Leadership
Good things come from those with passion.
PeriGen’s management team is fluent in health information technology, patient care management, obstetrics and medical informatics. The team combines expertise in healthcare information systems, decision support technology, clinical care, service delivery, and executive management. They lead an organization dedicated to engineering and delivering the industry’s most advanced perinatal and fetal monitoring systems
Matthew Sappern – Chief Executive Officer
Matthew Sappern is a healthcare and technology executive with over 28 years of experience. Since joining PeriGen in 2012, he has led the company through a period of innovation and growth resulting in a doubling of market share and revenue, significant earnings growth, the introduction of an artificial intelligence patient safety platform and adding a number of patents to its expansive IP portfolio. At PeriGen, Sappern has led two successful fund raising rounds and acquired and successfully integrated a national competitor. Prior to leading PeriGen, Mr. Sappern served as a corporate officer for Eclipsys Corporation before and through its merger with Allscripts, at various times leading product development, remote hosting, consulting services and client sales. He has also served in leadership roles at WebMD and Home Box Office. Matt holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Emory University in Atlanta, GA.
To read Matt’s most recent interview with HIStalk.com please CLICK HERE.
Brian Bishop – Chief Product Officer
As PeriGen’s Chief Product Officer, Brian has responsibility for all aspects of the product line, as well as quality and regulatory matters. Previously, he led the NaviCare Watchchild electronic fetal monitoring business for Hill-Rom Inc. Brian enjoys entrepreneurial ventures and inspiring teams to construct solutions that have not been built before. Brian and his wife have three daughters, two in college and one in high school. He enjoys sports, friendly games of pool, and spending in time in the mountains. Prior to joining Hill-Rom, Brian spent four years helping to start a ‘smart-home’ company in Louisiana. Before that he worked for multiple start-up companies as a software developer, quality manager and product director. He has a bachelor’s degree in computer science from North Carolina State University.
Dr. Kimberlee McKay, MD – Chief Medical Officer
An innovative specialist in the field of obstetrics and gynecology, Dr. McKay brings over 20 years of experience to the PeriGen team. In addition to her role at PeriGen, Dr. McKay currently serves as the Clinical Vice President OB/GYN Service Line at Avera Health and has held an adjunct position at the University of South Dakota, where she also earned her degree. Dr. McKay adds to the PeriGen team a hands-on experience that support the initiatives of PeriGen as an organization. Her extensive expertise in patient safety and quality, healthcare equity, rural maternity care, and remote patient monitoring are critical to the continued innovation of PeriGen solutions. She is a long time advocate and user of PeriGen solutions and her position is critical to PeriGen’s continued commitment to remote patient monitoring, physician engagement, and emerging primary care opportunities.
Dr. Alana McGolrick, DNP, RNC-OB, C-EFM – Chief Nursing Officer
With significant perinatal safety experience, Dr. McGolrick leads PeriGen’s efforts to expand and enhance clinical training, customer outcome reporting, and publishing.
Dr. McGolrick earned her DNP from California State University, Fullerton, successfully defending her capstone project, ‘Obstetric Early Warning System’. She joined PeriGen in August of 2017 from Tenet Health, where she served as the Director of Perinatal Services, spearheading system-wide programs in enterprise fetal monitoring programs, performance enhancement, risk reduction and quality assurance.
She possesses a proven track record of utilizing the nursing process to facilitate quality, competency of clinical staff, and appropriate resource management related to patient care. In addition, Alana demonstrates a broad knowledge of national benchmarks for quality care outcomes, and effectively executes plans to achieve and surpass targets. Furthermore, Alana exhibits experience with Lean transformation and similar continuous improvement methodology, as well as change management skills and fiscal stewardship. As an AWHONN Instructor Trainer for twelve years, Alana has facilitated Advanced, Intermediate and Instructor Candidate fetal monitoring workshops. Alana’s professional and academic portfolio will provide PeriGen clients with a valuable resource whose responsibilities include clinical decision support tool optimization, outcome analysis, and knowledge deployment.
Drew Narayan – Chief Commercial Officer
As Chief Commercial Officer, Drew Narayan is accountable for sales and marketing and is the newest member of the executive team at PeriGen. Drew has nearly 20 years of healthcare experience at Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina and General Electric Healthcare as well as with an early stage technology start-up company. Over the course of his career, he has had many roles spanning sales and marketing, operations, information technology, business development and strategy.
Drew earned his BSE and MS in Biomedical Engineering from the Pratt School of Engineering at Duke University and his MBA from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina. Drew, his wife and two teenage boys live in Chapel Hill.
