GREENVILLE, S.C. - Stephen F. Ridley, MD, vice president and chief medical officer of Soma Management Inc., has been named the 2012 Jack H. Warren Emergency Physician of the Year by the South Carolina College of Emergency Physicians. Dr. Ridley was recognized by the statewide medical organization for his "innovative efforts and fearless dedication to the pursuit of patient safety and quality of care" in emergency medicine.

For the past eight years, Dr. Ridley has researched and developed AxoTrack™, a revolutionary needle visualization and guidance technology that combines traditional ultrasound imaging with advanced magnetics to provide unprecedented real-time needle tracking of a variety of ultrasound-guided procedures.

AxoTrack enables physicians to precisely plan their course, plot their trajectory, observe in real-time the progress of a needle as it travels through tissue to the intended target, and to carry out the procedure with accuracy and confidence. In February 2012, Soma Access Systems LLC received FDA clearance for the technology. In March 2012, the company announced that Terason will be the first to make an ultrasound probe with patented AxoTrack™ virtual needle technology commercially available in the United States. These probes will use the AxoTrack sterile procedure kit, conceived by Dr. Ridley and distributed by Soma Access Systems.
Dr. Ridley received his Doctor of Medicine from the University of South Carolina School of Medicine in 2001. He subsequently completed his specialty training in Emergency Medicine at Palmetto Health Richland, graduating in 2004 with additional certification in Emergency Ultrasound and Hyperbaric Medicine. While there, he received the Sydney Burns Award for Compassion. He is board certified in Emergency Medicine and practices at both Palmetto Health Baptist, where he has served as Chief of Emergency Medicine, and Palmetto Health Richland where he teaches in the Emergency Medicine Residency Program. His academic interests include emergency ultrasound and the integration of developing technologies with medicine.

Prior to his medical career Dr. Ridley was an engineer employed by ThorOdin, Inc. He developed specialized urethane foam and urethane foam processing technology for the U.S. Department of the Navy, and he was responsible for the design and development of process control systems that remain in use in Navy shipyards today.

About Soma Access Systems

Soma Access Systems LLC was co-founded by Stephen F. Ridley, MD and M. Dexter Hagy in 2004 as a medical technology company that develops innovative devices to solve real-world medical problems while making healthcare safer, simpler and more cost effective. Visit www.SomaAccessSystems.com for more information or contact Caralyn Hagy at 864.240.7400.

Media Contact:

Valerie Pascoe
Hughes Agency
valeriep@hughes-agency.com
864.230.4791

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