Ottobock has selected Andreas Kannenberg, PhD to fill the newly created position of executive medical director North America.

The position was created to focus on the entire product lifespan and patient care cycle through managing studies, research and development and patient outcomes, according to a press release.

A native of Berlin, Germany, Kannenberg attended Humboldt University of Berlin and became licensed to practice medicine in Germany and the European Union in 1991. He joined Ottobock in Duderstadt, Germany in 2003, where he was the director of medical affairs. He received the American Orthotics and Prosthetics Association Thranhardt Award in 2010 for his work there.

Andreas Kannenberg

In his new role, Kannenberg coordinates a global medical and research team responsible for researching and defining medical requirements for new products, initiation and management of clinical trials, and medical training as well as medical support for negotiations with health care payers.

“We want to support our customers as they are challenged to prove efficacy and appropriate use of devices and to do that, speaking doctor-to-doctor is a key element when connecting with insurers, hospital systems and referral sources,” Scott Schneider, CMO and regional president, Ottobock North America, said in the release. “We are pleased to add a clinical expert of Andreas’ stature to our North America team.”

“Unlike in the past, prosthetics and orthotics is increasingly perceived as a regular field of medicine, resulting in similar requirements to demonstrate scientific evidence to justify the use of advanced technology,” Kannenberg said. “I am determined to take on that professional challenge.”