Meet The Team
Cole Christianson
Co-founder
MSc. Mechanical Engineering E.I.T.
Cole completed his undergraduate degree in biomedical/mechanical engineering at the University of Alberta. As an undergraduate student, Cole won several academic, leadership, and athletic awards such as the William and Mary Hawrysh Memorial Leadership Award, Edmonton Elks Scholarship (Golden Bears Football), and the University of Alberta Academic Excellence Award. Furthermore, Cole was named an Academic All-Canadian in 2015. As a master’s student in Mechanical Engineering, Cole won several prestigious research awards such as the Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarship-Master’s (NSERC) and the Faculty of Engineering Early Career Research Award. Cole also graduated from the Innovation Masterminds Edmonton (imYEG) pre-accelerator program where he received world class mentorship from the CEO’s of DynaLife, Brass Dome Ventures, and Levven Electronics. Shortly after completing his master’s degree, Cole co-founded Pulmvita. Pulmvita Inc. received a Mitacs Accelerate Entrepreneur and an Alberta Innovates Accelerating Innovations into CarE (AICE) grant under Cole’s leadership thus far.
Dr. Andrew Martin
Dr. Andrew R. Martin is an Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering and the Director of the Aerosol Research Laboratory of Alberta (ARLA) at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. He is licensed as a Professional Engineer by the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA). He completed his PhD in 2008 (UAlberta). From 2008-2013 he worked in industrial R&D, based first in France and then in the United States, on projects related to medical device development, inhalation drug delivery, and clinical and preclinical programs investigating new applications of therapeutic gases in medicine.
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In industry and academia, Dr. Martin has been actively involved in the research community. He is a member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Aerosol Medicine and Pulmonary Drug Delivery, and is an Associate Editor of Frontiers in Drug Delivery – Respiratory Drug Delivery. He currently serves as a member of the HQP Program Advisory Committee for the Canadian NanoMedicines Innovation Network, and previously served on the International Society for Aerosols in Medicine (ISAM) Executive Board from 2015-2021. He has published widely on diverse topics related to aerosols and gases in medicine, regularly presents at international conferences, and is lead or co-inventor on several granted and pending patents. He has received a number of prestigious international awards in recognition of his research contributions, including the Drug Delivery to the Lungs Emerging Scientist Award (2022), and the ISAM Young Investigator Award (2013).
Co-founder
Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering
University of Alberta Professor
Dr. Daniel Vis
Medical Advisor
M.D.
University of Calgary
Dr. Daniel Vis is a Respirologist at the University of Calgary. He earned Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Medicine degrees from the University of Manitoba, and pursued internal medicine residency, respirology fellowship and advanced bronchoscopy fellowships through the University of Calgary. He completed his post-fellowship training at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London, UK, spending months with world class clinicians and researchers in the field of pulmonary sarcoidosis. He is a Clinical Lecturer in the Department of Medicine at the University of Calgary and the Lead Physician for the Pulmonary Sarcoidosis Clinic at the South Health Campus hospital. Under his leadership, the Pulmonary Sarcoidosis Clinic has grown from zero patients and referrals to over 500 patients and 150 referrals per year in the less than 4 years since the clinic opened in 2020. In addition to this specialized respirology practice, he also maintains a busy general respirology practice of over 500 patients with the full spectrum of lung diseases. A significant number of his patients require supplemental oxygen due to their lung conditions, giving him extensive experience in understanding the benefits of reliable oxygenation as well as the drawbacks of current conventional systems. Dr. Daniel Vis is also a member of HaloHealth. Daniel was matched with Pulmvita through HaloHealth‘s Specialty Matched Physician Advisory Program.
George Vis received his Bachelor of Science from Kansas State University and his Master of Business Administration from the University of Manitoba. George’s career began in the livestock feed industry as General Manager of Feed-Rite Ltd., a Western Canadian feed manufacturer. George was instrumental in the sale of Feed-Rite to the Ridley Corporation in 1994, and remained with the company as the Vice President, Canadian Operations. In 2000, George and his partner started G. J. Vis Enterprises Inc. to design production facilities and manufacturer bulk material handling equipment for the grain, fertilizer, and feed industries throughout North America. George and his partner grew the company from zero revenue to $15 million in revenue before selling to Ag Growth International in 2015. George remained with Ag Growth as Executive Vice-President responsible for its North American operations. George now provides business advisory services in strategic planning and operations. George is also the Director and Chairman of the Pan Am Clinic Foundation, which is internationally recognized for Orthopedic and Musculoskeletal research and innovation. Throughout his career, George has been a leader and senior manager in both private and public companies and has been involved in the sale of 2 family enterprises, 3 greenfield start-ups and the acquisition and integration of 15 businesses. Most recently, as minority shareholder and advisor, George assisted Integrated Tracking Technologies, a product development company in Victoria BC, with the licensing of their innovative GSP tracking products.
George Vis
