https://fortemip.com/home daily 1.0 2026-01-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb061ef72f9672364767c8d/1589500171696-AMNZCEE022K72XTGII4V/Expertise_AdobeStock_225676932.jpg Home - Expertise Matters. We have years of experience working at large law firms and in-house with emerging companies and multinational corporations. We specialize in patent prosecution, strategy, and counseling. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb061ef72f9672364767c8d/1588711503378-9A6OZ9FT036WUV7K7QHO/the-creative-exchange-1Dd2ut--1ok-unsplash_chairs_with_dots.jpg Home - Collaboration is key. We collaborate with our clients, leveraging both their expertise and ours to build a legal strategy around the company’s technology and business vision. We pride ourselves on responsiveness and giving every client—large or small—the attention they deserve. Our clients also benefit from our internal collaboration. Unlike many firms, our attorneys and technical agents work in close contact, always available to provide another perspective or lend their unique expertise as needed. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb061ef72f9672364767c8d/1589501246871-72U4TLCBJ9EPFAX9SX0L/Transparent_Pricing_AdobeStock_225247373.jpg Home - Transparent Pricing Our goal is to provide predictability and transparency in pricing our services. We work with our clients to determine the most appropriate fee arrangement, whether fixed fee, capped fee, or hourly. Before starting any project, we make sure the scope and cost of the project is clear and client-approved. https://fortemip.com/patent daily 0.75 2023-10-13 https://fortemip.com/contact daily 0.75 2023-03-01 https://fortemip.com/ourteam daily 0.75 2026-03-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb061ef72f9672364767c8d/d2bbd6ec-cb31-4cb9-8a1f-7fddf9514070/2024+Final+Headshots_102_Mary.jpg OUR TEAM - Mary Fox Founding Partner Tobias Keene, D.D.S. Hailing from Richmond, Virginia, Dr. Tobias Keene brings a bit of unabashed Southern hospitality to all his patients. He moved to Washington, D.C. over thirty years ago as a freshman at Ivy College. Right after graduation, he attended World University’s School of Dentistry. Before opening Keene Dental in 1994, he worked for free clinics and some of the finest practices in the District. He is part of the 123 Dental Association and stays up-to-date on the latest dental discoveries. When not striving to keep his patients happy and healthy, he’s enjoys hiking with his family in Rock Creek Park. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb061ef72f9672364767c8d/a7ba3751-c32b-4e45-a1c7-f966a2f1027e/Matt_Lincicum_Fortem_IP_2024.jpg OUR TEAM - Matt Lincicum Founding Partner https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb061ef72f9672364767c8d/9aa79b2c-05eb-4f7d-9f8d-5c7880030339/Connie_Cheng_Fortem_IP_2024.jpg OUR TEAM - Connie Cheng, PhD Partner Matt Lincicum Attorney https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb061ef72f9672364767c8d/a148afa4-7b8a-4168-ac28-481fd244c42d/Ben_Urban_Fortem_IP_2024.jpg OUR TEAM - Ben Urban Partner https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb061ef72f9672364767c8d/a899b471-3bd9-46b0-91ef-a930892a62a1/Candice_Hsu_Fortem_IP_2024.jpg OUR TEAM - Candice Hsu Partner Candice Hsu Partner https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb061ef72f9672364767c8d/dc9d25f4-736b-4f38-9a82-cdb1d4f6f43c/Cathy_Liang_Fortem_IP_2024.jpg OUR TEAM - Catherine Liang, PhD Partner Cathy Liang Partner https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb061ef72f9672364767c8d/938ac59f-86d5-412c-922a-998fc2c1e0cf/2024+Final+Headshots_0008_Jeff+2.jpg OUR TEAM - Jeff Grainger Of Counsel https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb061ef72f9672364767c8d/061749ac-0513-4d1a-9018-4a9e722882a5/Anthony_Johnson_Fortem_IP_2024.jpg OUR TEAM - Anthony Johnson Of Counsel Anthony Johnson Of Counsel https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb061ef72f9672364767c8d/ca2d1041-9718-4728-b6e7-6b705eb889d2/Timmy_Pham_Fortem_IP_2024.jpg OUR TEAM - Timmy Pham Patent Agent Timmy Pham Patent Intern https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb061ef72f9672364767c8d/82558956-d137-463b-b8ed-7ae4ecb56356/fortem-barry_0008_66.jpg OUR TEAM - Barry Belmont, PhD Patent Agent Barry Belmont, PhD Technical Advisor