Minneapolis, MN - The SMTA and MEPTEC are proud to announce the keynote speakers for their co-organized 2009 Medical Electronics Symposium: Drivers for Technology, Health and the Economy on September 16-17, 2009 at Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ. Peter C. Tortorici, Medtronic Microelectronics Center, will present the keynote address on Implantable Medical Devices during the first day of the symposium. The second day will feature a keynote presentation on Implantable Medical Electronics by Paul Gerrish, Medtronic Microelectronics Center.

Peter C. Tortorici, Process Development Manager at Medtronic Microelectronics Center, will present "Implantable Medical Devices: Past Successes, Current Status, Future Possibilities and Challenges." His presentation will consist of a review of implantable medical devices for cardiac care and examples of how the therapies have migrated to treat a variety of illnesses. While cases can be made that implantable devices may have reached entitlement in certain markets, many possibilities exist to make the therapies more patient-friendly. Device manufacturers are also adapting to the ever-changing market and regulatory dynamics. Examples of technology innovations enabling increased functionality and sizing will be illustrated. Finally, thoughts on future innovation and challenges will be discussed.

Paul Gerrish, Director of Technology Development at Medtronic Microelectronics Center, will present "Implantable Medical Electronics: A Leading Application for Integrated 3D Systems." Implantable medical electronics applications offer both elements of a complete electronic system (sensing, processing, communication, energy) and one where miniaturization offered by 3D system integration can offer real benefits towards enhanced therapies. As such, they are well positioned to be a leading adopter of this type of system integration. However, substantial challenges remain in that these markets remain low volume with long development and regulatory cycle times with increasingly high expectations for reliability and cost reduction that must be addressed as part of a comprehensive approach to making these systems a reality in the marketplace.