Management Team
Terry A. Fuller, PhD (Chief Executive Officer) has over 25 years of entrepreneurial business management, technology development, marketing and sales experience with emerging and high-growth start-up and early-stage medical device and pharmaceutical companies. He has held positions of CEO, COO, and EVP Technology for both publicly traded and private corporations (IOLab, a Johnson and Johnson Company (NYSE:JNJ), Surgical Laser Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:SLTI), Wellcore, Inc. (PVT), Laser SkinToner, Inc. (PVT), SubLase, Inc. (PVT), Fuller Research Corporation (an Abbott Laboratories joint venture). He specializes in technology development, identifying, financing and introducing early or seed-stage technology to the health care market and implementing numerous acquisitions and strategic alliances. Dr. Fuller has strong scientific and clinical expertise in multiple specialties, including ophthalmology, and has managed numerous regulatory clearances.
Anthony Bellezza, PhD (Chief Operating Officer) has spent much of his career studying the mechanical properties of the eye, especially in response to changes in intraocular pressure. His research experience includes studies that quantify the biomechanical properties of the optic nerve head in glaucoma, the design of imaging systems to produce three-dimensional reconstructions of the optic nerve head, and the use of materials testing systems to characterize the properties of soft tissue. Prior to Third Eye Diagnostics, Dr. Bellezza was a Senior Engineer at Exponent, Inc., where he was a consultant in the Injury Biomechanics and Medical Device Practices. He has managed over 200 projects for Fortune 100 companies and has been an testifying expert in cases of ocular and head injury. Dr. Bellezza holds academic appointments as a Visiting Lecturer in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Princeton University, and as an Adjunct Professor in the School of Engineering at Widener University.
William Lai, PhD (VP of Biomedical Engineering) has experience with a variety of diagnostic medical devices from intellectual property, regulatory compliance, and product development perspectives. Prior to joining Third Eye Diagnostics, Dr. Lai was a Senior Engineer at Exponent, Inc. in the Injury Biomechanics Practice, where his expertise was in biomechanical computational modeling and accident reconstruction. He has been a testifying expert in cases of accident reconstruction, head injury, and neck injury and has authored scientific articles on the modeling of head and neck injury in vehicle rollovers. Dr. Lai conducted his doctorate research in the biocompatibility of biomaterials used in dental and orthopedic applications at the Center for Bioactive Materials and Tissue Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania. His research experience includes the development of animal implantation models, trace chemical analysis protocols, and cell culture experiments.
Mark Dorfman, CPA (Chief Financial Officer) started his career at Arthur Andersen and served as a manager in the Emerging Business Practice division. Subsequently he formed Dorfman, D’Aquila & Co., an accounting firm. After 9 years, he became the Chief Financial Officer of Robec, Inc., a high-growth computer distribution company where he was one of two officers responsible for taking Robec public. Mark then joined Allegheny Health Systems and was responsible for purchasing 150 medical practices. Since then, he has served as acting, part-time, chief financial officer for several high tech local businesses.
Vinod Vijayakumar, D Phil (Director of Clinical and Regulatory Affairs) has global experience with a variety of medical device and biomedical technologies from operations management, business development, product development, research, and clinical development perspectives. Previously, Dr. Vijayakumar was the Director of Technology Assessment and Clinical Operations with Aqumen Biopharmaceuticals, a Japanese ophthalmic therapeutics start-up firm, which was developing the first Japanese technology to successfully complete Phase III clinical trials in the US and India. Dr. Vijayakumar was also a Senior Engineer at Exponent, Inc. where he was a consultant in the Injury Biomechanics Practice and prior to that, a Research Engineer with Cambridge Filter Korea in Seoul, Korea. His doctorate research in the biomechanics of bone fracture and repair was conducted at the University of Oxford, UK and the Ospedale Vittorio Emanuale in Italy.
Investors
Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania links early-stage technology firms and established manufacturers with funding, people, technology, universities and other resources to help them prosper. Our mission is to boost the economy of our region with new and retained jobs, new technology companies, and established manufacturers that are more competitive. We provide early-stage technology firms and established manufacturers with funding, networking opportunities, and technical and business expertise. The program has been recognized and modeled nationally and internationally.Serving a 21-county area, the BFTP/NEP headquarters is located on the campus of Lehigh University in Bethlehem and has regional offices in Lewisburg, Reading and Wilkes-Barre. Ben Franklin Technology Partners is an initiative of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development and is funded by the Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority.
The Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation is a one-stop resource and the single point of contact for companies looking for help with their relocation or Lehigh Valley business expansion plans. As part of our mission to ensure the success and growth of the region’s economy, we are committed to helping national businesses find a home here while providing services to companies already located in Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton and throughout Lehigh and Northampton counties.