# About Osso We’re transforming how healthcare professionals are trained, supported, and empowered to deliver confident, safe, and high-quality care. ## Osso’s Origin Story ###### **Justin Barad, MD originally set out to become a video game developer.** But a family health crisis in high school shifted his path, sparking a question that stayed with him: could his passion for technology be used to improve patient care? A mentor suggested that the best way to understand the challenges facing healthcare was get as close to them as possible. Justin took that to heart and became a physician. During his surgical training, Justin witnessed and experienced first-hand one of the biggest challenges we have today: the way healthcare professionals are trained and assessed on procedures and technical skills. His background in game development gave him a unique lens and introduced him to early generations of modern virtual reality technology where he quickly recognized its potential to solve this challenge. VR could simulate procedures at scale, generate performance data, and offer repeatable, standardized practice. To test and prove the idea, he built an early VR prototype to demonstrate that immersive technology could make readiness measurable. That work became the foundation for Osso VR. Today, the platform serves pharma, hospital systems, nursing programs, and sales teams in over 50 countries with evidence-based training designed to strengthen procedural skills, accelerate readiness, and support better patient care. ## Osso's History ### 2016 ###### Osso VR is founded Osso VR is co-founded by orthopedic surgeon and former game developer Justin Barad, MD. ### 2017 ###### EdSim Grand Prize Osso VR is named Grand Prize Winner of the U.S. Department of Education’s EdSim Challenge. ### 2018 ###### DOCSF Innovation Award Osso VR wins the Zimmer Biomet Innovation Award at the Digital Orthopaedics Conference San Francisco (DOCSF). ### 2019 ###### Global Johnson & Johnson Partnership Johnson & Johnson Institute highlights Osso VR as its VR training partner and announces plans to scale VR surgical training globally using Oculus headsets. ### 2020 ###### Series A Funding Osso VR closes a $14M Series A funding round led by Kaiser Permanente Ventures. ###### First Peer-Reviewed Validation Osso publishes its first peer-reviewed studies, establishing early clinical evidence that immersive training improves procedural performance. ### 2021 ###### Series B Funding Raises $27M Series B led by GSR Ventures to expand its VR surgical training library and global footprint. ### 2022 ###### Series C Funding Osso VR announces a $66M Series C funding round led by Oak HC/FT. ###### ACC Partnership Osso VR and the American College of Cardiology (ACC) announce a collaboration to develop immersive VR training for cardiovascular professionals. ### 2023 ###### Osso Academy Launch Osso Academy is officially introduced as a VR training offering for academic medical centers and residency programs. ###### Osso VR Platform Surpasses 100k Runs Osso surpasses 100,000 completed training sessions, marking a milestone as immersive repetition becomes a scalable path to clinical readiness. ### 2024 ###### Osso Health Launch Osso Health launches for Apple Vision Pro, a mixed-reality simulated surgical environment medical app. ### 2025 ###### Nurse Training Launch Osso VR introduces Osso Nurse Training, a new nursing procedural skills platform, and opens early access for health systems. ###### America’s Essential Hospitals Partnership Osso VR announces partnership with America’s Essential Hospitals to support nurse readiness in safety-net hospitals. ###### EBSCO Dynamic Health Partnership Osso VR announces a partnership with EBSCO Dynamic Health to align Osso Nurse Training scenarios with evidence-based nursing skills and procedures libraries. ## Our Leadership ### Chief Executive Officer ## Heather Gervais Heather Gervais was appointed CEO of Osso in August 2024 to lead the company through its expansion into Nurse Training. She brings more than 20 years of experience across healthcare and information technology, with leadership roles at Everly Health, formerly PWNHealth, athenahealth, formerly Epocrates, and Cadient Group, now Cognizant. Her work has consistently focused on helping healthcare organizations adopt technology that works reliably in practice. Heather is a member of the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association and is focused on building outcomes-driven training solutions that strengthen clinical teams and support better patient care. ### Founder and Chief Strategy Officer ## Justin Barad, MD Justin Barad, MD, is the co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Osso VR. A pediatric orthopedic surgeon with a background in game development and bioengineering, Justin has spent his career at the intersection of clinical training, innovation, and health system transformation. He earned his undergraduate degree in bioengineering from UC Berkeley and his medical degree from UCLA, graduating first in his class. He completed his orthopedic surgery residency at UCLA and fellowship in pediatric orthopedics at Harvard and Boston Children’s Hospital. In addition to his work at Osso, Justin serves on the board of directors at Bioretec Ltd. and the Consumer Technology Association’s Health & Fitness Technology Division. He is also a clinical contributor to UCLA Biodesign and an attending pediatric orthopedic surgeon at UCLA Health and Luskin Orthopaedic Institute for Children.