Silicon Valley Innovations (SVI) announced that Thomas M. Krummel, MD, an internationally acclaimed surgeon, former Chair of the Department of Surgery at Stanford University, and med-tech innovator, has joined the company's Board of Directors.

Krummel recently received the 2023 Jacobson Innovation Award from the American College of Surgeons, the highest honor nationwide in Surgery, for his pioneering "life-saving advances in newborn life support" and a 40 year career as an innovator in Surgery. He has also served as Director of the Byers Center for Biodesign at Stanford, and most recently, Krummel has joined Santé Ventures in Austin, Texas.

"We're very fortunate to have Dr. Krummel joining us at SVI," says CEO and Founder of SVI, Gail Lebovic, MD. "We share a vision for the future of medicine that includes creating clinically relevant medical technology and placing it into the hands of patients."

Dr. Krummel sees major potential clinical benefits and market opportunities for SVI's offerings. "The consumer markets are ripe for innovation," he explains. "Limited physician access is driving a new era of self-care, and experienced development teams like SVI can bring simple but elegant solutions that will make a real difference in the lives of millions of people."

Both Dr. Krummel and Dr. Lebovic believe that SVI is positioned to be in the vanguard of this trend towards higher rates of self-care. As people find it increasingly difficult to see a physician, "people are spending more time and money to stay healthy and get symptom relief with over-the-counter products," explains Dr. Lebovic.

SVI is creating a series of such OTC products for nasal and feminine healthcare. The company's key innovation is a drug delivery system anatomically designed for specific areas of the body, such as the nose or the vaginal area. The system, consisting of a wand combined with physician-formulated gels, is used to cleanse, moisturize, and address symptomatic issues.

"The nose and vagina have been overlooked when it comes to addressing acute and chronic conditions," explains Lebovic. "We are very excited about meeting this clinical need with products that are proprietary, easy and comfortable to use, and first to market."