New Leaders Assume Posts at Conventus Orthopaedics

There’s a new team in charge at Conventus Orthopaedics Inc. The company has appointed Paul Buckman as CEO and David Blue as chief commercial officer.

“Conventus Orthopaedics is well prepared to commercialize a solution that we believe represents a true advance in the standard of care for treating peri-articular fractures,” said Paul Hindrichs, co-founder of Conventus. “Paul and David have long track records of success and a wealth of industry experience that will serve Conventus well at this point in its evolution. Further, Paul has a deep understanding of our business as a result of serving as a member of our Board of Directors since its inception in 2009. Adding Paul and David to our leadership team is the right move for Conventus.”

Buckman has more than 30 years of leadership experience in the medtech industry, holding executive level positions at SentreHEART, Pathway Medical Technologies, St. Jude Medical Inc., ev3 (co-founder), Scimed/Boston Scientific Corp., among others. He has served on the Board of Directors for SentreHEART, Sunshine Heart Inc., Micro Therapeutics Inc., Velocimed Inc. (co-founder) and ev3. Buckman earned his master’s degree in business administration and finance, and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Western Michigan University (Kalamazoo, Michigan).

Blue has more than 30 years of commercial experience, serving in leadership roles at start-up companies, and senior level management positions at Zimmer Holdings Inc., Tornier, and DePuy. He has been an owner and partner of several orthopedic companies, including owning and running his own orthopedic distributorship. Blue received a Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration from Augustana College in Sioux Falls, S.D.

The Conventus DRS implant, which received clearance by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration earlier this year, is designed to provide a less-invasive means for orthopedic surgeons to treat patients with distal radius fractures, returning them to normal daily activities sooner and with less pain. Conventus’ DRS technology uses a self-expanding implant that stabilizes the fractured fragments from within the bone. The surgical procedure requires a two- to three-centimeter incision on the forearm and a few small incisions at the wrist. The technique reduces surgical trauma by as much as 70 percent compared with traditional plate and screw fixation techniques, and preserves soft tissues around the fracture to minimize stiffness, swelling and pain, according to the company. It represents the first minimally-invasive, fragment-specific system that addresses various fracture types with fixation strength equivalent to that of locking plates.

Based in Maple Grove, Minn., Conventus Orthopaedics creates less invasive solutions to fractures in and around joints.