Medical Material Innovation Trends Pre- and Post-Pandemic--Covid-19

Abstract

Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, the trajectory for medical innovation was in full gear as the industry move further into digitalization of patient care and the use of patient tracking apps. Medical devices and robotic instruments were being designed to be manufactured with high performance materials with built in impregnators and smart polymers.  As a result of the pandemic, the interest and focus has shifted as most elective surgeries have been pushed out of the operating rooms to accommodate covid related cases.  This talk details the fundamental difference between elective procedures that require the use of devices such as staplers, hemostatic sealers, magnetic constrictors, sutures etc. manufactured with high end polymers i.e. PPSU, PEEK, PAI, PEI, PEBAX etc. verses the current need for high volume disposable personal protective equipment’s and  point of care diagnostics, i.e. face mask, glove, face shields, goggles that are fabricated from basic commodity grade polymers e.g. ABS, PMMA, PP, PE, LDPE, Silicone tubing etc. and the way forward.

About the Speaker

Jackie Anim has over 25 years of materials and process technology solutions experience for plastic applications in automotive and medical technology environment. As a principal materials engineer and a consultant for Ethicon, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson that produces surgical devices, Jackie currently serves as a cross sector  subject matter expert for the company and in her role, she provides leadership and direction in the identification and selection of polymer base materials across Johnson and Johnson (JNJ).
 
In 2019 Jackie was voted Professional Engineer of the Year in her field of Engineering, and in the same year, Jackie was honored as the 2019 Woman of Excellence/Industry Leader in her field of engineering by Professional Organization of Women of Excellence Recognized (P.O.W.E.R).  In 2015, Jackie received the JNJ Global Surgery Award for Scientific Excellence for her role in leading the development and implementation of an electro-mechanical proprietary material for harmonic powered devices.

Extensively published in trade publications, journals and reviewer of three polymer processing and medical device application textbooks, Jackie is an active participant and a presenter, panelist and a keynote speaker at trade shows such as MD&M, MD+DI and SPE Medical Plastics MiniTec.

Jackie earned an MS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Dayton in Dayton, Ohio and a BS degree in Chemical Engineering from University of Science & Technology, Ghana. 

Jackie is a member of SPE and a member of AIChE. She has 15 publications and 10 patents relative to plastic transformation engineering and applications. Jackie recently led a team of fifteen (15) key industries in the creation of a governance around the definition for medical materials and pharmaceutical packaging materials a critical unmet need for the medical device industry.