The NEATCap Team brings the following competencies to the development of our products.

Domain Expertise in the NICU Clinical Setting

The DREAMIES product concept arose from a needs analysis based on the NICU patient care experience of Dr Andrew Unger, MD (Chief of Neonatology and NICU Medical Director) and Ms Gayle Thear, MSN (NICU Manager and Nurse Educator), who each have over 30 years of experience caring for over 10,000 NICU graduates.  These domain experts have been involved in evolution of DREAMIES during all stages of development.   Dr Unger and Ms Thear play key roles in the development of clinical protocols, and education and training assessment materials for clinical studies associated with DREAMIES.

Clinical Trial Experience

Dr. Unger is an experienced NICU clinical trial researcher, having participated in multi-center trials with NICU patients involving surfactant, NO, post-natal steroid treatment of Chronic Lung Disease, Therapeutic Hypothermia for Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy, and probiotics in human-milk and formula feeding of premature infants.  

Ms. Thear has been the principal investigator of NICU nursing research projects including the use of cyclic lighting in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit to promote age-appropriate developmental care and better sleep patterns; improvement of work practices to decrease noise in the NICU; and reducing opioid-induced oversedation using the pasero opioid-induced sedation scale on the pediatric population.

Dr. Jack Whalen has direct experience in coordinating clinical trials of implantable medical devices, with an emphasis on assessments of safety and efficacy.  

Additionally, NEATCap Medical is teaming up with research clinicians at a leading university and regional hospitals for DREAMIES clinical studies and product evaluations.

Product Innovation, Development and Delivery

Dr Whalen has important experience in biomedical engineering as a senior member of early-stage medical device companies, and at the University of Southern California developing and transitioning new biomedical therapeutic technologies into the clinical setting.

Dr Fred Kimock has 30 years of personal experience in the development and integration of novel technologies into performance-based products and transitioning them into manufacturing, and executive business management.  He emphasizes a customer-centric approach, working closely with market innovators and early adopters to develop innovative solutions.  Dr. Kimock has taught this Invention-to-Market Innovation approach for entrepreneurship, development, and commercialization of new technologies at the university level.  He is the inventor of 27 U.S. patents and 3 patents pending and has published over 25 technical articles in peer-reviewed journals and trade publications

Regulatory and Compliance Expertise

NEATCap Medical has further bolstered its team with experienced support staff in medical product development, regulatory, and quality systems to facilitate manufacturing of its devices for commercialization.

Commercializing Innovative, Disruptive Technologies

Mr. Edward Thear, MBA, has years of sales and business development experience spanning “Concept to Commercialization” – identifying opportunities and building new businesses based on emerging and disruptive technologies – in the medical, semiconductor, and petroleum industries.  In addition to personal acumen in market research, marketing communications, technical sales, and support of advanced technologies, he brings a history of leading customer-focused and cross-functional teams comprising R&D, engineering, marketing, and manufacturing.  Mr. Thear has broad experience in establishing domestic and international commercialization partner networks.