https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb061ef72f9672364767c8d/d9f62cb8-620e-4320-ab27-7c948069d63a/2024FinalHeadshots_0070-7_Bonnie.jpg OUR TEAM - Bonnie Lam, PhD Patent Agent Bonnie Lam Technical Advisor https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb061ef72f9672364767c8d/f7342391-bdac-4005-a7e1-0d86f2025f1d/2025FinalHeadshots_29_Sarah2.jpg OUR TEAM - Sarah Nick, PhD Patent Agent Sarah Nick, PhD Technical Advisor https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb061ef72f9672364767c8d/fc03a926-6a28-4239-9063-d99b9358f0bf/Katie_Thomas_Fortem_IP_2024.jpg OUR TEAM - Katie Thomas Paralegal https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb061ef72f9672364767c8d/2a14deef-0a15-4e36-b1ae-555b15820c2d/Mike_Navarro_Fortem_IP_2024.jpg OUR TEAM - Michael Navarro Paralegal https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb061ef72f9672364767c8d/782ceda4-8cc7-457b-b880-faeefce20c00/Amy_Flores_Fortem_IP_2024.jpg OUR TEAM - Amy Flores Paralegal Amy Flores Paralegal https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb061ef72f9672364767c8d/69722215-2b01-41fc-ac80-7e86fd27b978/Danielle_Hoffman_Fortem_IP_2024.jpg OUR TEAM - Danielle Hoffman Paralegal Danielle Hoffman Paralegal https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb061ef72f9672364767c8d/ce0a1548-ff43-4f45-98af-2e81b909f9fc/2025FinalHeadshots_54_Anndreya.jpg OUR TEAM - Anndreya Perez Paralegal Anndreya Perez Paralegal https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb061ef72f9672364767c8d/117d1248-ba13-422c-a3d8-c08479b9688f/Vivian_Wang_Fortem_IP_2024.jpg OUR TEAM - Vivian Wang Director of Operations Vivian Wang Director of Operations https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb061ef72f9672364767c8d/8d0856ef-d4d8-4adc-819d-b613b68d9722/Tiarra_Beck_Fortem_IP_2024.jpg OUR TEAM - Tiarra Beck Operations Manager Tiarra Beck Office Manager https://fortemip.com/maryfox daily 0.75 2025-10-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb061ef72f9672364767c8d/d2bbd6ec-cb31-4cb9-8a1f-7fddf9514070/2024+Final+Headshots_102_Mary.jpg Mary Fox - Mary Fox | Founding Partner Mary prides herself on a business-minded approach to protecting her clients’ intellectual property, specifically tailoring the patent strategy to the client’s competitive objectives. Mary has extensive experience working with emerging companies at all stages of growth. In the past two years, she was involved in raising over $100 million in venture funding for emerging medical device companies. Mary also has extensive experience in portfolio development and patent strategies, post-grant procedures, freedom to operate analyses and other intellectual property due diligence. Mary focuses her practice on the medical device industry, including patent prosecution, strategic portfolio development, investor-side and company-side patent due diligence, and freedom to operate analyses. Mary has particular expertise in neurovascular devices, interventional cardiovascular devices, transcatheter heart valve repair and replacement, drug delivery, neurostimulation, neuromodulation, orthodontics, spinal stimulation, microfluidics, wound care and monitoring, and orthopedics. She also has experience in a variety of other technologies, including audio devices, acoustic signal processing, semiconductor fabrication and design, genomics, stereo imaging, and consumer products. Before co-founding Fortem IP, Mary worked as a patent attorney at Perkins Coie in Seattle and Palo Alto. Prior to her legal career, Mary worked in the Bay Area at The Foundry, Ardian, and Miramar Labs. Mary was selected as a “Washington Rising Star” for 2018-2023 by Super Lawyers Magazine. EDUCATION BS Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan MS Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan JD, Santa Clara University School of Law BAR ADMISSIONS California Washington United States Patent and Trademark Office PUBLICATIONS Co-author, IP strategies for medical device technologies, American Bar Association 2018, Chapter 3 “Funding: Leveraging Your Patent Portfolio,” 115-132. Co-author, Traversing material scales: macroscale LBL-assembled nanocomposites with microscale inverted colloidal crystal architecture, Chemistry of Materials 2012, 24, 9-11. mfox@fortemip.com https://fortemip.com/michaelnavarro daily 0.75 2024-06-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb061ef72f9672364767c8d/2a14deef-0a15-4e36-b1ae-555b15820c2d/Mike_Navarro_Fortem_IP_2024.jpg