FREEPORT, Bahamas –
Okyanos Heart Institute (http://www.okyanos.com/
),
which brings a new standard of care and a better quality
of life to patients with “no-option” coronary artery disease (CAD) via
cardiac stem cell therapy, has announced that co-founder Manuel Vianna
will serve as chief operating officer. As COO, Vianna will report to the
chief executive officer and will be responsible
for the company’s day-to-day operating activities, including revenues
and growth, as well as expense, cost and margin control. Along with
co-founder and CEO Matt Feshbach, Vianna established the healthcare
institution to provide coronary artery disease patients
with a new standard of care and a better quality of life through
cardiac adult stem cell therapy.
Vianna, who was born in Lisbon, Portugal, earned a
Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School in
Cambridge, Mass. and a bachelor’s degree with a specialization in
production engineering from the Federal University of
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. With a diverse and global business background,
Vianna previously served as the chief financial officer and a member of
the executive committee of Diskeeper Corporation, a software firm.
Previously he worked for the Monitor Group for
almost 20 years, rising through the Management Consulting division’s
ranks to partner and member of the Global Operating Committee. Later he
led the public equities investment division of Monitor and was elected
to the Monitor Group’s board of directors. In
addition to his position at Okyanos Heart Institute, Vianna is
currently the
chairman of the board of Suncoast Rehabilitation Center, a
not-for-profit organization dedicated to drug rehabilitation in Florida.
“All of us at Okyanos Heart Institute are extremely
pleased to have our co-founder, Manuel, lead Okyanos as COO,” said
Feshbach. ”Manuel is extremely passionate about his work, and this
passion will help to foster the growth and development
of Okyanos Heart Institute as we move forward in helping improve the
lives of those dealing with chronic coronary artery disease through the
advanced treatment option of cardiac adult stem cell therapy.”
“Manuel will provide excellent guidance on an
operational level to Okyanos Heart Institute, an organization focused on
improving the lives of those struggling day-to-day with CAD,” said
Howard T. Walpole Jr., M.D., MBA, FACC, FACAI, FSCAI
and chief medical officer for Okyanos Heart Institute. “Under Manuel’s
leadership, we look forward to the expansion and growth that is to come,
as he is focused on hiring more than 25 medical and support staff in
Freeport.”
ABOUT OKYANOS HEART INSTITUTE:
Based in Freeport, The Bahamas, the Okyanos Heart Institute
is a Center of Excellence (CoE) adhering to U.S. surgical center
standards and led by Chief Medical Officer Howard Walpole Jr., M.D.,
MBA,
FACC, FACAI, FSCAI, a leader of the American College of Cardiology for
many years. The mission of Okyanos Heart Institute is to bring a new
standard of care and a better quality of life to patients with
“no-option” coronary artery disease via cardiac adult
stem cell therapy. The Greek god of rivers, “Okyanos” symbolizes the
primary mechanism of action that these adult stem cells have on ischemic
(lack of blood flow) heart tissue, the result of the plaque deposits in
the coronary arteries. The stem cells, derived
from a person’s adipose (fat) tissue, create new blood vessels, a
process known as angiogenesis. These cells facilitate blood flow in the
heart and intake and use of oxygen, as measured by a rigorous clinical
trial
known as the PRECISE trial, as well as cardiac cell therapy trials at leading research institutions. For more information, visit
http://www.okyanos.com/.