Alumnus James Joye awarded 2018 Konneker Medal for Commercialization and Entrepreneurship

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Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine alumnus Dr. James Joye has been named the recipient of the 2018 Konneker Medal for Commercialization and Entrepreneurship. He has authored more than 20 issued patents and has founded three medical device companies dedicated to minimally invasive therapies for peripheral arterial disease.

The Ohio University Foundation established the Konneker Medal to recognize current and former faculty members and students who have demonstrated excellence in innovation, invention, commercialization and entrepreneurship. The award is named in honor of Wilfred Konneker, an Ohio University alumnus renowned for his contributions to these fields.

Ohio University awarded the Konneker Medal to Joye at its annual Inventors Dinner celebration Feb. 21.

“Dr. Joye combines the insight and intuition of an inventor with the energy and vision of an entrepreneur.  His work and career typify the individual deserving of the Konneker Medal,” said David Koonce, interim vice president for research and creative activity and dean of the Graduate College at Ohio University.

Dr. Joye is widely credited with the development of cryoplasty for peripheral arterial disease, a technique for restoring blood flow in the limbs through an artery that has become narrowed or blocked by atherosclerosis. Cryoplasty offers a different approach to improving long-term angioplasty results. Dr. Joye co-founded startup companies CryoVascular Systems and NuCryo Vascular to commercialize the technology. Clinical trials of the procedure have shown positive short- and longer-term success rates, as well as a reduced recurrence of artery blockage compared to traditional angioplasty.

The Heritage College alumnus also developed the DETOUR system and associated products to offer a less invasive approach to open-leg bypass surgery. He co-founded the startup company PQ Bypass, where he currently serves as chief medical officer. The system and products are designed to provide long-term durability while reducing trauma to the body, hospital stays and rehabilitation times. The system is not yet approved for commercial use in the United States, but has received a certification for commercial use in Europe.

For more than 20 years, Dr. Joye has maintained a busy interventional practice in Northern California focused on complex coronary, structural heart and endovascular procedures. Through his affiliation with El Camino Hospital, he has served as founding medical director of the Cardiac Catheterization Labs, Research & Education and the Structural Heart Program. Dr. Joye also served as chief medical officer of the Fogarty Institute for Innovation, a not-for-profit accelerator for medical device development. He is board certified in Cardiovascular Diseases, Interventional Cardiology and Endovascular Medicine.

Dr. Joye has been active in research throughout his career and has published and lectured extensively across the U.S. and abroad.  He is a founding Board Member of VIVA Physicians, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to endovascular research and education.  He has been principal investigator of countless clinical trials and has pioneered numerous cutting-edge procedures to improve the lives of his patients. 

For more information about the Konneker Medal for Commercialization and Entrepreneurship: www.ohio.edu/research/konneker.cfm .