Team Bios

Larry Sandell

CEO

Larry is an experienced medical device entrepreneur and patent attorney with over a decade of industry expertise. His passion is to commercialize innovative medical device technologies and save and improve patients’ lives. Larry is excited to take the OPAD to market to standardize and improve patient care when it comes to the commonly-performed intubation procedure (23 million+ US annually). Larry has a BSE in Biomedical and Electrical Engineering from Duke University Pratt School of Engineering and a Juris Doctorate from The George Washington University Law School.

Dr. James Gayes, MD

Founder, President & Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Gayes is a cardiac anesthesiologist and airway expert practicing for over 30 years, with academic interest in anesthesia for patients with cardiovascular disease, obesity, and obstructive sleep apnea. He has experience with complex airway management of thousands of patients in the operating room, ER, procedural suites, and patient wards.

Obesity is the single most important comorbidity impacting a provider’s ability to successfully position, ventilate and intubate patients. Dr. Gayes developed the OPAD Airway Management Device because he saw a need to improve and standardize airway management across all hospital and NORA venues. He designed the initial technology with a team of medical and biomedical engineering professionals to address this need.

Dr. Gayes received his MD degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and completed an anesthesiology residency and cardiovascular anesthesia fellowship at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Gayes has been a visiting Instructor in Anesthesia at Stanford University Medical Center and past manuscript Editor for both the Journal of Cardiovascular & Thoracic Anesthesia and Anesthesiology. He has lectured nationally and internationally and has published over thirty original journal articles and book chapters.

Rob Kimmer

COO

Rob is an experienced COO, start-up founder, early-stage growth leader, attorney, and project manager who has led teams to success for over 20 years. He has been COO of two software start-ups, and served as General Counsel and Project Manager/Project Coordinator of three companies. He is also an experienced attorney specializing in the areas of intellectual property law. He has held leadership positions at numerous national/international law firms and corporations. Rob is a graduate of Emory University and has a Juris Doctorate from The George Washington University Law School with a focus on Intellectual Property Law.

Diane Gayes, RN

Chief Nursing Officer

Diane has over eleven years of hands-on clinical nursing for patients in the intensive care unit, emergency room, medical ward, and operating rooms. Her clinical nursing expertise provides insight into the risks and challenges of caring for obese patients. This includes a recognition of the importance to reduce potential injury for both patients and healthcare providers.

Over the past 30 years, her enthusiasm for healthcare outreach included positions as lead volunteer for the development and implementation of local and international health intervention and preventive health education curriculums. She has a deep appreciation and understanding for the increasing global population of obese patients who require specialized clinical attention. She shares a passion to integrate the OPAD into global healthcare.