ARLINGTON, VA. -- A trio of prominent medical instrumentation and technology experts has been elected to the Board of Directors for the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI).

Leighton Hansel of Abbott Laboratories, Joel R. Gorski, PhD, of NAMSA, and David Francoeur of TriMedx assumed the posts at the recent Annual Conference of the association, whose mission is to increase the understanding and beneficial use of medical instrumentation.

"AAMI's place at the forefront of the medical device field is in many ways directly attributable to the talents and dedication of the individuals who have served on its Board of Directors over the last 40 years," said AAMI President Michael J. Miller. "With Leighton, Joel, and Dave, who have already made significant contributions to AAMI and to the industry, AAMI's future is in very capable hands. Their talents and insights will be key assets in facing the challenges that lie ahead for the association and for the field."

Leighton Hansel has served as the director of regulatory affairs in Abbott's medical products group since 2004. He joined Abbott in 2000 as the company's complaint management program director. Prior to that, Hansel served in a variety of FDA positions, including 13 years as a division director within the agency's Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH).

"I have seen both the industry side and the agency side of the process, so I feel that will be an asset to AAMI's leadership," says Hansel.

Hansel has participated in AAMI standards activities for 10 years. Having seen the benefits of standards development firsthand, he says as a member of AAMI's Board of Directors he hopes "to convince more executives to support standards efforts."

Joel R. Gorski, PhD is director of business development for NAMSA, a company that evaluates medical devices, materials, and pharmaceuticals for safety and efficacy. Gorski-whose father, Theodore, was an active AAMI member-became involved in AAMI standards activities in 1988, and is active on numerous working groups, and has been co-chair of AAMI's chemical indicators working group (AAMI/ST/WG 06) since 1996 and co-chair of AAMI's resistometer working group (AAMI/ST/WD 91) since 1999.

"AAMI's objectives are good for medical technology. I see the Board of Directors as stewards of those objectives, and I am excited about being a part of that," Gorski says. Gorski also serves on the board of directors of NAMSA and the editorial board of Medical Device & Diagnostic Industry (MD&DI).

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