Piet Hinoul Joins Virtual Incision as Chief Medical Officer

Virtual Incision Corporation has appointed global healthcare executive Piet Hinoul, M.D., Ph.D., as chief medical officer (CMO). Current CMO Dmitry Oleynikov, M.D., has assumed the newly established role of chief surgeon, focusing on the research and development of new RAS technology. The expansion of the team strengthens Virtual Incision at a transformative point in its trajectory as it develops new market growth strategies for its MIRA Surgical System.

“During Dr. Oleynikov’s tenure as CMO, we have evolved into a mature company with a miniaturized system that has the potential to impact millions of patients,” Virtual Incision President/CEO John Murphy said. “We’re thankful for his continued contributions to Virtual Incision and his dedication to helping make MIRA a reality.”
 
In addition to Oleynikov’s current role as chair of the Department of Surgery at Monmouth Medical Center, he will continue to support Virtual Incision’s efforts in the area of robotic-assisted minimally invasive general surgery under his new role as chief surgeon. He has contributed to more than 200 peer-reviewed articles, 250 abstract presentations, 11 issued patents, and 42 patent applications in the area of surgical robotics and surgical outcomes research. He was a critical stakeholder in developing the MIRA Surgical System with Virtual Incision Co-Founder/Chief Technology Officer Shane Farritor, Ph.D. 
 
Dr. Hinoul has 30 years of healthcare experience, half of which have been spent in the medtech industry. Most recently, Dr. Hinoul served as senior vice president and global head of medical affairs for Novocure. Prior to that, he was the global head of preclinical, clinical, and medical affairs for Ethicon Inc., the surgical subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson. Beyond his industry expertise, Dr. Hinoul is a European board-certified gynecologist with 15 years of clinical practice. He is widely published and has lectured internationally on urogynecology, surgery, and medical device innovation.
 
“Clinical excellence has served as the bedrock of Virtual Incision since its inception in 2006, and our commitment to that excellence is reinforced by the addition of Dr. Hinoul to our leadership team,” Murphy stated. “He is an accomplished global physician executive with a demonstrated track record of success. I am confident Dr. Hinoul’s broad experience with post-market medical affairs activities, in addition to his clinical background in women’s health, will critically boost our ability for future planning and execution in the U.S. and internationally on a variety of indications for MIRA. ”
 
MIRA is the world’s first miniaturized robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) system. Its small, sleek design is planned to offer the benefits of RAS during bowel resection procedures without the logistical inefficiencies of traditional mainframe robotics. The device weighs approximately two pounds and offers internal triangulation with shoulders, arms, and infinite wrist roll inside of the body. It can be used in any operating room—a dedicated mainframe room is unnecessary. With its drape- and dock-free design and portability, MIRA is quick to set up, clean up, and move between cases. Its conveniently accessible design positions it to be used as a standalone system or a complementary tool for facilities that already own a mainframe. With MIRA, every operating room is RAS-ready.
 
Virtual Incision aims to simplify robotic-assisted surgery (RAS). Headquartered in Lincoln, Neb., and holding more than 200 patents and patent applications, the company is developing MIRA, the first-of-its-kind miniature RAS platform.