Category: MD&M MiniTec

Thank you for a great Medical Polymers MiniTec

On October 21 2025, MPD hosted our conference on Medical Polymers at MD&M Midwest in Minneapolis. We had a great time meeting old and new friends across the MedTech community. Speakers and attendees joined us from across industry and academia to discuss hot topics in Medical Polymers and Medtech.

Thank you to keynote speaker Mark Wehde, invited speakers Nate Doyle, Wei Zheng, Erik Foltz, Theresa Reineke, Heather Baeten, and Mike Kratochvil

Special thanks to the conference organizers Rob Klein, Joanne Moody, and Christopher Lyons. Well done!

Poster Session

And also a big thank you to poster presenters Thomas Meehan, MBA, Melissa Walsh, Ahmed Wadi, Prashant Pandey, Rajat Daga, Ashutosh Nehete, Holly Tian, Alison Block, Margaret Kumler, Sandra Shahriar, Sydney Haubenstricker, Aliha Nisha, and Cynthia Ge. High quality research and presentations from Eastman, University of Minnesota, and University of Mississippi!

Thank you to our conference sponsor PUNCH INDUSTRY CO., LTD: Cheryl Richardson and Hiroshi Noguchi.

Thank you to Informa for hosting the overall event and supporting our conference: Marissa Ray, Lauren Moore, Suzanne Deffree.

We had a great time and hope to be back again in 2026!

Wrapping up another successful year at the SPE MPD MiniTec Conference in Minneapolis during MD&M MidWest!

It was fantastic to reconnect with colleagues and see so many new and familiar faces. Here are some of the highlights from our one-day event:

Conference Highlights

Our special keynote featuring Dr. Art Erdman, Founding Director of the Bakken Medical Devices Center, set the tone with a thought-provoking presentation.

Speakers included:

• Rob Klein, AtriCure Inc.
• Chun Wang, University of Minnesota, Biomedical Engineering
• Wei Shen, University of Minnesota, Biomedical Engineering
• Chris Konitzer, Avient Corp.
• Patrick Haney, MTD Micro Molding
• Shrubs Manna, Foster Corp.
• Louis Somlai, Eli Lilly
• Chris Ellison, University of Minnesota, IPPRIME
• Wei Zheng, University of Wisconsin–Stout, Plastics Engineering
• Len Czuba, Czuba Enterprises
• Paul Briant, Exponent
• Kimberly Chaffin, Medtronic
• Chris Lyons, Exponent

This event featured presentations on innovations in materials, biopolymers, diagnostics, device-enabling polymers, drug delivery, design, manufacturing, 3D printing, testing, sterilization, and sustainability. Speakers included both academic and industry leaders in the medical devices industry.  We also held a successful student poster session. The top-ranked student poster award went to Marcus Flowers, UMN Biomedical Engineering.

Poster Session and Networking: 

The full-day conference was followed by a popular networking reception. MD&M Midwest brings together key players and industry experts who focus on the challenges and innovations shaping the industry.

Special Thanks

A special thank you to the team that made all this possible: Rob Klein, Chris Lyons, Len Czuba, Ron Dugas, Joanne Moody, and many others behind the scenes.

We’re proud to be part of MD&M Midwest, where collaboration drives the next wave of innovation in medical plastics. See you next year!