Decades of Experience

iotaMotion, Inc. was founded in 2015 by Otolaryngologists from the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, which has been at the forefront of cochlear implant innovations for decades. We bring that deep experience into every product we have in development.

Our Vision & Values

iotaMotion is a company founded by surgeons committed to advancing cochlear implant surgery beyond human capability.

  • Innovation
  • Precision
  • Trust
  • Confidence

Leadership Team

Mike Lobinsky
President & CEO

Mike Lobinsky is an accomplished medical technology executive with more than 20 years of experience in the healthcare industry, spanning advanced capital equipment and precision surgical robotics. Prior to joining iotaMotion, he served as CEO of medical device developer EOS Imaging, which was acquired by ATEC Spine inc. in 2021. Mike has additionally served as U.S. Vice President – Robotics at Smith & Nephew PLC, which he joined through their 2016 acquisition of Blue Belt Technologies, a global innovator in handheld surgical robotics. He assembled and led Blue Belt Technologies’ US Sales efforts from commercialization through acquisition. Mike built and managed high performing teams at Stryker, Brainlab, and BioMedix earlier in his career.

Marlan Hansen, MD, FACS
Co-founder & Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Marlan Hansen is a co-founder and co-inventor of the company’s technology, and is a key opinion leader in cochlear implants based on his extensive clinical experience, publications and industry relationships. Dr. Hansen is an expert clinician-scientist trained in neurotology/skull base surgery and cell and molecular neurobiology. He is a Department Chair of Otolaryngology and a Professor of Neurosurgery and Molecular Physiology & Biophysics at the University of Iowa. Currently, his clinical practice focuses on both cochlear implants and surgery of the inner ear and skull base. He is active in research and publications, currently serving as the PI for a clinical trial funded by the Dept. of Defense to use hearing preservation electrodes to treat veterans with noise-induced hearing loss; and is co-investigator on the ongoing clinical trials at the University of Iowa that determine the outcomes achieved with hearing preservation cochlear implant surgery.

Costa Nikou
Chief Technology Officer

Costa Nikou joins IotaMotion after a long tenure in computer-assisted surgery and robotics, with a focus on Orthopedics.  At Carnegie Mellon University, Costa was part of the Hip Society Award-winning HipNav team, which developed the world’s first surgical navigation system for total hip replacement surgery.  Costa joined the medical device startup world in 2001 to serve as Director of Software Development at CASurgica, Inc., and later at Blue Belt Technologies in 2004, where his team pioneered handheld robotics for partial and total knee replacement surgery.  Costa then joined Smith and Nephew as part of the acquisition of Blue Belt in 2016, where he went on to lead Robotics Software Development and Systems Engineering.  Costa was honored as a Technical Fellow at Smith and Nephew and most recently served as one of few Senior Principal Engineers in the Research, Technology and Innovation division, working on new robotics and augmented reality applications.

Marie Calabria
Executive Vice President of Operations

Marie Calabria has held senior executive, operational and technical leadership positions in start-up and larger companies. Marie’s experience includes partnering with founders, CEO’s and executives at OrthAlign, Blue Belt Technologies, Smith & Nephew, Boston Scientific, ev3/Covidien and Pfizer across diverse therapeutic realms. Previously a program management consultant, both domestically and internationally, she designed and implemented successful quality and product realization pathways for global commercialization. Marie is responsible for overseeing the broader operations within iotaMotion including Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Quality, Customer Service and Regulatory

Wade Colburn
Vice President of Marketing & Clinical

Wade Colburn has been with iotaMotion since the initial commercialization of the iotaSOFT Insertion System.  A biomedical engineer by training, Wade leverages a wide range of experience to oversee Marketing and Clinical at iotaMotion.  With a wide range of experience in both medical device development process and Go-To-Market strategy development, he brings a diverse knowledge and understanding of the medical device industry – specifically the cochlear implant industry.  Specifically, Wade has worked as an engineer at Cook Medical, Product Manager at Cochlear and Product Line Manager at Bose Corp.  

