SEATTLE, WASHINGTON — SafKan Health, the makers of the FDA-cleared OtoSet® Ear Cleaning System, has announced the appointment of Susan Whichard as Vice President of Commercialization (PT) and Scott Krell as Senior Director of Research & Development.
Susan Whichard, in a part-time capacity, will support SafKan Health’s efforts in cultivating strategic relationships. Her role will accelerate clinical research and collaborations with healthcare organizations to drive innovation in ear and hearing care.
FDA-Cleared OtoSet® Ear Cleaning System by SafKan Health
Whichard joins SafKan Health with over 30 years of experience in the hearing industry, having worked as a practicing audiologist and as a business executive. She was Vice President of Product Development and Marketing at ReSound and at InSound Medical, the startup that developed Lyric®. Following the acquisition of Lyric in 2010, Susan joined Phonak as Vice President of Business Development and Industry Relations. In 2018, Susan started consulting and has worked with startups such as Lantos, Lively, Heimideina, and Neuromod.
“With Susan, SafKan Health has commercialization support from a leader who has helped establish and grow disruptive medical products. Susan will help us do the same at SafKan Health by delivering our OtoSet Ear Cleaning System to frontline healthcare professionals.”
–Sahil Diwan, Chief Executive Officer of SafKan Health
“I am thrilled to join SafKan Health in this role as I know well the need for cerumen management as a part of total ear and hearing care,” said Susan Whichard. “OtoSet delivers a novel and consumer friendly solution to a necessary part of clinical practice.”
As Senior Director of Research & Development, Scott Krell will oversee SafKan Health’s product strategy and execution across the complete lifecycle. Krell will translate the company’s vision of helping all people have better ear and hearing care outcomes into commercially successful products.
Krell joins SafKan Health from Thermo Fisher and Philips Sonicare, where he served as Senior Program Manager and owned the product development lifecycle from concept to commercialization for high-volume medical products.
“Scott brings invaluable vision and execution to our product team. We have a pipeline of products and solutions focused on ear and hearing care. With Scott’s leadership, SafKan Health will be well-positioned to have a global impact on improving patient health in the years ahead.”
–Aadil Diwan, Chief Technology Officer of SafKan Health
“I am grateful to join such an inspired and passionate team of people,” said Scott Krell. “OtoSet is already FDA-cleared and being used by healthcare professionals to treat their patients at the initial point of care. And the best is yet to come.”
About SafKan Health
SafKan Health is a Seattle-based startup addressing impacted earwax, which affects 35 million Americans and is the leading cause of conductive hearing loss. The company’s first product, OtoSet®, is the first automated and FDA-cleared ear cleaning device. SafKan Health recently landed its Series A round and was an honoree of Fast Company’s Innovation by Design Awards for the best health designs of 2023.