Michael Navarro - Michael Navarro | Paralegal Michael Navarro has over 20 years’ experience as a paralegal in the intellectual property field. During that time, Michael has gained particular expertise in U.S. and international patent and trademark application filings, managing disclosure of references, and docket management of large asset portfolios. Michael also has experience with due diligence, conducting patent searches and assessing chain of title for IP assets. Prior to joining Fortem IP, Michael worked as a senior paralegal at Perkins Coie in Seattle. EDUCATION BA History, Chapman University mnavarro@fortemip.com https://fortemip.com/matt-lincicum daily 0.75 2024-06-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb061ef72f9672364767c8d/a7ba3751-c32b-4e45-a1c7-f966a2f1027e/Matt_Lincicum_Fortem_IP_2024.jpg Matt Lincicum - Matt Lincicum | Founding Partner Matt partners with technology companies and entrepreneurs to identify, develop, and protect key intellectual property assets consistent with their business goals. He has extensive experience with domestic and foreign patent prosecution, strategic portfolio counseling, freedom-to-operate analyses, and patent-related due diligence. Matt has prepared and prosecuted patent applications across a wide range of technologies, with particular expertise in medical devices and electronics. Within the medical device space, Matt has prepared and prosecuted applications relating to neurovascular devices, medical imaging (e.g., ultrasound, PET, endoscopic), intravascular delivery systems, surgical robotics, non-invasive neuromodulation, implantable stimulation devices, vascular access ports, and orthodontic devices. Matt also has experience developing IP relating to smart home devices, voice processing and control, memory management systems, capacitive touch sensors, analog electronics, and semiconductor fabrication. Before co-founding Fortem IP, Matt worked as a patent attorney at Perkins Coie in Seattle and at Knobbe Martens in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Prior to law school, Matt conducted research in particle physics, nanofabrication, and computer-automated genomic analysis. Matt’s interests outside the office include trying to keep up with his two young children (Phoebe and Silas), hiking, cryptocurrency, and golf. EDUCATION BA Applied Physics, Whitworth University MS Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Irvine JD, Harvard Law School BAR ADMISSIONS California Washington United States Patent and Trademark Office mlincicum@fortemip.com https://fortemip.com/about-1 daily 0.75 2020-05-14 https://fortemip.com/katiethomas daily 0.75 2024-06-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb061ef72f9672364767c8d/fc03a926-6a28-4239-9063-d99b9358f0bf/Katie_Thomas_Fortem_IP_2024.jpg Katie Thomas - Katie Thomas | Paralegal Before joining Fortem IP, Katie spent four years at Perkins Coie as a legal assistant in the patent prosecution group, and two years as a legal assistant at Lee Smart. She specializes in patent prosecution, billing, and day-to-day operations. As an English major, she also has background in writing, editing, and content management. EDUCATION BA English Literature, Seattle University kthomas@fortemip.com https://fortemip.com/conniecheng daily 0.75 2025-10-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb061ef72f9672364767c8d/9aa79b2c-05eb-4f7d-9f8d-5c7880030339/Connie_Cheng_Fortem_IP_2024.jpg Connie Cheng - Connie Cheng, PhD | Partner Connie partners with technology clients to develop comprehensive strategies to protect their intellectual property. Her practice focuses on patent prosecution, global portfolio management, and strategic counseling on patentability, freedom to operate, and patent due diligence matters. Connie leverages her broad technical background to prepare and prosecute patent applications across a diverse range of technologies. She has worked extensively with medical device and healthcare technologies, including implantable devices, neurostimulation systems, orthodontic appliances, surgical instrumentation, wearable sensors, ablation systems, ophthalmologic devices, medical imaging, diagnostics, digital health, and artificial intelligence-based platforms. She also has significant experience with biotechnology, materials science, autonomous