New Hires & Related Management Moves Signal Continued Investment in Partnerships
SAN RAMON, CALIF., September 21, 2021—CooperVision today announced the addition of three well-known optometrists to its Professional Affairs teams. The appointments of Drs. Karen Walsh, Arti Shah, and Justine Siergey each add decades of relevant experience to the company’s global, US and specialty Professional Affairs teams. These recent additions are a direct result of the company’s continued growth and dedication to collaborating with eye care professionals (ECPs), further strengthening its role as an industry partner.
“As the industry continues to evolve, so too do the needs of our customers. CooperVision’s commitment to providing the eye care community with the highest quality products and services starts with investing in our people. Recruiting Dr. Walsh to my global team, along with Drs. Shah and Siergey in their respective country and specialty roles, adds to an already incredibly talented Professional Affairs organization, resulting in even higher levels of peer-to-peer practice support and education,” said Simon Seshadri, Senior Vice President, Global Marketing, CooperVision.
Global Professional Affairs
Karen Walsh, MCOptom, PGDip, FAAO, FIACLE, FBCLA steps into a newly created role as Director, Global Professional Affairs, 1 Day & FRP Brands. A widely-recognized educator and clinical scientist, she is now responsible for engaging and collaborating with ECPs, global brand managers, and a wide range of global and regional teams to help shape professional messaging for CooperVision’s leading 1-day and frequent replacement products (FRP) soft contact lens brands, including Biofinity®, clariti® 1 day and MyDay® daily disposable.
Prior to joining CooperVision, Dr. Walsh spent six years with the Centre for Ocular Research and Education (CORE), where she built international acclaim as an educator, researcher, and author. She also served eight years with Johnson & Johnson Vision as Professional Affairs Manager for the U.K. & Ireland, during which time she played a central role in the launch of 1-day and FRP products, peer education, and key opinion leader engagement.
Dr. Walsh holds an array of advanced qualifications, including being a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, the International Association of Contact Lens Educators, and the British Contact Lens Association. She also is a member of the U.K. College of Optometrists and holds a post-graduate diploma in clinical optometry from City University, London.
Concurrently, two industry veterans within CooperVision’s Global Professional Affairs team are now devoting additional time to the company’s expansive research and development initiatives. Gary Orsborn, Global Head, Post-Market Clinical Studies at CooperVision, and Anna Sulley, Director, Medical Affairs, have joined the CooperVision R&D organization, increasing vital focus on company-wide clinical research collaborations to further advance and accelerate portfolio innovation.
U.S. Professional Affairs
Arti Shah, OD, FAAO, brings more than 20 years of experience to a new role as Senior Manager, U.S. Professional and Academic Affairs—West, CooperVision. Dr. Shah is responsible for further fostering collaborative efforts between the company and ECPs through advocacy, philanthropy, and ongoing education.
Before joining CooperVision this month, Dr. Shah practiced at a private ophthalmology-optometry office in Los Angeles and was on the medical staff at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. She is a member of the California Optometric Association, Los Angeles County Optometric Society, American Optometric Association, the International Keratoconus Academy, and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry. She has also held a faculty position at the State University of New York (SUNY) and was on medical staff at the UCLA Jules Stein Eye Institute.
In addition to serving as a professional affairs consultant and advisory board member to ophthalmic companies, she has participated in several contact lenses and ocular health research programs and clinical trials. Dr. Shah graduated from the University of California, Berkeley School of Optometry, and completed her fellowship training in Cornea and Contact Lenses at the State University of New York (SUNY).
CooperVision Specialty EyeCare Professional Affairs
Justine Siergey, OD, FSLS, joins CooperVision Specialty EyeCare as Manager, Professional Affairs, Irregular Cornea. In this new position, she is responsible for advocating and elevating the company’s reputation within the specialty segment, with a particular focus on scleral contact lenses and services.
Prior to this role, Dr. Siergey created and managed several specialty contact lens clinics in both private practice and group OD/MD settings. She is a fellow of the Scleral Lens Education Society and former fellowship chair of their international board.
In recognition of her ongoing contributions to both CooperVision and the industry, Kelly Voltz, OD, FAAO, FSLS, has been promoted to Senior Manager, Professional & Clinical Affairs, CooperVision Specialty EyeCare. Dr. Voltz will now assume additional leadership responsibilities, including developing and nurturing partnerships both internally and externally to increase specialty prescribing confidence among both prospective and current ECPs.
“We are fortunate to have some of the most caring, collaborative, and brightest people across all of eye care within our Professional Affairs teams worldwide,” said Seshadri. “I can’t wait to see how Drs. Walsh, Shah, and Siergey will continue to help ECPs and staff enhance their knowledge and grow their practices—now backed by thousands of enthusiastic CooperVision colleagues.”
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About CooperVision
CooperVision, a division of CooperCompanies (NYSE:COO), is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of contact lenses. The company produces a full array of daily disposable, two-week and monthly soft contact lenses that feature advanced materials and optics, and premium rigid gas permeable lenses for orthokeratology and scleral designs. CooperVision has a strong heritage of addressing the toughest vision challenges such as astigmatism, presbyopia, childhood myopia, and highly irregular corneas; and offers the most complete portfolio of spherical, toric and multifocal products available. Through a combination of innovative products and focused practitioner support, the company brings a refreshing perspective to the marketplace, creating real advantages for customers and wearers. For more information, visit www.coopervision.com.
About CooperCompanies
CooperCompanies ("Cooper") is a global medical device company publicly traded on the NYSE (NYSE:COO). Cooper operates through two business units, CooperVision and CooperSurgical. CooperVision brings a refreshing perspective on vision care with a commitment to developing a wide range of high-quality products for contact lens wearers and providing focused practitioner support. CooperSurgical is committed to advancing the health of women, babies and families with its diversified portfolio of products and services focusing on medical devices and fertility & genomics. Headquartered in San Ramon, Calif., Cooper has a workforce of more than 12,000 with products sold in over 100 countries. For more information, please visit www.coopercos.com.
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