Company Board of Directors

Eric B. Timko
Executive Chairman

Eric Timko joined iotaMotion as Executive Chairman in 2016, bringing with him over 25 years of experience in the medical industry. Previously, Mr. Timko was President and CEO of Blue Belt Technologies which was acquired by Smith and Nephew in January of 2016 for $275 million. Prior to joining Blue Belt, Mr. Timko served as President and CEO of NeuroVasx, Inc., President of Carl Zeiss Surgical, Inc., and as Vice President of Siemens Medical Systems, Inc. Mr. Timko possesses a proven track record in building an effective and profitable organization and brings vast experience in medical technologies at both the start-up and commercial stages and across many specialties such as orthopaedics, neurosurgery, ophthalmology and several others. Mr. Timko also serves on the Boards of XTANT Medical, as CEO of Orthalign and on the Minnesota Chapter of Folds of Honor.

Marlan Hansen, MD, FACS
Co-founder & Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Marlan Hansen is a co-founder and co-inventor of the company’s technology, and is a key opinion leader in cochlear implants based on his extensive clinical experience, publications and industry relationships. Dr. Hansen is an expert clinician-scientist trained in neurotology/skull base surgery and cell and molecular neurobiology. He is a Department Chair of Otolaryngology and a Professor of Neurosurgery and Molecular Physiology & Biophysics at the University of Iowa. Currently, his clinical practice focuses on both cochlear implants and surgery of the inner ear and skull base. He is active in research and publications, currently serving as the PI for a clinical trial funded by the Dept. of Defense to use hearing preservation electrodes to treat veterans with noise-induced hearing loss; and is co-investigator on the ongoing clinical trials at the University of Iowa that determine the outcomes achieved with hearing preservation cochlear implant surgery.

Mike Lobinsky
President & CEO

Mike Lobinsky is an accomplished medical technology executive with more than 20 years of experience in the healthcare industry, spanning advanced capital equipment and precision surgical robotics. Prior to joining iotaMotion, he served as CEO of medical device developer EOS Imaging, which was acquired by ATEC Spine inc. in 2021. Mike has additionally served as U.S. Vice President – Robotics at Smith & Nephew PLC, which he joined through their 2016 acquisition of Blue Belt Technologies, a global innovator in handheld surgical robotics. He assembled and led Blue Belt Technologies’ US Sales efforts from commercialization through acquisition. Mike built and managed high performing teams at Stryker, Brainlab, and BioMedix earlier in his career.

Chris Martin
President, Medical Devices at Research Corporation Technologies, Inc.

Chris Martin is President, Medical Devices & CFO of Research Corporation Technologies, Inc. (RCT).  RCT is a technology investment company with over $1 billion in assets. Along with his management responsibilities, Mr. Martin directs RCT’s medical device team and portfolio of investments. Mr. Martin is a member of the RCT Board of Directors and serves on the board of a number of RCT’s portfolio companies. He received a BS in Biology from the University of Michigan, an MS in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Southern California, and an MBA from The Anderson School at UCLA.

Wayne Wallace
Co-Founder of Mutual Capital Partners

Wayne co-founded Mutual Capital Partners Funds in 2004 and leads the firm’s healthcare investing practice.  He has been instrumental in setting MCPF’s healthcare strategy and establishing the firm’s credibility within the healthcare vertical.  Previously, Wayne worked in investment banking for both National City Investments and McDonald & Company.  Wayne was the first employee hired by the new co-heads of the investment banking group and played an integral role in sourcing and executing transactions, recruiting talented professionals, and significantly growing the group’s revenue.  Wayne’s exits in medical technology include Cleveland Heartlab (Sold to NYSE: DGX), TGX Medical (Sold to NASDAQ: IART), and OrthoHelix Surgical Designs (Sold to NASDAQ: TRNX).  While Wayne was on the OrthoHelix board the company’s revenue grew over 8,000% and the exit generated more than a 5x cash on cash return.  Wayne currently sits on the board of multiple venture backed medical device companies.  Wayne holds a B.S. in in Business Administration with a specialty in Finance from The Ohio State University and was named One of Northeast Ohio’s Leading Young Executives.  Wayne serves as Immediate Past Chairman on the Lakewood Catholic Academy board of directors and resides in Lakewood, Ohio with his wife Kristen and three children.