Edward Thompson, CPA – Chief Financial Officer
As CFO, Ed provides strategic direction for the financial growth and management of PeriGen. He is responsible for managing all aspects of Finance and Accounting, Legal, and HR to ensure the company’s growth, efficiency and financial integrity.
Ed’s experience includes accounting and financial leadership roles in medical devices and biotechnology companies in various funding stages ranging from Series A through Series D, with experience in process improvement, systems implementation, and M&A activities. Prior to joining PeriGen, Ed served as Controller and Interim-CFO for Asklepios BioPharmaceutical, where he served as a key member of the executive team through a period of significant growth, and successful fundraising of $235 million in outside investment. Prior to Asklepios BioPharmaceutical, Ed was the Corporate Controller for TearScience from 2016 through 2018, where he guided the company through an acquisition by Johnson & Johnson. At both companies, Ed’s experience included financial planning and analysis, supporting sales and implementation teams, communicating with investors, and managing outside supporting resources such as legal, audit and tax.
Before joining TearScience, Ed began his career as an auditor with PriceWaterhouseCoopers, and later, Grant Thornton. Ed is a graduate of the University of South Carolina’s Moore School of Business, where he earned a BS in Business Administration and Masters in Accountancy.
Dr. Emily Hamilton, MDCM – Senior Vice President of Clinical Research
An experienced obstetrician, Emily has held various academic appointments at McGill University, including Director of the Residency Education Program in Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Director of Perinatology. Currently, she is as an Adjunct Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at McGill. With over 20 years of experience as a practicing obstetrician, Emily has served on various Canadian National Task Forces defining Clinical Practice Guidelines for fetal surveillance. Her research team has included members with diverse backgrounds such as mathematics, computer science and engineering along with experienced nursing and medical clinicians. They were successful in creating mathematical models to be used at the bedside to help the clinical staff assess fetal heart rate patterns, labor progress and risk of shoulder dystocia. This research was applied to the development of the PeriCALM® suite of fetal monitoring technologies. Emily presents regularly at academic conferences focusing on patient safety or risk management for obstetrical services, and holds 37 issued US and international patents related to obstetrics.
Thomas J. Garite, MD – Chief Medical Officer
A specialist in Obstetrics and Gynecology and Maternal-Fetal Medicine, in addition to his work with PeriGen and its clients, Thomas J. Garite, MD, holds two positions which include: Chairman, Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine Foundation and Director of Research and Education for Obstetrix/Pediatrix Medical Group. He is also the former 2013 Editor-In-Chief of American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Dr. Garite is the author or co-author of five textbooks and has published over 100 original journal articles and a similar number of abstracts, chapters and invited articles. He is a past president of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, as well as a twelve year member of its Board of Directors. He has also been a Member of the Board of Directors of the Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Director of the Oral Examinations for this Board, as well as a Member of the Technical Bulletin and Course Coordination Committee of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. A recipient of the Career Achievement Award from the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine and the National Teaching Award from the Association of Professors of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dr. Garite remains active in clinical research.
Bruno Bendavid – Senior Vice President of Product Management
During his healthcare technology career, Bruno has held positions of ever-increasing seniority and responsibility. In 2009, as interim COO and CTO for LMS Medical Systems , Bruno helped to oversee the Company’s acquisition by PeriGen, and the subsequent integration of LMS’ CALM suite with PeriGen’s advanced clinical decision support solution. Bruno has served as the Company’s VP of Product Development, VP of Technical Operations, and Development Manager, as well as Software Developer, the position Bruno held when he joined the nascent LMS in 1997. With an in-depth understanding of the development and design of the CALM platform, as well as its underlying research, Bruno is an integral part of PeriGen’s technology, leadership and development teams. Bruno holds a Bachelor of Computer Science degree from Concordia University and brings proven leadership abilities to PeriGen through his extensive experience as an army officer from 1983 to 1988.
Natan Blanks – GM Israel Operations and Senior Vice President Research & Development
Natan has been with PeriGen since 1996, serving as chief design and software architect. Prior to joining PeriGen, Natan managed the software development division of CDI Systems, a company specializing in information publishing, and also acted as an independent software consultant, developing projects in Israel, the US, and Europe. Natan holds patents in information management and retrieval, and in 1987, he earned both the PC Magazine Editor’s Choice Award and the Best Business Software Award from the US Software Publishers Association for his IZE information management program. Natan received a BS in Psychology from the University of New South Wales.
Halma plc
In 2021, PeriGen was acquired by Halma, plc.
Halma is a global group of life-saving technology companies focused on growing a safer, cleaner, healthier future for everyone, every day. Their companies provide innovative solutions to many of the key problems facing the world today.
PeriGen now has access to a supportive network and additional resources so that we can continue to expand perinatal safety technology to the U.S. and beyond.