vehicles, semiconductor manufacturing, and software. Before joining Fortem IP, Connie was a patent attorney at Perkins Coie and a patent agent at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich and Rosati. Prior to her legal career, she earned a doctorate degree in Bioengineering from the University of Washington. Her dissertation focused on developing pH-responsive polymers for delivering mRNA vaccines. Connie also conducted undergraduate research at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in biomaterials, intracellular signaling, and synthetic biology. EDUCATION BS Engineering Sciences, Harvard University PhD Bioengineering, University of Washington JD, University of Washington School of Law BAR ADMISSIONS Washington United States Patent and Trademark Office PUBLICATIONS Co-author, Multifunctional triblock copolymers for intracellular messenger RNA delivery, Biomaterials 2012, 33, 6868-6876. Co-author, Diblock copolymers with tunable pH transitions for gene delivery, Biomaterials 2012, 33, 2301-2309. Co-author, Surface functionalization of living cells with multilayer patches, Nano Letters 2008, 8, 4446-4453. Co-author, An inducible autocrine cascade regulates rat hepatocyte proliferation and apoptosis response to tumor necrosis factor-α, Hepatology 2008, 2048, 276-288. ccheng@fortemip.com https://fortemip.com/vivianwang daily 0.75 2024-06-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb061ef72f9672364767c8d/117d1248-ba13-422c-a3d8-c08479b9688f/Vivian_Wang_Fortem_IP_2024.jpg Vivian Wang - Vivian Wang | Director of Operations Vivian specializes in workflow optimization and business analytics. She has worked in both the private and non-profit sectors and has extensive experience in business strategy and change initiatives. Vivian enjoys gardening, hiking, and cooking, and is often found with her nose in a book. EDUCATION BS Biology, University of Texas at Dallas MS Healthcare Management, University of Texas at Dallas vwang@fortemip.com https://fortemip.com/amy-flores daily 0.75 2024-06-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb061ef72f9672364767c8d/782ceda4-8cc7-457b-b880-faeefce20c00/Amy_Flores_Fortem_IP_2024.jpg Amy Flores - Amy Flores | Paralegal As a paralegal, Amy supports attorneys on domestic, international, and foreign patent matters. She manages administrative aspects of patent/trademark prosecution including overseeing docket tasks and deadlines, filing PCT applications, and coordinating national phase filings and foreign formalities. Prior to joining Fortem IP, Amy worked as a paralegal for several law firms in the Seattle area. She has 13 years of experience in intellectual property. aflores@fortemip.com https://fortemip.com/jeff-grainger daily 0.75 2024-06-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb061ef72f9672364767c8d/2c8f0a0f-c8ba-4e56-8222-01ecd2222211/2024+Final+Headshots_0008_Jeff+2.jpg Jeff Grainger - Jeff Grainger | Of Counsel Jeff has more than 25 years of experience serving early-stage technology companies. Jeff’s unparalleled track record as a patent attorney (law firm and in house), general counsel, licensing executive, entrepreneur, Board member, robotics engineer, and the perspective that these unique experiences bring make Jeff a valuable asset for Fortem IP and our clients. His notable experiences include: Vice President of Licensing Strategy and Chief Legal Officer of genomics company TwinStrand Biosciences; Managing Partner at medical device incubator The Foundry, where he played a major role in starting mitral valve replacement startup Twelve, heart failure monitoring startup FIRE1, and pulmonary disease treatment startup Nuvaira; assisting mitral valve repair startup eValve build its foundational IP portfolio, prior to its acquisition by Abbott Laboratories; General Counsel at coronary stent developer Xtent; Chief Patent Counsel at minimally-invasive heart surgery company Heartport; and Non-Executive Chairman of Ireland-based device company Signum Surgical. In addition to patent procurement, portfolio development, enforcement, and strategy. Jeff has assisted his companies through numerous venture financings, major licensing and partnering deals, and IPO’s, mergers, and acquisitions. In addition to his practice at Fortem, Jeff remains an advisor to a number of medtech companies in the US and abroad. Jeff holds a JD with Honors from