Carlozzi, of Integra, Dies At 56

Gerard S. Carlozzi, 56, the former executive vice-president and chief operating officer of Integra LifeSciences Corporation, died on Christmas Day, 2012, at Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia. Carlozzi died of pancreatic cancer. He is survived by his wife Kathy, with whom he shared 35 years of marriage, four children, Brian, Christine, Stephanie and Nicole, and two brothers and a sister. Funeral services will be held on December 29 at St. Peter Church, West Brandywine, Massachusetts.

Anthony Viscogliosi, of Viscogliosi Brothers LLC, told OTW, “Marc, John and I had the good fortune and blessing to know Gerry for at least 15 years. Gerry was dear to us all as a cherished friend, colleague, business partner, board member, competitor, mentor, guide and counselor. He was always true, fair, spoke from the heart, was really committed to what he believed and gave his all. A kind and giving man in every way.”

In 1979 Carlozzi joined InfusAid, Inc. where he helped develop implantable devices that delivered chemotherapy drugs to patients. He credits the time spent with surgeons with giving him the insight he needed to understand problems and devise solutions. “It was a great experience to watch them operate and listen to them explain what they were doing and why they were doing it, ” he said.

Carlozzi earned an MBA from Northeastern and moved to Acufex Micosurgical, Inc., a start-up medical device company owned by American Cyanamid. During his tenure there the company grew from $7 million in revenues to over $60 million. Carlozzi joined Synthes, Inc. in 1995 and in 1998 he was recruited to head up Bionx Implants, Inc., his first experience at the helm of a publicly-traded company.

“We had about six months of operating cash when I arrived at the business. We were able to achieve positive cash flow and go from declining sales to a 20 percent growth rate in the course of a year.” After five years with Bionx, Carlozzi left to become the Chief Operating Officer of Integra LifeSciences.

Of his work at Integra LifeSciences, Stuart Essig, chairman of the Board of Directors, said, ” Gerry led in a firm, straightforward and mentoring manner and was an excellent leader. Gerry’s steady hand and calmness under fire guaranteed that we remained centered and focused on our core goals. His vast experience provided timely wisdom to the rest of us. I was honored to work alongside Gerry for eight years. His tireless efforts and determination helped Integra grow dramatically.”

Carlozzi served on the executive boards of various companies in the medical device industry. He enjoyed golf, fishing and going on long walks with his dog Bailey. Memorial contributions may be made in his name to Johns Hopkins University for Pancreatic Cancer Research and sent to Ralph H. Hruban, M.D., Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, 401 North Broadway, Baltimore, Maryland, 21231-2410.