Built by Experts. Driven by Purpose.

We are a team of world-leading clinicians, scientists, and engineers working to make IONM available to all surgeries. Our surgeons agree that preserving patient quality of life is the final frontier for high-risk surgeries. Safer surgeries encourage patients to choose the right treatment sooner, which further improves patient outcomes.

BACKGROUND

A History ofLeadership in IONM

For nearly 40 years, NeuroVRD CEO and founder Jeffrey Owen, Ph.D., has been at the forefront of the scientific, clinical, and technological development of Intraoperative Neuromonitoring. He started and led the IONM programs at the University of Washington, St. Louis and Johns Hopkins University, before founding (and later exiting) Sentient Medical Systems, which was the largest IONM provider of the time, and established the Standard of Care.

However, it was clear to Dr. Owen and his collaborators that the traditional IONM paradigm would never be able to meet surgeon demand. In 2019, Dr. Owen started NeuroVascular Research & Design with the goal of developing an automated IONM platform to bring reliable, accurate, and affordable monitoring to all surgeries, to help surgeons preserve all patients’ quality of life.

Jeffrey Owen received his Ph.D. in Neuroscience from The University of Arizona, emphasizing auditory neurophysiology. Following graduation, Dr. Owen took a position as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology at The University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC). At KUMC, Dr. Owen ran the evoked potential laboratory and developed the intraoperative monitoring (IOM) program […]

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Nicholas Chung

Development

Nicholas Chung is an experienced leader in data science, business, and software development. He joined NeuroVRD in 2020 and leads NeuroVRD’s regulatory strategy, business development, and day-to-day operations. Previously, he led prototype development, enterprise initiatives, and international growth at The Trade Desk. He has degrees from Brown and Columbia Universities.

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Obed Espina

Technology

Obed is an accomplished engineering leader with deep technical expertise. As founding engineer and CTO at NeuroVRD, he built the AI-IOM platform from the ground up. Previously, he led data and software engineering teams at Vimeo and Enso Financial. Obed holds an engineering degree from Columbia University and has a proven track record of developing […]

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H. Shields Day, Jr., is a finance professional who has spent his career as a CFO, advisor, investor, and board member for small-to-mid-sized (SMB) companies. Shields started his career in New York City as an investment banker for JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs, providing research and advisory services for clients in their leveraged finance and equities […]

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David Schaffer

Business Development

Executive with 30 years of experience in global equity capital markets, investment banking, equity market research, investor relations and strategic advisory to public/private funds; Most recently as Managing Director with Raymond James, and previously with Advest. Mr. Schaffer is experienced in P&L accountability, customer retention, collaborative product development, business planning and multi-channel distribution programs across […]

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Bernie Cohen, PhD

Science Advisor

Neurophysiologist Bernard Allan Cohen, PhD, FASNM, FACNS, is the Founder, CEO and President of Neurological Monitoring Associates, LLC (“NMA”) and of Global Humanitarian Funds for Health Sciences (“GHFHS”). He speaks, consults and teaches at universities, hospitals, medical centers, and professional associations throughout the world. Dr. Cohen obtained his Ph.D. from Marquette University in 1975. His […]

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Quynh Nguyen, PhD

Machine Learning

Quynh Nguyen, Ph.D. completed her graduate training in Cognitive Neuroscience and Statistics at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Her research interests include mathematical modeling of behavior, computational neuroscience, and multivariate analyses of neurophysiological data. As the ML Scientist at NeuroVRD, Quynh leads the design of a novel AI-IONM platform and is responsible for conducting clinical […]

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Joseph Christiano, MD

Medical Director

Dr. Joseph A. Christiano is a functional neurosurgeon who emphasizes the anatomy and physiology of the nervous system and its impact on daily life activities. He is an expert in Neuromodulation to treat complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), post-laminectomy pain syndrome, and trigeminal neuralgia, and in treating extensive painful conditions, such as post-stroke pain, facial […]

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Our Principal Investigators
Lawrence Lenke, MD

Dr. Lawrence Lenke, is Co-Director of Och Spine, surgeon-in-chief at the Och Spine Hospital, and chief of spinal deformity surgery

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Paul Sponseller, MD

Paul D. Sponseller, M.D. obtained his undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Michigan. He completed his Orthopaedic residency

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Joseph Lombardi, MD

Joseph Lombardi, MD, is an orthopedic spine surgeon specializing in the operative management of spinal disorders in adult and adolescent

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Our Medical Advisors
Arthur Burnett, MD

Dr. Burnett is the Patrick C. Walsh Distinguished Professor of Urology and Professor, Oncology Center at the Johns Hopkins University

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Our Partners