Meet the Team
Thomas Lendvay
Co-founder & CEO
Dr. Lendvay is a surgeon and entrepreneur. He is currently on leave from his position as a Professor in the Department of Urology at the University of Washington and co-Director of Seattle Children’s Robotic Surgery Center, as he focuses on Tend. Dr. Lendvay was the co-founder and Chief Medical Officer of CSATS (acquired by Johnson & Johnson in 2018). His research and innovation focus on disruptive technologies to improve patient outcomes.
Kathleen Lendvay
Co-founder & COO
Kathleen has over 20 years experience in business consulting and management at Accenture and Point B, followed by senior executive positions in global health and social enterprise organizations. Most recently, Kathleen served as interim CEO at VitalTalk (healthcare) and FIRST Washington (STEM education).
Will DePaolo, PhD
Chief Scientific Officer
Will DePaolo is an immunologist, microbiome specialist, and microbiologist. Prior to joining Tend, Will was Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Washington and Director of the DePaolo Lab, a research laboratory working to understand the complex relationship between our immune system and the microbiota in different disease and nutritional states.
Advisors
Roslyn Hendriks, DVM, PhD
Roslyn Hendriks was founding CEO of Tend and remains as an advisor. Previously, she was the founding CEO of Immunexpress. Under her leadership, Immunexpress raised $42.5M, and developed the the first FDA-cleared RNA-based diagnostic for infectious disease. Immunexpress was awarded the Medtech Innovation Award 2018. Dr. Hendriks is a Fellow of NACD.
Christina Surawicz, MD
Dr. Surawicz is Emeritus Professor of Medicine at the University of Washington. She joined the faculty in the Gastroenterology Division in 1981, retiring in 2018. Her research interests include the use of fecal microbiota transplant in recurrent C difficile infection (CDI), with 118 peer reviewed publications. She has served on the FDA’s GI Drug advisory committee and was President (first woman) of the American College of Gastroenterology.
Rich Cohen
Rich Cohen is Vice President, Global Marketing at Boston Scientific. He has 25 years of experience in the global medical device market, with a focus on driving revenue, developing innovative business strategies, and commercializing new products.
Scott Weissman, MD
Associate Professor Scott Weissman is the Medical Director of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program at Seattle Children’s Hospital (SCH). As an NIH-funded investigator with over 60 peer-reviewed publications, Dr. Weissman is an expert in the clinical management of dysbiotic conditions including CDI and colonization with multi-drug-resistant Enterobacterales.
Rebecca Darr
Rebecca is co-Founder and principal at BIG Acts, a business strategy consultancy formed to help business leaders strategically take on the world's biggest challenges, as defined by the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Previously, Rebecca spent a decade as a senior fellow at the Aspen Institute, working for systems change in capital markets and in business.
Blake Hannaford, PhD
Blake Hannaford is a Professor of Electrical Engineering, Adjunct Professor of Bioengineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Surgery at the University of Washington. His teaching and sponsored research are in the areas of medical devices, embedded systems, haptic interfaces, and surgical technologies. Dr. Hannaford has also worked as an expert witness and consultant on patent protection and litigation.
Mark McWilliams
Mark McWilliams specializes in bringing new medical technology to market, having successfully taken three companies from concept to exit and served in various capacities ranging from Innovator, Founder, CEO, Board Member and Investor over the past 20 years.
Jeremy Litchfield
Jeremy is an experienced entrepreneur and brand strategist. Passionate about health and wellness, Jeremy founded Atayne, a company that creates high performing outdoor and athletic gear that is sensitive on the environment and safe for the people who make and use it. Jeremy loves to disrupt outdated business models and create financial value while also creating social and environmental value.