the University of Washington and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford. EDUCATION BS Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University JD, University of Washington School of Law BAR ADMISSIONS Washington United States Patent and Trademark Office jgrainger@fortemip.com https://fortemip.com/danielle-hoffman daily 0.75 2024-06-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb061ef72f9672364767c8d/69722215-2b01-41fc-ac80-7e86fd27b978/Danielle_Hoffman_Fortem_IP_2024.jpg Danielle Hoffman - Danielle Hoffman | Paralegal Danielle is a paralegal with over 10 years’ experience in domestic and international patents and trademarks. Her skills cover everything from the initial filing of a patent or trademark application to the issuance of a Letters Patent or Certificate of Registration and beyond. She regularly assists attorneys and clients in conducting due diligence and trademark searches. Her background in foreign languages and proofreading gives her a unique perspective for ensuring production of the highest quality work-product for her clients. Before coming to Fortem IP, Danielle worked at Baker Hostetler and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati in Seattle and at Greenberg Traurig in Dallas, Texas. EDUCATION BS French Studies, University of California Santa Barbara dhoffman@fortemip.com https://fortemip.com/ben-urban daily 0.75 2024-12-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb061ef72f9672364767c8d/a148afa4-7b8a-4168-ac28-481fd244c42d/Ben_Urban_Fortem_IP_2024.jpg Ben Urban - Ben Urban | Partner Ben closely collaborates with his clients to build, manage, and utilize their patent portfolios. He strives to understand not only his client's business objectives, but also the competitive landscape, in order to effectively support their goals. Ben has extensive experience in the areas of audio playback and synchronization, audio calibration, voice processing and control, and cloud computing, having successfully prosecuted over 500 patent applications to issuance in these technologies. He has also represented clients in patent matters related to a wide variety of other technological fields such as telecommunications, robotics, web-conferencing, online gaming, and medical devices, among others. Ben has worked with clients at all stages of growth, from individual inventors to the largest technology firms. He has experience in all phases of US and foreign patent prosecution, as well as strategic portfolio counseling, due diligence, opinion, and litigation. Before joining Fortem IP, Ben practiced patent law at McDonnell, Bochnen, Hulbert, and Berghoff LLP and Akerman LLP in Chicago, Illinois. He worked as an engineer for National Instruments Corp. in Austin, Texas, before becoming an attorney. In his free time, Ben enjoys travelling with his wife Anne, and all kinds of DIY projects, such as home improvements, homelab, and homebrew. EDUCATION JD, Indiana University Maurer School of Law, Bloomington, Indiana BS, Computer Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan BAR ADMISSIONS Illinois United States Patent and Trademark Office burban@fortemip.com https://fortemip.com/anthony-johnson daily 0.75 2024-06-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb061ef72f9672364767c8d/061749ac-0513-4d1a-9018-4a9e722882a5/Anthony_Johnson_Fortem_IP_2024.jpg Anthony Johnson - Anthony Johnson | Of Counsel Anthony has 15 years of experience counseling both large and small clients with a focus on patent protection for software and various technologies, including operating systems, hardware systems, natural language processing, online games, casual games, online advertising, machine learning, blockchain, cryptocurrency, clean technology, internet & e-commerce, internet of things (IoT), object-oriented programming, digital pens, telecommunications, interactive entertainment, graphical user interfaces, camera-tracking systems, unmanned aerial vehicles, multi-threaded computing, wireless communications, and intentional programming. Anthony was selected as a “Washington Rising Star” for 2010-2019 by Super Lawyers Magazine. Before coming to Fortem IP, Anthony worked as a patent attorney at Perkins Coie in Seattle. EDUCATION BS Computer Science, University of Washington JD, New York University School of Law, Notes Editor, New York University Law Review BAR ADMISSIONS Washington