James Long MD, PhD is a highly-respected heart transplant surgeon and a pioneer in the use of mechanical circulatory support for heart failure. Dr. Long joined the staff of INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City in 2008, to work with the Nazih Zuhdi Transplant Institute and the cardiovascular program as Director of Advanced Cardiac Care. Prior to this, he founded and directed the Utah Artificial Heart Program at Intermountain HealthCare in Salt Lake City, and was Clinical Professor of Surgery and of Bioengineering at the University of Utah. He also served as president of the American Society for Artificial Internal Organs. Today, he serves as Founder, CEO and CMO of VADovations, where he lends his extensive knowledge to advancement in the field.
Dr. Long received his MD from the University of Missouri, Columbia School of Medicine, and is certified by the American Board of Thoracic Surgeons. His innovation and leadership has been instrumental in the development of next-generation Left Ventricular Assist Devices (LVADs), which have quickly become the evidence-based standard in LVAD therapy with high success rates and lower complication rates. Among Dr. Long’s personal interests is international humanitarian medical work, most often in Calcutta, India, where he oversees the Mission of Mercy Hospital network and nursing school.
For most his career, Kurt Dasse PhD has been researching and developing therapies for cardiopulmonary disorders, including medical devices for treating heart and renal failure. Since 2017, he has served as the President and COO of VADovations Inc., responsible for quality, regulatory and business development for the next generation of ventricular assist devices. He concurrently serves as Founder, President and CEO of Inspired Therapeutics, focusing on new medical device technology for cardiovascular and pulmonary applications. Prior to his current roles, Dr. Dasse was President and CEO at GeNO, LLC; he co-founded Thermo Cardio Systems, which sold for $500 million; and served as CEO and Co-founder of Levitronix, which sold its medical division to Thoratec for $150 million.
Dasse received a PhD in physiology from Boston University and a BS in biology from the University of Massachusetts. He holds numerous patents and has written over 100 journal articles and book chapters. His professional affiliations include the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation, the American Society for Artificial Internal Organs, and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. Dr. Dasse is also the recipient of several honors, including the “Rotary Blood Pump of the Year” award in 2010 and the DeBakey Fellowship by the National Library of Medicine from 2014-2017.
A founding member of the executive team, Karl Nelson, RN, MBA, has served as VADovations’ Vice President and Director of Clinical Affairs since 2009. Up until 2018, he was also Administrative Director of INTEGRIS Advanced Cardiac Care, specializing in heart failure, heart transplant, mechanical circulatory support and acute support/ECMO. In collaboration with physician leaders, his team designed and built a fully integrated heart failure program that accounted for 20 heart transplants, 70 chronic MCS implants, 139 ECMO insertions and 700 new outpatient heart failure referrals annually from the regional heart failure network. During his tenure, Nelson pioneered many of early MCS clinical protocols and delivery methods to reduce adverse events, and organized an MCS quality program that has become the standard around the world.
With a degree in finance from the University of Utah and an MBA from Brigham Young University, Nelson began his career as a financial advisor before making a major career change and earning his nursing degree from the University of Utah. Nelson has been able to bring his administrative and clinical backgrounds to the MCS field to build programs that are making positive contributions to the hospitals. He was one of the first LVAD coordinators in the U.S. and served as Clinical Director for the Utah Artificial Heart Program. With over 25 years of experience in the field, Nelson’s professional affiliations include the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation, the American Society for Artificial Internal Organs and the Hospital Alliance of LVADs, where he served as the founding president in 2001.
John Frick, received his MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and his BS in Mathematics and Economics from Allegheny College. He has spent most of his career working with healthcare service and early-stage healthcare technology companies. This work has been as part of a team at Integrated Delivery Networks as well as an investor, founder and venture capitalist. Most of his recent experience has been focused on cardiology, oncology and diagnostic testing.
Frick has served on the Oklahoma Science and Technology Council with appointments by three governors.