AVACEN (Advanced Vascular Circulation Enhancement) Medical® is a leading provider of drug-free, noninvasive treatments for pain relief and management, wellness, as well as diagnostics for cardiovascular disease and stress. Our heat therapy systems for pain relief were developed while working with research scientists at a leading university. They are FDA Cleared Class II medical devices indicated for: (1) minor muscle pain (2) joint pain and stiffness (3) joint pain associated with arthritis (4) muscle spasms (5) minor strains and sprains (6) muscle relaxation, and (7) temporary increase of local circulation.

Founded: 2009
Headquarters: Carlsbad, CA
Devices Field Tested: >10,000
Treatments: >25 million
Patents: 17 U.S. & International
Regulatory: FDA Cleared Class II medical devices

Awards & Recognition

Meet Our Executives

Thomas Muehlbauer
Inventor / Founder / Chairman

Fortune 500 senior executive experience with over 40 Years of CEO and start up skills including acquisitions, capital formation and public market transitions. B.S. State University of New York.

Anthony Shimkin
CEO / President / Director

25 years of Fortune 500 and startup executive experience in sales, marketing, strategy and business development in medical devices, diagnostics, and HCIT. M.B.A. Boston University, M.A. Boston University School of Medicine, M.S. University of San Diego, B.A. Boston University.

Danielle J. Forsgren
CMO / Founder / Director

30+ years of sales and marketing experience. Coursework at International University and University of San Diego.

Tom Nauman
CCO / Chief Compliance Officer

Quality, Regulatory, and Operations leader with over 30 years of Fortune 500 and startup l experience in medical device/biotech. B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Iowa State University, is registered Professional Engineer in California, and has ASQ certifications for both Quality Engineering and Manager of Quality / Operational Excellence.

Rhonda Migliaccio
CFO / Chief Financial Officer
35+ years of experience in Finance focusing on business development, international trade, and business relations. Fortune 100 company and startup experience. B.A. University of Wyoming.

Our board of Directors 

Thomas G. Muehlbauer 
Chairman / Founding Shareholder / AVACEN Inventor

Fortune 500 senior executive experience with over 25 years of CEO and startup skills including acquisitions, capital formation and public market transitions. Prior to founding AVACEN in 2009, Mr. Muehlbauer started an Internet company which was sold to a publicly traded company, bringing a return to founding investors of over 180% in 2 years. As a hands-on investor, he engineered the startup growth and sale of World View, International, providing multimillion dollar returns to shareholders in less than a three-year period.Mr. Muehlbauer developed his expertise in corporate management working for Fortune 500 companies. Management positions ranged from Worldwide Data Center Manager to President and CEO for three mid-sized corporations. He holds a Bachelor of Science from The State University of New York.

Danielle J. Forsgren
CMO / Director / Founder

Danielle has over 30 years of experience in sales and marketing. She has extensive theatre, radio, public speaking and TV experience including multiple appearances on QVC. As the Company’s top salesperson and Chief Marketing Officer, she is currently developing several strategic initiatives to globally expand sales. Her efforts of the last 3 years have placed the Company on the INC. 5000 list of fastest growing companies in the US. She studied at International University and the University of San Diego.

James Wrangler
Director / Founding Shareholder

Jim’s former experience includes being a President and CEO, in addition to extensive engineering and engineering management experience. He was President and CEO of MAXIM Systems until the company was sold in December 2007 to Accenture. Prior to MAXIM, Mr. Wangler served as Chief Engineer for the ISR Directorate of SPAWAR Headquarters, where he also served as the Program Manager for a $200 million Space Surveillance program. He received his M.S. from San Diego State University.

Don Miller
Director

Mr. Miller, a former Naval officer, was co-founder and Sr. V.P. of SeQual Technologies, a San Diego based medical device company. He was also an early-stage investor, Board member, and CFO for numerous companies in San Diego. He received his B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Kansas, and a M.S. in Finance from San Diego State University.

Fredrick P. Waid
Director

Fred focuses primarily in the areas of trust and estate administration, real estate, banking, and corporate governance matters. He serves as a trustee, executor and special administrator of complex trusts and estates, by private and court appointment. Fred has been appointed by state and federal courts as a receiver, special servicer and interim corporate officer. He is a graduate of Baylor Law School and Brigham Young University.

Hamid Khorramian
Director

Hamid currently acts as an executive consultant and advisor to various Fortune 100 companies and funded startups. He works closely with C-level leaders and board members focusing on lean manufacturing, strategic planning and effective leadership to help harvest a winning culture that’s conducive to reaching long-term KPIs. After working in a leadership role at Steelcase for over 20 years, he retired as Global Senior Vice President. During his time at Steelcase, he created and headed a project that reduced the company’s manufacturing footprint by 65% (9 million square feet), while increasing output by 200% and improving overall customer satisfaction.

Our Advisors

Jonathan Lakey, Ph.D.
Medical Research

Dr. Lakey is currently a Professor Emeritus in Departments Surgery and Biomedical Engineering at University of California Irvine. Prior to his transition from Professor to Professor Emeritus, Dr. Lakey served as Director of Research and the Clinical Islet Program in the Department of Surgery, Director of the Department of Surgery Stem cell laboratory. He has received several awards for his achievements in transplantation research and sits on the Scientific Advisory Boards for several diabetes and biotechnology companies.

Pamela Jackson
Military Government

Pamela brings decades of experience at operational and executive levels for various medical device companies. She currently is COO for Panakeia, marketing products to the military health system. She served as Vice President of Operations at inventive Technologies, now owned by Philips, as well as a Senior Director for SeQual Technologies. She received her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Massachusetts.