Mike Crook
Independent Board Director – President & COO at Grace Medical

Mike is President and Chief Operating Officer at Grace Medical, a global leader focused in otology.  He has more than 30 years experience in the medical device industry. He joined Grace Medical in 2007, after serving as Senior Vice President Otology Business Unit for Gyrus ENT.  Mike spent 14 years with Gyrus and its predecessor, Smith & Nephew ENT. During that period he served in a number of capacities, including Vice President of Sales and Group Director Global Marketing.  Mike began his career with Treace Medical in 1986, continuing with Xomed-Treace following the merger of the two companies. He currently serves as Vice Chair Board of Directors for the Greater Memphis Medical Device Council.  Mike holds a BS in Marketing from the University of Mississippi.

Scientific Advisory Board

Marlan Hansen, MD, FACS
Co-founder & Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Marlan Hansen is a co-founder and co-inventor of the company’s technology, and is a key opinion leader in cochlear implants based on his extensive clinical experience, publications and industry relationships. Dr. Hansen is an expert clinician-scientist trained in neurotology/skull base surgery and cell and molecular neurobiology. He is a Department Chair of Otolaryngology and a Professor of Neurosurgery and Molecular Physiology & Biophysics at the University of Iowa. Currently, his clinical practice focuses on both cochlear implants and surgery of the inner ear and skull base. He is active in research and publications, currently serving as the PI for a clinical trial funded by the Dept. of Defense to use hearing preservation electrodes to treat veterans with noise-induced hearing loss; and is co-investigator on the ongoing clinical trials at the University of Iowa that determine the outcomes achieved with hearing preservation cochlear implant surgery.

Bruce Gantz, MD
Neurotologist

Dr. Gantz is a Professor and Chair emeritus of the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Iowa. Dr. Gantz’s research interests include: cochlear implants, management of facial paralysis, hearing preservation in acoustic tumor and skull-base surgery and management of cochleostoma. He is the principle investor of the Iowa Cochlear Implant Clinical Research Center, funded by the NIH since 1985.  A world-renowned neurotologist, Dr. Gantz is known for advancing cochlear implantation forward in a number of areas including performing the first multi-channel pediatric cochlear implant in the United States and the invention and implantation of the first hybrid cochlear implant in the world.  Further, Dr. Gantz was the first to perform a robotic-assisted cochlear implantation with the iotaSOFT® Insertion System.

J. Thomas Roland, Jr., MD
Neurotologist

Dr. Roland serves as Chair of the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at NYU Langone Medical Center. Dr. Roland is a pioneer in investigating cochlear implant insertion forces and has lead work in early experimental robotic systems. He has significantly advanced the state-of-the-art for ENT patient care through a strong focus on translational and scientific research. Dr. Roland received his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania, and his MD from Temple University School of Medicine before his residency and fellowship at NYU Medical Center.

Craig Buchman, MD
Neurotologist

Dr. Buchman is the Lindburg Professor and Head of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at the Washington School of Medicine in St. Louis. Dr. Buchman is a renowned leader in cochlear implants, specifically electrocochleography and its role as an indicator of insertion trauma. He is one of the most active cochlear implant surgeons in the country and his research interests are broad in the field of hearing loss and rehabilitation. Dr. Buchman received his Bachelor’s degree in Microbiology from the University of Georgia, and his MD from the University of Florida before his residency in Otolaryngology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and a fellowship in Otology / Neurotology / Skull Base Surgery at House Ear Institute and Clinic.

Camille Dunn, PhD
Research Audiologist

Camille Dunn, PhD, joined the Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Iowa in 2003 where she is an Associate Professor and the Director of the Iowa Cochlear Implant Clinical Research Center.  She received her Doctor of Philosophy Degree in 2003 from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Dr. Dunn holds her Audiology license from the State of Iowa and maintains her Certificate of Clinical Competence in Audiology. She is a Principal Investigator on a NIH-funded grant to determine the impact of intervention on user’s hearing-related functions and disability in their natural environments

Let’s work together

We are a growing medical robotics company based in St. Paul, MN with offices located in Pittsburgh, PA and Iowa City, IA. We value innovation, diverse thought, and creative problem-solving. Our work is meaningful, not just to the industry but in its impact on the quality of life of our patients.

Careers at iota