Spine

Titan Spine Appoints Vice President of General Counsel

MEQUON, Wis.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Titan Spine, a medical device surface technology company focused on developing innovative spinal interbody fusion implants, today announced the appointment of Ragan E. Cheney, JD, as Vice President, General Counsel. Ms. Cheney’s main responsibility will be to protect Titan Spine’s legal interests, and importantly, to ensure that the Company’s extensive intellectual property portfolio and proprietary scientific data are fully defended, as well as corporate compliance initiatives.

Peter Ullrich, Chief Executive Officer of Titan Spine, commented, “Titan is at a point in its evolution where it is necessary to employ someone of Ragan’s caliber. We have worked hard to create a vast library of groundbreaking scientific data on how to promote the natural production of bone through the regenerative properties of our interbody implants. In recent years, we have certainly noticed how much of our data has been repurposed by others to make false claims about their implant technologies. One of Ragan’s responsibilities will be to defend the integrity of our science and the intellectual property behind it. We welcome Ragan to our team and look forward to her contributions in protecting Titan Spine’s most critical assets.”

Ragan Cheney, Titan Spine Vice President, General Counsel, added, “The validated science and patented surface technology behind Titan Spine’s Endoskeleton® line of spinal fusion implants is vast and deep. I look forward to working closely with the team to ensure these assets remain protected and secure.”

Ms. Cheney joined Titan Spine in January 2016, as Vice President, General Counsel. She brings a wealth of knowledge in defense litigation, risk avoidance and in recruiting and retaining key employees. Prior to joining Titan Spine’s leadership team, Ms. Cheney worked as a judicial law clerk and a litigation associate in Pennsylvania. More recently, she worked since 2007 as Vice President, in-house senior legal consultant, with Associated Financial Group – a wholly owned subsidiary of Associated Bank Corp. She has over 20 years of experience working with public and private employers on an extensive range of compliance issues, ranging from human resources and employee benefit compliance issues involving ERISA, HIPAA, workplace wellness and the Affordable Care Act. Ms. Cheney is a published author and national speaker on topics ranging from employee benefit and HR compliance issues, to recruitment and leadership best practices. She is also the recipient of the prestigious Associated Financial Group Lombardi Award for “Mentor of the Year” (2013 and 2014).

Ms. Cheney is licensed to practice law in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. She graduated from West Virginia University College of Law, with honors (Order of the Barristers), and received her B.S. in psychology from West Virginia University.

Titan Spine offers a full line of Endoskeleton® devices feature Titan Spine’s proprietary implant surface technology, consisting of a unique combination of roughened topographies at the macro, micro, and nano levels (MMN™). This unique combination of surface topographies is designed to create an optimal host-bone response and actively participate in the fusion process by promoting the upregulation of osteogenic and angiogenic factors necessary for bone growth, encouraging natural production of bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs), downregulating inflammatory factors, and creating the potential for a faster and more robust fusion.1,2,3

About Titan Spine

Titan Spine, LLC is a surface technology company focused on the design and manufacture of interbody fusion devices for the spine. The company is committed to advancing the science of surface engineering to enhance the treatment of various pathologies of the spine that require fusion. Titan Spine, located in Mequon, Wisconsin and Laichingen, Germany, markets a full line of Endoskeleton® interbody devices featuring its proprietary textured surface in the U.S. and portions of Europe through its sales force and a network of independent distributors. To learn more, visit www.titanspine.com.

1 Olivares-Navarrete, R., Hyzy, S.L., Slosar, P.J., Schneider, J.M., Schwartz, Z., and Boyan, B.D. (2015). Implant materials generate different peri-implant inflammatory factors: PEEK promotes fibrosis and micro-textured titanium promotes osteogenic factors. Spine, Volume 40, Issue 6, 399–404.

2 Olivares-Navarrete, R., Gittens, R.A., Schneider, J.M., Hyzy, S.L., Haithcock, D.A., Ullrich, P.F., Schwartz, Z., Boyan, B.D. (2012). Osteoblasts exhibit a more differentiated phenotype and increased bone morphogenetic production on titanium alloy substrates than poly-ether-ether-ketone. The Spine Journal, 12, 265-272.

3 Olivares-Navarrete, R., Hyzy, S.L., Gittens, R.A., Schneider, J.M., Haithcock, D.A., Ullrich, P.F., Slosar, P. J., Schwartz, Z., Boyan, B.D. (2013). Rough titanium alloys regulate osteoblast production of angiogenic factors. The Spine Journal, 13, 1563-1570.

Contacts

Titan Spine
Andrew Shepherd, 866-822-7800
ashepherd@titanspine.com
or
Media:
The Ruth Group
Kirsten Thomas, 508-280-6592
kthomas@theruthgroup.com

Josh Sandberg

Josh Sandberg is the President and CEO of Ortho Spine Partners and sits on several company and industry related Boards. He also is the Creator and Editor of OrthoSpineNews.

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