About us
Kunovus is driven by a singular vision: to redefine the landscape of chronic low back pain management through medical innovation.
Founded in 2018, Kunovus is a clinical-stage medtech company developing precision-engineered implantable spinal devices designed to restore cushioning and stability to the degenerating spine.
At Kunovus, we're building the future of spinal surgery.
A commitment to improving quality of life for chronic back pain patients
Core Team
Dr Joshua Glass
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Dr Glass is a healthcare strategy and commercialisation leader with experience across emerging medical technologies, venture building and deep-tech company development. As CEO of Kunovus Technologies, he is leading the company’s next stage of growth, with a focus on regulatory planning, manufacturing scale-up, intellectual property strategy, capital raising and strategic partnerships. He was previously a leader in Boston Consulting Group’s global healthcare practice, where he advised healthcare, medtech and life sciences organisations on growth strategy, commercialisation and operating model transformation. Dr Glass holds a PhD in human immunology and materials science from the University of Melbourne and was awarded the University Medal for Pharmacology from UNSW.
Dr Esther Apos
REGULATORY & CLINICAL AFFAIRS LEAD Esther studied biochemistry at Monash University and completed her PhD in immunology and protein chemistry at the University of Melbourne. Esther has worked with numerous MedTech and biotech startups in a product development and QA capacity over the past 20 years and set up her own consultancy SciDoc Solutions in 2007. In 2019, she partnered with George Loizou, to form CMS SciDoc Pty Ltd, an IVD and medical device compliance consultancy. She is also currently scientific affairs director for Ramsey Coote Instruments and the Australian Spine Registry National Manager.
Jyoti Chandra
BUSINESS MANAGER Jyoti has been with Kunovus since 2021. A highly experienced operations and administration professional, Jyoti is dedicated to delivering the best outcomes when it comes to assisting the Kunovus team and our partners with high attention to detail. Jyoti earned her Diploma of Leadership and Management from Swinburne University.
Jonathan Choi
CHIEF ENGINEER Jonathan is an experienced medical device engineer and entrepreneur with more than 18 years’ experience across product development, manufacturing and commercialisation. He brings deep technical expertise in implantable and minimally invasive devices, supported by multiple international patents and engineering qualifications from UNSW.
Valerie Followell
US REGULATORY ADVISOR Valerie Followell is a US regulatory affairs leader with more than 20 years’ experience across regulated industries, including medical technology and FDA-regulated products. She brings deep experience in regulatory strategy, agency engagement and cross-functional execution, with a track record of working with global, federal and state regulatory authorities including the FDA, Health Canada, Ministries of Health, EPA and CPSC. At Kunovus, Valerie supports the company’s US regulatory strategy and FDA engagement planning as the company advances its motion-preserving spine technologies toward the next stage of clinical and regulatory development. Valerie is also an Adjunct Lecturer at Northwestern University’s School of Professional Studies.
Mark Nugent
LEAD ENGINEER Mark has a Masters in Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering in Trinity College, Dublin, with a thesis focusing on the development of a novel device to treat diseased spinal discs. He graduated with a First Class Honours with Distinction. After graduating, Mark worked in a biomedical start-up in Dublin for 2.5 years and gained valuable experience in Process Improvement, Root-Cause Analysis and Device Manufacturing. Mark is responsible for supporting the development of the Kunovus System and accompanying device document package.
Dr Mélody Labrune
HONOROARY POST-DOCTORAL AFFILIATE Dr Labrune is a biomechanical engineer and medical device specialist with experience across computational modelling, regulatory affairs, quality systems and mechanical testing. She holds a PhD from Macquarie University focused on human shoulder biomechanics and has worked across orthopaedic research, medtech consulting and regulatory submissions, including prior roles with PharmaLex and Signature Orthopaedics. As an Honorary Affiliate, she supports Kunovus’ scientific and technical work across biomechanics, device development and translational research.
