Rick Lilly

Rick Lilly brings 19 years of medical device engineering experience to Zelegent, with a career that has focused on bio-resorbable, implantable medical devices, like the Elevo implant. Prior to Zelegent, Mr. Lilly spent three years as the Director of R&D for Articulinx, Inc., a company developing a small joint flexibility implant. Prior to Articulinx, he spent four years as the R&D Engineering Manager for Transcend Medical, Inc., in which he brought the inserter for the company’s ophthalmology device from concept to clinic in just four months. Prior to Transcend, he was the R&D Program Manager at Apneon, Inc., a company developing a complex implantable anti-snoring device, where he took over for Joseph Paraschac. He similarly succeeds Mr. Paraschac at Zelegent, who was the engineer who refined the Elevo implant design before him, and one of the most prolific inventors in the field of sleep apnea and suture handling.

Mr. Lilly is a named inventor on 11 issued medical device U.S. patents, including sutureless vessel plugs and ocular implantables, and holds a BSME degree from California Polytechnic State University.