-time accuracy that rivals all other far more expensive modalities,” says Patrick Pilcher Vice President, Sales and Marketing, North America SpineGuard.
Pierre Jérôme, Chairman, CEO and Co-Founder of SpineGuard, adds: “We are delighted to join forces with WishBone to offer our X-ray-free real time guidance technology to a much larger number of US surgeons and hospitals providing pediatric orthopedic care and to help them make spine surgery safer. This congruent alliance will significantly broaden our sales footprint in the United States. WishBone has the passion, leadership and access necessary to drive faster and wider adoption for our DSG technology in spinal deformity correction, a historical foundation integral to SpineGuard.”
“Through the contracts that WishBone holds with multiple group purchasing organizations, we now are in network with 242 of the 268 standalone children’s hospitals doing orthopedic surgery,” says Nick Deeter, Founder, Chairman and CEO, WishBone Medical. “This level of access will provide surgeons the opportunity to immediately use DSG and minimize radiation exposure to their patients. This technology is a perfect addition to WishBone’s sterile spine solutions as we push to raise surgical standards for children.”
The safety and efficacy of utilizing DSG for spine surgery has been proven by more than 85,000 surgeries across the globe and supported by 17 scientific, peer reviewed publications.* DSG probes allow for haptic, tactile feel, act as an internal GPS system inside the pedicle, and enhance residents’ and fellows’ ability to place spinal implants more accurately for increased patient safety.1 The literature supports DSG accuracy rates as equal to or superior to navigation/robotic alternatives, without the disadvantage of disrupting surgical workflow and avoiding intra-operative CT scans. Combining DSG technology with the ASTRA Spine Deformity System will provide a clinical solution to help support the growing needs of the pediatric spine surgeon community.
*A full list of supporting publications can be found on manufacturer’s website: https://www.spineguard.com/dynamic-surgical-guidance-technology

  1. Williams, John & Samdani, Amer & Defino, Helton & George, Keri & Gaughan, John & Betz, Randal. (2014). Anticipation of vertebral pedicle breach through dynamic surgical guidance. Coluna/ Columna. 13. 210-213. 10.1590/S1808-18512014130300R85.

About SpineGuard®
Founded in 2009 in France and the USA by Pierre Jérôme and Stéphane Bette, SpineGuard is an innovative company deploying its proprietary radiation-free real time sensing technology DSG® (Dynamic Surgical Guidance) to secure and streamline the placement of implants in the skeleton. SpineGuard designs, develops and markets medical devices that have been used in over 85,000 surgical procedures worldwide. Seventeen studies published in peer-reviewed scientific journals have demonstrated the multiple benefits DSG® offers to patients, surgeons, surgical staff and hospitals. Building on these solid fundamentals and several strategic partnerships, SpineGuard has expanded its technology platform in a disruptive innovation: the « smart » pedicle screw launched late 2017 and is broadening the scope of applications in dental implantology and surgical robotics. DSG® was co-invented by Maurice Bourlion, Ph.D., Ciaran Bolger, M.D., Ph.D., and Alain Vanquaethem, Biomedical Engineer. SpineGuard has engaged in multiple ESG initiatives. For further information, visit www.spineguard.com
Disclaimer
The SpineGuard securities may not be offered or sold in the United States as they have not been and will not be registered under the Securities Act or any United States state securities laws, and SpineGuard does not intend to make a public offer of its securities in the United States. This is an announcement and not a prospectus, and the information contained herein does and shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of the securities referred to herein in the United States in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or exemption from registration.
Contacts
SpineGuard
Pierre Jérôme
CEO & Chairman
Tel: +33 1 45 18 45 19
p.jerome@spineguard.com
NewCap
Investor Relations & Financial Communication
Mathilde Bohin / Pierre Laurent
Tel: +33 1 44 71 94 94 spineguard@newcap.eu
About WishBone Medical
WishBone Medical is a global pediatric orthopedic company committed to providing anatomically appropriate implants and instruments in single-use, sterile packed procedure kits that are designed to prevent infection, reduce overall costs for customers and achieve the best outcomes for children everywhere. The WishBone Medical Family of Companies offers a comprehensive “head-to-toe” product portfolio of innovative systems with operations in Warsaw, IN; Istanbul, and Singapore. For further information, visit www.wishbone-medical-migration.mysites.io or contact Kaitlyn Hughes, Director of Marketing & Communications, at +1-574-306-4006.
Contact:
Kaitlyn Hughes
Tel: +1-574-306-4006
KHughes@wishbonemedical.com
www.wishbone-medical-migration.mysites.io

WishBone Founder & CEO Nick Deeter Talks Entrepreneurship with CWRU Veale Institute for Entrepreneurship.

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A fun write-up on WishBone’s Founder & CEO, Nick Deeter, who talks all things entrepreneurship, Case Western Reserve University, and his love for pediatric orthopedics—check it out!

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WishBone Medical launches 2 new Convenience Kits

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Our team is proud to introduce 𝟮 𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 to WishBone’s Convenience Kit offerings! Sterile packed with the basic items needed for surgery, these kits are designed to eliminate the ‘scavenger hunt’ for various components—allowing teams to devote more time to patient care.

Learn more about WishBone Medical’s new Joint Aspiration Convenience Kit and Cleft Palate Convenience Kit today.

WishBone Medical team trains on ASTRA Deformity Spine System

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A day well spent in Chicago training on the ASTRA Deformity Spine System! WishBone’s AVPs were able to get hands-on and learn how the system increases surgeon choice and flexibility to manage various complex spine deformities in pediatric and adolescent patients.

Thank you to the SpineCraft Team for their hospitality and insightful demonstrations!

To learn more about this system, visit our ASTRA Deformity Spine System web page

WishBone Founder & CEO Featured in Orthopedics This Week

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“It’s hard to believe that WishBone is only four years old. Thanks to Nick, his experienced team, dedicated staff, and strategic acquisitions, WishBone came out of the chute on a tear and is well on its way to becoming a global leader in pre-packaged, sterile surgical kits.

WishBone Medical is an emerging growth company. Which means that it is small but growing fast and is ready for new capital to drive global market penetration.

One thing for sure, we came away from our visit energized and excited about Nick’s latest company and mostly, really appreciate how much he has given the industry over his remarkable career. If ever there was a Mr. Orthopedics, it would have to be Nick Deeter.”, Author Kim Delmonico

Read the full article today