Meet Our Team
Our team of distinguished entrepreneurs, engineers, medical doctors, & professional research scientists have developed a simple, safe, reliable, and easy-to-use method for routine sampling of upper gastrointestinal content.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
As a bioengineer of 35+ years with over 60 patents / patent applications and over 150 scientific publications, Dr. Shandas specializes in translating novel ideas into clinical practice. Both a successful academic scientist and entrepreneur, he has had several notable achievements including founding the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus and the Center for Bioengineering at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. He has started up 8 medtech companies in fields ranging from active materials for minimally invasive surgical devices to vascular ultrasound imaging to sports medicine, and currently leads EnteroTrack as a co-founder and CEO. Check out Dr. Shandas’ published works here
Chief Medical Officer (CMO)
With more than three decades working in medicine, Dr. Furuta is a well-known clinician-scientist in gastroenterology, with specialization in esophageal diseases. Dr. Furuta has earned multiple Patient Family Experiences Awards for his clinical dedication, is currently a tenured Professor of Pediatrics and Chief of the Gastroenterology and Hepatology Division at the University of Colorado Department of Pediatrics. He is a co-founder of EnteroTrack and serves as our Chief Medical Officer. Check out Dr. Furuta’s published research here.
Chief Scientific Officer (CSO)
With a PhD from McGill University, and 45+ years of research experience, Dr. Ackerman is recognized internationally in the basic scientific and clinical-translational realms. He has successfully developed immunoassays for medical diagnostics, and novel therapeutics, with over 6 patents, finding success in allergic diseases, with emphasis on the roles of eosinophils in their pathogenesis. He has held faculty positions at the Mayo Clinic, Harvard Medical School and University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), where he directed and taught in courses including medical biochemistry/metabolism. Dr. Ackerman has been recognized with many awards, including UIC Departmental Faculty of the Year, and Past President and 1st Service Award of the International Eosinophil Society. He is a co-founder of EnteroTrack and serves as our Chief Scientific Officer. Check out Dr. Ackerman’s published works here.
Bioengineer & Personnel Manager
Kat earned her Master's degree in Bioengineering and is currently pursuing her PhD in Bioengineering at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus with a focus on innovation in gastrointestinal medicine, aiming to contribute significantly to the field of medical diagnostics.
Director of R&D and Technical Operations
With a PhD from the University of Colorado Boulder in Mechanical Engineering, Dr. Lammers is a 20-year veteran of engineering operations, research, and medical innovation. Dr. Lammers holds multiple patents in medical device design. He serves as EnteroTrack’s Director of R&D and Technical Operations. To learn more about his research and publications, see Dr. Lammer’s research here.
Bioengineer
Brittany earned her Bachelor of Science in bioengineering and is currently pursuing her master's degree in Bioengineering at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. Brittany works on RA/QA and Technical Operations at EnteroTrack.
Scientist and Lab Manager
Having received a Ph.D. in Bioengineering from the University of Kansas and postdoctoral experience at the University of Colorado Denver Anschutz Medical Campus, Dr. VeDepo has substantial experience with biotechnology, laboratory assays, and bioengineering. He has laboratory and project management experience in areas ranging from cardiovascular tissue engineering, bioreactor design, immunoassay development, and iPSC disease modeling. He has won multiple awards, including the Outstanding Doctoral Research Award at the University of Kansas and participated in the Colorado Academic
Manufacturing and Design Engineer
Bhargavi completed her Bachelor’s in Bioengineering at Oregon State University, and her Master’s in Bioengineering at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. Her M.S. project focused on user needs finding within the medical device development process, with a focus on developing a decision-making flowchart for early-stage entrepreneurs and individual consultants. Bhargavi has a passion for STEM, where during her undergraduate career, she has worked on the executive board of Engineers Without Borders, and as an outreach coordinator with the Biomedical Engineering Society to get younger students involved in the STEM field.
Research Scientist
Joe earned his Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from the Colorado School of Mines. He is now furthering his education as a Bioengineering PhD student at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus with a focus on the early detection of esophageal adenocarcinoma, aiming to contribute significantly to the field of medical diagnostics.
Research Scientist
Alex earned his Bachelor of Arts in Biochemistry from the University of Colorado Boulder. He is now furthering his education as a Bioengineering Master's student at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus with a focus on the human microbiome, aiming to contribute to translational research.
