Profile: Bruce Oberhardt, PhD
Dr. Bruce Oberhardt is a sought-after biomedical engineer and entrepreneur, known for promoting creative thinking and for successfully spearheading first-of-a-kind technological developments in the fields of cardiovascular disease, blood diseases, and diabetes and helping to solve key problems in technology developments in the cancer field. (Products based on these technologies are currently saving patients’ lives daily.) He has founded new companies, such as Cardiovascular Diagnostics, Inc., a successful IPO, and served in management positions for major multinational medical product manufacturers.
Dr Oberhardt has served on Boards of Directors and Scientific Advisory Boards for venture backed companies and on the Board of Directors for the Raleigh-Durham Chapter of the Association for Corporate growth. He has also served as a member and officer of the Atlantis Group, a North Carolina based angel investment group.
He has been involved in the development of many products that are now on the market, and is author or co-author of more than 50 published journal articles and abstracts, and the inventor or co-inventor on more than 180 issued patents, worldwide. Dr. Oberhardt has won numerous awards, including the North Carolina Governor’s Award for Outstanding Entrepreneurial Contribution and the North Carolina Biomedical Entrepreneur of the Year award.
About BJO Biomedical
BJO Biomedical is an LLC founded by Dr. Oberhardt to focus on biomedical consulting and technology incubation.
Consulting
Primary consulting activities have included facilitating the development of new biomedical technologies and developing strategies for commercialization. Clients have included large and small organizations.
Consulting projects have included:
Dr. Oberhardt has worked with client companies engaged in areas including medical devices, medical diagnostic services, medical diagnostic products, genomics, multiple biomarker disease diagnostic technology, microfluidic technology, and others.
Technology Incubation
Technology incubation activities encompass starting and nurturing new technology-based companies. These efforts resulted in the emergence of NanoVector, Inc., a novel nanobiotechnology drug delivery platform company for cancer therapy, for which Dr. Oberhardt is serving a management role.
2007– Present: President & CSO NanoVector, Inc.
NanoVector is a nanobiotechnology spin out company from NC State University developing targeted therapeutic and diagnostic approaches using an engineered plant virus with unique capabilities. This plant virus forms the basis of a novel nanoparticle drug delivery system for treating advanced metastatic cancer. See www.nanovectorinc.com .
Major Past Biomedical Technology Contributions
Over the years Dr. Oberhardt has led and/or participated in a number of first-of-a-kind technological developments, as well as industrial projects encompassing a wide range of scientific and engineering disciplines. This work included early research in novel biophysical characterization methods for antibody-antigen systems in autoimmune diseases, liposomes and particle-based immunologic detection systems, and the development of: automated blood chemistry and cell analyzers; blood glucose sensors; blood coagulation monitors; wearable insulin pumps; feedback-controlled intravenous infusion systems; catheters and tubes; novel immunodiagnostic technologies; novel separation technologies; continuous flow screening systems; blood collection devices; blood filtration systems; and others. Major contributions have included:
Problem Solving
Dr. Oberhardt’s latest passion is conducting workshops and training others in techniques for solving complex problems.
During his career, he has tackled and solved many complex biomedical technology and business problems and participated in many successes. He has positioned himself multiple times at the interface between technology and business, within large companies he worked for as well as in companies he founded, and through development and management consulting for both large and small organizations. He has seen much of what works and what doesn’t. However, since he had not seen much written on how to develop superior problem solving skills and specifically to bring them into the complex landscape of a business, especially if there is an entrenched culture, he decided to write about his experiences. This was a main driver for him to write “Dragonfly Thinking.”
The ability to tackle and solve extremely difficult problems has been the key to the greatest innovations in history. Innovations, more than any other factors, have propelled the US economy since the dawn of the industrial revolution. Now, more than ever before, jobs are being threatened by rapidly-evolving technology and outsourcing. Problem solving is becoming a must-have skill in order to stay competitive and valuable in today’s dynamic job market. Problem solvers generate economic growth and create new jobs and even new companies. They are our greatest asset for building the future we hope for.