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MDPTC 2023 Honorees Share Achievements, Advice

At thePACKout, industry experts Amy Stewart, Kent Hevenor, and Ryan Erickson were honored for their contributions to the medical device packaging community.

Amy Stewart, Kent Hevenor, and Ryan Erickson were honored for their contributions to the medical device packaging community.
Amy Stewart, Kent Hevenor, and Ryan Erickson were honored for their contributions to the medical device packaging community.

Each year, the IoPP Medical Device Packaging Technical Committee honors deserving members of the medical device packaging community, based on career achievements, experience, contributions that align with MDPTC’s mission, and more. The nominations are submitted by members and reviewed by a volunteer committee.

David DiVaccaro, head of DiVaccaro Consulting Group, LLC, announced the 2023 winners at thePACKout in May.

Speaking on the origins of the award, DiVaccaro explained, “Curt Larsen had such a huge influence on our industry. A lot of people had nice things to say to him, but unfortunately, he had already passed. So that was the impetus to do this—to make sure we recognize those who've made significant contributions.”

The following year, in 2020, they launched the award and John Spitzley became the first official honoree. “He was extremely well deserving, so that was a really easy decision. Since then, we've continued to have great nominees. In year two, Nick Fotis was chosen, and then in year three it was Jan Gates—these are very well recognized people.

“This year, it was a different mix. We had a senior person with Kent Hevenor who’s given so much over the years. Amy Stewart was recognized for her contributions directly to the MDPTC and our members, and then the Fundamentals course that we're offering now which has been a huge hit and a significant benefit to our members. Ryan Erickson has made a number of presentations over the years at different events, and has done a lot of mentoring for younger engineers. His lab is one of the leading labs in our business.”

While most people working in medical device packaging are understandably quite busy, DiVaccaro notes that it’s important to pause and honor leaders: “This is one of those rewarding things. There are always other demands for your time, but this one is really, at the end of the day, it feels good.”

Here, the three 2023 honorees share how they feel about the honor and their advice:

Amy Stewart, product development manager, Printpack

 Amy Stewart, product development manager, PrintpackAmy Stewart, product development manager, Printpack

What’s a career achievement you’ve been proud of?

Certainly, the MDPTC Honor Award is a mark of reaching a milestone professionally. I am working with technical experts in the industry, collaborating from different perspectives and delivering explicit value in our sterilization packaging market. The real achievement is finding like-minded people who share the same core values for the collective win. That foundation of mutual respect and trust is what makes technical committees to professional development initiatives successful.

How did winning this award make you feel?

I looked up the word "honor," and it humbles me to consider the contrast to "recognition". To lead a technical or leadership team requires challenging tacit knowledge and championing exploration for better approaches and new solutions. Establishing the right team culture allows us to have healthy debate, manage through difficulties and come out successful or be supportive when there are failures. My goal will always be to conduct myself in a way people have a distinguishably positive experience. 

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