United States Patent and Trademark Office U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ajohnson@fortemip.com https://fortemip.com/candice-hsu daily 0.75 2024-06-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb061ef72f9672364767c8d/a899b471-3bd9-46b0-91ef-a930892a62a1/Candice_Hsu_Fortem_IP_2024.jpg Candice Hsu - Candice Hsu | Partner Candice focuses her practice on patent preparation and prosecution, patent portfolio strategy, freedom to operate analyses, and investor-side and company-side patent due diligence. She partners with companies at all stages of growth to support their business objectives, with extensive experience handling patent matters across a diverse range of medical device and other technologies including robotics, neurostimulation, medical imaging, implantable medical devices, catheter-based systems, blood glucose monitoring, orthodontics, drug delivery, fertility aids, regenerative cell suspension therapies, diagnostics and assays, flow cytometry, digital health, remote patient monitoring, machine learning/AI, computer vision, and consumer products. Before joining Fortem IP, Candice was patent counsel at Johnson & Johnson supporting medtech and machine learning/AI endeavors, after working as a patent attorney at Cooley LLP and Morrison Foerster LLP in Palo Alto for seven years. She also practiced patent law as a patent agent at a boutique patent firm and a startup that developed stent grafts for treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms. Prior to her legal career, Candice was a mechanical engineer at medtech and aerospace companies. Candice earned her JD with Honors from Santa Clara University School of Law, where she attended as an Intellectual Property Fellow. Candice also holds BS and MS degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University. EDUCATION BS Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University MS Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University JD, Santa Clara University School of Law BAR ADMISSIONS California United States Patent and Trademark Office chsu@fortemip.com https://fortemip.com/timmy-pham daily 0.75 2025-10-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb061ef72f9672364767c8d/ca2d1041-9718-4728-b6e7-6b705eb889d2/Timmy_Pham_Fortem_IP_2024.jpg Timmy Pham - Timmy Pham | Patent Agent Timmy has a passion for the scientific process and brings technical expertise from 4+ years in the biotech industry in research and development, regulatory, and communication roles. He has presented industry-leading research at international conferences and received recognition for his scientific contributions. Timmy prioritizes not only understanding the technology at hand, but also how it fits into the competitive landscape and fulfills the client’s business objectives. Timmy’s technical expertise is in medical devices and software applications and includes neuromodulation, neurostimulation, interventional devices, orthodontics, imaging, radiation safety and therapy, wearable sensors, machine learning, virtual reality, digital signal processing, and more. He holds a Master of Science in Bioengineering from the University of Washington, where he previously received a B.S. in Bioengineering with Honors and a minor in International Studies. His M.S. thesis centered on developing machine learning algorithms for understanding human pain, a collaborative work made possible by his involvements in the Neural Systems Lab at the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering and the Department of Neurological Surgery at Harborview Medical Center. Outside of work, Timmy spends his time playing tennis and tackling new hobbies like skateboarding and chess. EDUCATION BS Bioengineering, University of Washington MS Bioengineering, University of Washington BAR ADMISSIONS United States Patent and Trademark Office tpham@fortemip.com https://fortemip.com/tiarrabeck daily 0.75 2024-09-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb061ef72f9672364767c8d/8d0856ef-d4d8-4adc-819d-b613b68d9722/Tiarra_Beck_Fortem_IP_2024.jpg Tiarra Beck - Tiarra Beck | Operations Manager EDUCATION BS Business Administration, Western Washington University MBA, Western Washington University tbeck@fortemip.com https://fortemip.com/cathy-liang daily 0.75 2025-10-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb061ef72f9672364767c8d/dc9d25f4-736b-4f38-9a82-cdb1d4f6f43c/Cathy_Liang_Fortem_IP_2024.jpg