24 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • JANUARY 2022
AVERY BIOMEDICAL DEVICES
LEADER IN PACEMAKERS
Avery Biomedical Devices, a manufacturer
in Commack, is changing the
lives of people around the world with
its industry-leading technology: the
diaphragm pacemaker.
The company’s Avery Breathing Pacemaker
allows those who require assistance
breathing due to a medical condition to
do things they couldn’t otherwise do, such
as hiking and exercising. More than 400
people globally currently use the device,
and more than 2,200 patients have used
it since it came to market in 1971.
“It is abundantly rewarding and heartwarming
to receive phone calls, cards,
notes, and emails of appreciation,” says
Chief Executive Offi cer Linda Towler.
“We are not just a manufacturer; we provide
24/7 customer support. Our reward
is making a diff erence in the lives of the
people who benefi t from our system.”
Only two other companies make diaphragm
pacemakers – one in Ohio and
one in Finland.
Avery
Biomedical was the
fi rst to commercially
sell them, and its product
is the only diaphragm pacemaker
with U.S. Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) premarket approval and CE
marking privileges to sell in Europe for
both adult and pediatric use.
It all started in 1970 when Dr. William
Glenn partnered with Roger Avery, who
owned a
pain stimulator
manufacturer
called Avery Laboratories,
to create a
practical application of phrenic nerve
pacing (the phrenic nerve provides
the primary motor supply to the diaphragm).
They sold the fi rst commercial
diaphragm pacer in 1971. When the FDA
began regulating medical devices in
1986, it was the fi rst company to receive
premarket approval.
Scientific studies that are available on
Avery Biomedical’s website show that
diaphragm pacemaking provides better
results than mechanical ventilation pacing,
including improved quality of life and quality
of speech, reduction in upper respiratory
infections, and reduction in mortality.
“Aft er four years of dragging around a
large ventilator, the idea of a machine
small enough to fi t into a purse being
able to ventilate me sounded unreal,”
one patient wrote in a testimonial.
“Going from having a luggage cart with
my ventilator on top to only carrying a
small purse with my pacemaker was an
incredible and transformative change.”
Those who use the pacemakers are diagnosed
with several diff erent conditions,
most commonly a spinal cord injury,
congenital central hypoventilation
(CCHS), or acquired hypoventilation.
Some also have sleep apnea.
-BB
WHOLLY MOLI
The Avery Breathing Pacemaker
fi i ll
manufacturll
dA L b
MOVERS & SHAKERS
NEW HIRES, PROMOTIONS
Donald “DJ”
Mitchell, Jr.
Mitchell has been
named Molloy College’s
first Vice President
for Diversity,
Equity and Inclusion
(DEI). Mitchell, who
will begin his role at Molloy on Feb. 1,
comes to Molloy from Bellarmine
University in Louisville, Ky., where
he is Chief DEI Officer. In that role, he
is the key advisor to the President and
Cabinet regarding university-wide
diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives,
programs and policies.
Christine Malafi
Malafi was named to
the Judicial Screening
Committee of the
Suffolk County Bar
Association (SCBA),
which interviews
candidates for the judiciary. She is
a senior partner for the law fi rm of
Campolo, Middleton & McCormick,
LLP, which has offi ces in Westbury,
Ronkonkoma, and Riverhead.
Danny Aponte
Aponte was named
managing director of
Intelligent CloudCare,
a new IT services fi rm
designed to support
the needs of small
and medium-sized businesses on Long
Island. Aponte also serves as senior
director of soft ware engineering and
IT at parent company Intelligent Product
Solutions, where he headed up the
Enterprise Application Development
group using his soft ware architectural
expertise to design innovative, failsafe
application systems.
Dr. M. Pilar Martin
The Adelphi NY Statewide
Breast Cancer
Hotline & Support
Program appointed Dr.
Martin to its board. She
is the Director of the Masters of Public
Health Program at Adelphi University,
College of Nursing and Public Health.
She practiced as a family physician in
Spain for several years and later worked
at the Madrid Department of Health and
Ministry of Health for 14 years.
Dr. Neil Tanna
The Adelphi NY Statewide
Breast Cancer
Hotline & Support
Program appointed
Dr. Tanna to its board.
He is associate program director of plastic
surgery at Northwell Health, medical
director of the Northwell Health
Syosset SurgiCenter, and a member of
the Katz Institute for Women’s Health.
Tina Toulon
The New York Cancer
Foundation named
Toulon executive director
overseeing the
foundation’s daily operations
while raising funds for cancer
patients who are struggling fi nancially.
Toulon, who holds skills in collaborative
selling and account management with a
focus on healthcare, plans to double the
number of patients and families that the
foundation assists this year by hosting
fundraisers and applying her background
in marketing
and sales.
Eugene Parisi
Parisi was promoted
to chief
financial officer of
Lynbrook-based Mixology Clothing
Company after he displayed unparalleled
leadership throughout
the Covid-19 pandemic, helping the
company navigate the darkest days
while leveraging his years as a Public
Accountant and Controller. In the new
role, he will continue to implement
Mixology’s growth strategies and
work alongside fi nancial stakeholders
as they collaborate to make the
Mixology vision a reality. He’ll also be
responsible for overseeing the fi nance,
accounting, and human resources
departments.
Jessica Giugliano
Giugl iano joins
the Syosset- and
Watermi l l -based
law firm of Simonetti
& Associates,
where her practice
area has been solely
dedicated to issues
of matrimonial and family law. She
previously served as a law clerk and
participated in various Matrimonial
and Family court matters. She is a
member of both the Matrimonial
Committee of the Nassau County Bar
Association and the Suffolk County
Bar Association.
mdirector of plas
funds for cancer
/LONGISLANDPRESS.COM