At Lava Shark LLC, our passion for bringing cutting-edge medical technology to the market stems from a deeply personal journey—a journey through the trials and triumphs of being a patient.

I’ve faced ten surgeries, including two joint replacements, that have shaped not only my body but my purpose. It all began when I was just 18 years old, tearing my right ACL for the first time. Just a year later, I experienced my first right rotator cuff tear—an injury that would recur three more times.

Since then, my journey has included three ACL reconstructions (two on the right and one on the left), a meniscus repair, a total knee replacement, four rotator cuff repairs, a reverse shoulder replacement, and a left clavicle fracture that healed imperfectly.

Today, even as I live an active lifestyle, I feel the whisper of my left knee telling me it may need attention in the coming years. These experiences have kept me laser-focused on identifying the most impactful emerging technologies to shape the future of care.

My journey as a patient sparked a professional mission. It drove me to earn a Master’s Degree in Public Administration with a focus on Health Administration, which paved the way for an early career as an executive recruiter specializing in clinical and regulatory affairs across pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical device sectors. 

My career truly erupted when I found myself in a dream job as a Product Manager at Acumed, a small orthopedic manufacturer. There, I had the privilege of disrupting the industry by leading the shoulder portfolio and globally launching an innovative implant system for clavicle and scapular fractures, reshaping how surgeons approached patient care.

With roles in product management, project management, surgeon compliance, and medical education,

I went on to work for renowned names like Zimmer and Zimmer-Biomet, diving deep into the design and launch of orthopedic solutions—plates, rods, screws, joints, and biologics for shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees, and ankles. I worked alongside brilliant minds to solve complex problems, always keeping patients like myself at the forefront of every innovation.

My personal journey of slow recovery often perplexed the surgeons. They suspected issues like collagen or metabolic deficiencies as barriers to my healing, but the clinical research and industry attention to explore these potential causes were lacking. This frustration became fuel for my vision.

Today, Lava Shark’s flagship offering, X-celerated Recovery (xrscience.org), stands as a testament to bridging this gap—to provide surgeons, hospitals, surgical clinics, physical therapists, and, above all, patients with the tools to optimize recovery and achieve a full return to active living.