Cathy Liang - Catherine Liang, PhD | Partner Cathy has 15 years of experience providing patent strategy advice and prosecuting domestic and international pharmaceutical patent applications. Her strengths include assessing patent assets, identifying and mitigating patent portfolio risks, and helping clients identify effective patent strategies to achieve their business goals. She has handled patent matters across a diverse range of chemical technology, including novel small molecule therapeutics relating to oncology, pain, addiction, anti-infective, ocular, neurological and metabolic diseases; pharmaceutical formulations; inorganic catalysts; bio-materials; and diagnostic/radiotherapeutics. Cathy strives to provide client-centered service, responsiveness, and creative problem-solving. Cathy has worked with pharmaceutical companies at all stages of growth and venture capital firms investing in chemical technology. Besides securing key patents for clients, she has extensive experience in patent due diligence, freedom-to-operate, landscape, and validity assessments. She has represented clients in company-side and investor-side patent due diligence and shepherded companies through rounds of private financing, public offerings, regulatory approval, and product launch in patent related matters. Before joining Fortem IP, Cathy worked as a patent attorney and patent agent at Cooley LLP and Morrison Foerster LLP in Palo Alto. Prior to her legal career, Cathy got her start in chemistry as a medicinal chemist at Merck Research Laboratories developing novel thiazolidinedione compounds for the treatment of Type II diabetes. She received a Kodak Fellowship for her doctoral research at the University of California, Berkeley. Cathy was awarded an International Postdoctoral Fellowship from the National Science Foundation to carry out research at the University of Bern, Switzerland. She holds a JD with honors from the University of San Francisco. Education BS Chemistry, Barry University PhD Organic/Polymer Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley JD, University of San Francisco Bar Admissions California United States Patent and Trademark Office Publications Co-author, Incorporation of functional guest molecules into an internally functionalizable dendrimer through olefin metathesis, Macromolecules 2005, 38, 15, 6276-6284. Co-author, Applying key concepts from nature: transition state stabilization, pre-concentration and cooperativity effects in dendritic biomimetics, Progress in Polymer Science 2005, 30, 385. Co-author, Effects of polymer architecture and nanoenvironment in acylation reactions employing dendritic (dialkylamino)pyridine catalysts, Macromolecules 2005, 38, 13, 5411-5415. Co-author, Dendronized cyclocopolymers with a radial gradient of polarity and their use to catalyze a cifficult esterification reaction, Chemical Communications 2003, 20, 2524. cliang@fortemip.com https://fortemip.com/barrybelmont daily 0.75 2026-01-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb061ef72f9672364767c8d/c5c56355-75f7-4337-b1b1-faecd383441a/fortem-barry_0008_66.jpg Barry Belmont - Barry Belmont, PhD | Patent Agent Barry has extensive experience researching and developing medical devices ranging from novel non-invasive imaging to chronically implanted neural technologies, from prototyping through clinical trialing, from personalized wearables to global health solutions, in government, academia, and non-profit sectors. His primary specialty is in physiological measurement, instrumentation, and signal and image processing, particularly within laboratory and clinical environments. Before joining Fortem IP, Barry was a Lecturer at the University of Michigan where he taught introductory and laboratory-based courses in circuits and systems and biomedical instrumentation. For his efforts to humanize engineering education he was awarded a Provost's Teaching Innovation Prize in 2018. Barry earned his PhD from the University of Michigan by developing a multimodal non-invasive hemodynamic monitoring method and device that was verified via clinical trials within nephrological, emergency, and critical care units. This experience fostered within him a robust sense of the power of collaboration and a deep appreciation for the vast spectrum of human experiences. EDUCATION BS Biology