ARTICLE SUMMARY:
We mourn the loss of our beloved colleague and friend, David Cassak.
It is with profound sadness that we share the news that David Cassak, co-founder and co-editor of MedTech Strategist, recently passed away peacefully. With a career spanning over 35 years covering the life sciences, David was a nationally recognized expert on the medical device industry. He started working with his father, Albert Cassak, and his sister, Laurie Cassak, on Surgical Business, a leading publication in the hospital supply industry, as well as Health Industry Today, which covered home healthcare.
In 1989, David, along with his partner Roger Longman, co-founded Windhover Information and for many years was the head of the medtech team for both IN VIVO and Start-Up magazines. In 2008, Windhover was acquired by Reed Elsevier to form Elsevier Business Intelligence, where David oversaw the medical device coverage in IN VIVO, Start-Up, MedTech Insight, and The Gray Sheet.
In 2014, together with his partner Stephen Levin, he co-founded Innovation in Medtech, publishers of MedTech Strategist and Market Pathways and organizers of the Medtech Innovation Summit series of investor conferences in Dublin and San Diego. They also co-founded the Phoenix Medical Device & Diagnostics Conference and the Bohemian Medical Device Summit. Over the course of the past 35-plus years, David was widely known throughout the device industry via his articles, conference interviews of CEOs and industry leaders, and appearances at company events.
More important than his vast industry knowledge and willingness to share his expertise, David will be remembered for his kindness of spirit, generosity of time, and unfailing good humor, which touched everyone he met. Many in the industry also either met or knew of his twin brother, Lance, who while not a part of the medtech industry, shared David’s intellect, good nature, and humor, and passed away earlier this year. David is survived by his wife Nancy and children Evan and Amalya. Both David and Lance were true mensches and will be sorely missed. May their memories always be a blessing.
