Our Vision and Values
Viortec is an orthopaedic technology company, unified by the goal of improving the quality of life of patients needing joint replacement surgery.
Using the most advanced electronics, robotics and 3D printing technology enables us to deliver the most direct and effective solutions for people needing hip and knee surgery.
Our Executive
Dr Tom Ward and Dr Catherine Galvin founded Viortec in Canberra, Australia, in 2021, combining their expertise in orthopaedic surgery and engineering project development.
The Viortec executive team includes Professor Paul Smith, Dr Tom Ward, Dr Catherine Galvin, and Dr Nicolo Malagutti.
The title ‘Viortec’ is derived from ‘violets’, the emblem of a school for children with disabilities in Cambodia where Tom volunteered as a university student. This humbling experience gave Tom a lasting impression that even simple orthopaedic technology could profoundly transform people’s lives.
Dr Catherine Galvin
CEO & Co-founder
CPEng FIEAust BE Electrical&Electronic(Hons), BSp&ExSc(Hons)
Catherine is a Chartered Electrical Engineer and an academic at ANU.
Her passion is to develop incredible engineering teams that provide innovative engineering solutions that assist surgeons in providing the highest quality care to their patients.
As an Electrical Engineer, Catherine was trained to offer creative and technical solutions to critical problems requiring innovation, imagination and teamwork.
Dr Nicolo Malagutti
CTO
Nicolo is an engineer with over 15 years experience in the biomedical field, having occupied positions in clinical and technological research & development organisations in Australia and Overseas. He is currently an academic with the Australian National University and has recently completed 5-years as CTO of a cardiovascular technology start-up company in the USA.
Nicolo holds Bachelor and Master degrees in Biomedical Engineering (from Politecnico di Milano, Italy) and a PhD in Engineering from the Australian National University. He has diverse and broad expertise across biomechanics, modelling and simulation of biological systems, biomedical sensors and instrumentation technology.
He is passionate about leading teams in multi-disciplinary development environments where clinical and technological contributions can synergise to drive innovative and transformative outputs.
Dr Tom Ward
CMO & Co-founder
Tom is a triple fellowship trained orthopaedic surgeon, with subspecialty interests in hip, knee and trauma surgery. Tom’s subspecialty training was at the world renowned Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, Oxford University Hospitals, and in Canberra with Prof Paul Smith, Dr Al Burns and Dr Phil Aubin.
A Rhodes Scholar, Tom holds honours degrees in medicine from ANU, and in engineering from QUT, with a university medal. In 2005, Tom was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy degree in knee replacement research from the University of Oxford. In 2009, Tom was recognised as the Outstanding Young Alumnus of QUT, and was a Young Australian of the Year finalist in the ACT.
Beyond his clinical work, Tom has contributed to prosthetics and orthotics training in Cambodia since 2000, and has consulted internationally for McKinsey and Company, in both the USA and the Middle East.
As a senior lecturer at the ANU medical school, Tom’s ongoing research is focused on improving the movement of hip and knee joints, making hip replacements more stable, and innovations using 3D printing and robotics in orthopaedic surgery.
Prof Paul Smith
CMO
Professor Paul Smith AM is one of Australia’s most experienced and highly regarded hip and knee surgeons, having performed over 5000 hip and knee replacement procedures. He is Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Australian National University, Director of the Trauma and Orthopaedic Research Unit at the Canberra Hospital and the John Curtin School of Medical Research, and Orthopaedic Unit Director at the Canberra Hospital. Professor Smith is chair of the Australian Orthopaedic Association (ACT Branch) and also Chair of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (ACT Branch)
Our Engineering Team
Catherine and Tom started Viortec to provide opportunities for young engineers to work alongside clinicians in medical device innovation and offer technological solutions to complex issues.
The work at Viortec aims to develop technology that improves surgical safety and outcomes. The Viortec team is currently working on devices to improve knee replacement surgery outcomes.
Photo of Viortec Griffin Accelerator Team – Olivia, Jim and Dr Catherine Galvin
(Image courtesy of Canberra Innovation Network)
Want to get involved?
We expect those who join us will share our goals, spare no effort in pursuing them, and treat each other with respect. We are a meritocracy – talented, driven people who work hard will succeed with us.
By encouraging diversity in our team, we seek talent in all places enabling us to form the very best team, committed to pursuing our vision.
Are you an engineer and would like to get involved in developing our innovative technologies? Or are you an operator in the medical field and would like to be the first to know about new tools? We would love to hear from you. Please get in touch with us using the form below.