Scientific Advisory Board

Bryan J. McEntire, MBA, PhD, is Emeritus Scientific Officer for SINTX Technologies Inc., a position he held from 2012 until retiring in 2021. He was Vice President of Manufacturing from 2004 and Vice President of Research from 2006.

Dr. McEntire has more than 45 years of experience in research, development, and production of advanced ceramics, including positions at Ceramatec (Plant Manager, Salt Lake City, UT, USA), Norton/TRW Ceramics (Vice President, Northboro, MA, USA), Saint-Gobain Advanced Ceramics (General Manager, E. Granby, CT, USA), and Applied Materials Corporation (Senior Director, Santa Clara, CA, USA).
Dr. McEntire is the author or co-author of over 150 peer-reviewed publications, an inventor or co-inventor of 15+ patents, and a Fellow of the American Ceramic Society. He resides in Salt Lake City, UT, USA, with his family.

He also served as an editor of the 2024 Springer reference work Silicon Nitride Bioceramics.

Dr. Kurtz serves as a part-time associate research professor and director of the Implant Research Center at Drexel University’s School of Biomedical Engineering, Science, and Health Systems. Dr. Kurtz has expertise in the clinical performance of polyethylene, ceramic, and metal-on-metal hip implants. His professional career involved the evaluation of medical device technologies, from a combined analytical, experimental, and clinical perspective. His research activities have emphasized real-world clinical performance of medical devices, including orthopedic, spine, and cardiovascular implants, as assessed by human implant retrieval specimens and national health care databases; mechanical behavior of synthetic biomaterials; contact mechanics of artificial joints; and structural evaluation of bone-implant systems.

Dr. Kurtz is active in many professional societies, including the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons, the Hip Society, the Knee Society, and the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). Dr. Kurtz has edited seven books and written over 200 journal articles and 460 conference abstracts. He is the founding editor of two educational websites: the UHMWPE Lexicon (www.uhmwpe.org) and the Medical PEEK Lexicon (www.medicalpeek.org). He has co-edited STP 1560: Metal-on-Metal Total Hip Replacement Devices for the ASTM in 2013 and recently completed the UHMWPE Biomaterials Handbook, 3rd Edition, which will be published in October 2015.

Dr. Scheer is an orthopedic surgeon and founder of SiNAPTIC Technologies. He brings experience in clinical care, entrepreneurship, and the development of advanced ceramic technologies for medical applications.

Dr. Scheer co-founded Rural Partners in Medicine in 2010 after being frustrated with the traditional “outreach” model. He felt there he could safely perform most of his orthopedic cases in Critical Access Hospitals, so he pushed back against the model, contracting with individual hospitals to keep patients and revenue local. Quickly, the demand became larger than what he could supply, so he started recruiting fellow orthopedic surgeons to help.

Since that time, he has worked closely with our hospital partners to hear the needs of their community and grow their service offerings. He is constantly innovating new ways to solve the inequities in rural health care by making specialty care all in reach. After receiving his medical degree at the University of Nevada and orthopedic training at the University of Oklahoma, Dr. Scheer moved to Scottsbluff, NE. During his time in the Scottsbluff, he started and managed a busy orthopedic practice, was a founding member and managing partner of a vibrant surgery center, was the President of the County Medical Society and was medical director of the hospital’s physical therapy department. In addition to being board certified and holding specialty certification by the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery, Dr. Scheer has been regularly distinguished by his patients as well as peers and has taught at the clinical professor level.

Dr. Edwards is a board-certified neurosurgeon who has practiced in Utah Valley since 2015. His experience in minimally invasive and restorative spine procedures provides practical clinical perspective relevant to device development and surgeon adoption.

With a focus in comprehensive brain and spine management, focusing on root-cause analysis, coordinated care, and surgical precision when surgery is truly needed.

Dr. Edwards is deeply committed to multidisciplinary collaboration and education. He leads weekly multidisciplinary rounds, founded the

Annual Summit Conference, and serves as the driving force behind Summit Medical Institute, bringing providers together to improve patient outcomes through shared knowledge and teamwork.

Colorado Springs native, G. Alex Simpson, DO, is a Board-Certified and Fellowship Trained Orthopedic Surgeon with specialized training in the foot and ankle. Being a Colorado Springs native, after Dr. Simpson completed his orthopaedic trainings, he wanted to bring his expertise back to the place he’s always called home and ensure our community has access to the highest quality care possible for any lower extremity injuries. He is an expert in sports injuries including tendon and ligament injury, arthritis care, ankle replacements, deformities, and trauma of the foot and ankle. Dr. Simpson completed his fellowship in complex orthopedic foot and ankle surgery and worked alongside many physicians who have developed the current standards in Total Ankle Replacements.