Medical & Commercial Advisory Board
Prof Ashish Diwan
SCIENTIFIC ADVISOR Professor Ashish Diwan is a leading spinal surgeon, researcher and Professor of Spinal Surgery at the University of Adelaide. He brings deep expertise in intervertebral disc degeneration, disc regeneration and nucleus augmentation, with a particular focus on technologies that preserve disc function and improve outcomes for patients with chronic back pain. Professor Diwan is part of the leadership group of the International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine and serves on the editorial board of the European Spine Journal. He has completed a spine and scoliosis fellowship at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, where he received the Phillip D Wilson Award, and is now an International Ambassador for the institution. He holds 12 patents in the field, has an h-index of 30 and has been cited more than 3,000 times. As Chief Scientific Advisor, Professor Diwan supports Kunovus across scientific strategy, clinical translation and the continued development of its motion-preserving spinal technologies.
Dr Harvinder Sandhu
CLINICAL ADVISOR, USA Dr Harvinder “Vin” Sandhu is a spinal surgeon and Clinical Associate Professor at Hospital for Special Surgery and Weill Cornell Medical College in New York. He specialises in minimally invasive spine surgery, endoscopic spine surgery, microsurgery, computer-assisted surgery and spinal biologics. He completed spinal surgery training at UCLA Medical Center, where he later served as Chief of the Spinal Surgery Service before joining Hospital for Special Surgery. Dr Sandhu has authored more than 75 peer-reviewed scientific publications and has received research awards from the North American Spine Society, Orthopaedic Research Society and International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine, including the Volvo Award in Spinal Research. He is also active in the development and invention of spinal surgery devices and instruments, with several patents in the diagnosis and treatment of spinal disorders. As a Clinical Advisor to Kunovus, Dr Sandhu brings deep clinical, translational and FDA-facing experience to the company’s device development program.
Medical & Commercial Advisory Board
Dr Saeed Kohan
CLINICAL ADVISOR Dr Saeed Kohan is a neurosurgeon and spinal surgeon at St George Hospital and Prince of Wales Hospital in Sydney. Dr Kohan graduated from the University of New South Wales and completed neurosurgical training in Sydney and Melbourne, followed by a spinal surgery fellowship at St Vincent’s Hospital. Dr Kohan also completed a fellowship in paediatric neurosurgery in Istanbul with Professor Memet Özek, past president of the European Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery. His clinical interests include minimally invasive spine surgery. As a Clinical Advisor to Kunovus, Dr Kohan supports the company with clinical perspective on spine surgery, procedural design and surgeon usability.
Dr. Safdar Khan
CLINICAL ADVISOR, USA Dr Safdar Khan is an orthopaedic spine surgeon and Chief of the Division of Spine in the Department of Orthopaedics at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. He treats complex conditions of the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine, with particular expertise in degenerative spine disease and advanced adult and paediatric deformity. Dr Khan completed spine research at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, followed by orthopaedic surgery residency at the University of California, Davis and spine fellowship training at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. He has authored more than 90 research publications and 18 book chapters, and holds national leadership roles across spine, biologics and orthopaedic organisations, including AAOS, NASS and ISASS. As a Clinical Advisor to Kunovus, Dr Khan brings deep expertise in complex spine surgery, biologics, translational research and clinical development.
Board of Directors
Dr Divya Bhargav
CHAIRWOMAN Dr Divya Bhargav is the founder and Chair of Kunovus Technologies. Divya brings experience across clinical care, orthopaedic research, governance and medical device commercialisation. She previously worked as a clinician at Sydney Children’s Hospital and completed a PhD in orthopaedic surgery, with research experience in Australia and New York. She conceptualised and led the non-operative Special Spinal Rehabilitation division of Spine Service from 2002 to 2014, before focusing on the commercialisation of spinal device technologies. Divya has governance training through the Australian Institute of Company Directors and brings particular strengths in strategic oversight, risk assessment, intellectual property and organisational development.
Shauna Jarrett
DIRECTOR Shauna Jarrett is a lawyer, governance specialist and experienced Non-Executive Director. She brings senior executive and board experience across the education, legal, arts and community sectors, with a focus on governance, strategic design and implementation. At Kunovus, Shauna supports the Board with governance oversight, organisational discipline and strategic execution as the company advances its clinical, regulatory and commercialisation plans.