and BS Mechanical Engineering, University of Nevada, Reno MS Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan PhD Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan Selected Publications Co-author, Evaluating high-channel electrical impedance tomography, 23rd International Conference on Biomedical Applications of Electrical Impedance Tomography 2023. Co-author, A pilot study to measure vascular compliance changes during fistula maturation using open-source software, The Journal of Vascular Access 2019, 20(1), 41-45. Co-author, Continuous inferior vena cava diameter tracking through an iterative Kanade–Lucas–Tomasi-based algorithm, Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology 2018, 44(12), 2793-2801. Co-author, Polyvinyl chloride as a multimodal tissue‐mimicking material with tuned mechanical and medical imaging properties, Medical Physics 2016, 43(10), 5577-5592. Co-author, Experimental investigation of the abrasive crown dynamics in orbital atherectomy, Medical Engineering & Physics 2016, 38(7), 639-647. Co-author, Dynamic limb bioimpedance and inferior vena cava ultrasound in patients undergoing hemodialysis, ASAIO Journal 2016, 62(4), 463-469. Co-author, Numerical evaluation of sequential bone drilling strategies based on thermal damage, Medical Engineering & Physics, 2015, 37(9), 855-861. Co-author, Impedance of tissue-mimicking phantom material under compression, Journal of Electrical Bioimpedance 2013, 4(1), 2-12. bbelmont@fortemip.com https://fortemip.com/anndreya-perez daily 0.75 2025-05-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb061ef72f9672364767c8d/84097bf8-3276-4664-bfcb-fad2d058258f/2025FinalHeadshots_54_Anndreya.jpg Anndreya Perez - Anndreya Perez | Paralegal Anndreya Perez has close to two decades’ experience as a patent prosecution paralegal. She is responsible for providing support to clients of all sizes and needs, from early-stage startups to large, global corporations. Her duties involve all aspects of meeting client needs such as filing of new patent applications and managing an extensive docket of U.S. and foreign patent applications. Anndreya has a history of providing exceptional client service by anticipating the needs of clients and producing a high-quality work product. Before joining Fortem IP, Anndreya was a senior paralegal at Perkins Coie. EDUCATION BA Sociology, Washington State University Minor: Fine Arts Certificate in Paralegal Studies, University of Washington aperez@fortemip.com https://fortemip.com/bonnielam daily 0.75 2026-01-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb061ef72f9672364767c8d/152cae4c-36c3-47c1-982e-7a0464fbb11c/2024FinalHeadshots_0070-7_Bonnie.jpg Bonnie Lam - Bonnie Lam | Patent Agent Bonnie's dual background in electrical engineering and bioengineering equips her with broad technical expertise in areas such as medical imaging and devices, image and signal processing, targeted viral delivery for gene editing, and software and hardware systems design, including artificial intelligence. She has led and collaborated with interdisciplinary teams on multiple research projects, covering topics ranging from evaluating clinical cardiac MRI biomarkers in diabetic patients to applying computer vision techniques for motion tracking assessment in cardiac microscopy videos. Her scientific work has been published in leading peer-reviewed journals. Additionally, she has presented at prestigious international conferences, including the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM) and the World Molecular Imaging Congress (WMIC). Bonnie holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from UCLA and a Ph.D. in Bioengineering from UC Berkeley, where her dissertation focused on molecular imaging of viral vectors used for gene editing delivery via hydrogel encapsulation. EDUCATION BS Electrical Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles PhD Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley PUBLICATIONS Co-author, Imaging of adeno-associated viral capsids for purposes of gene editing using CEST NMR/MRI, Magnetic Resonance in Medicine 2024, 92, 792-806. Co-author, Accelerated multi-target chemical exchange saturation transfer magnetic resonance imaging of the mouse heart, Physics in Medicine and Biology 2021, 66, 145016. Co-author, Myocardial Native-T1 times are elevated as a function of hypertrophy, HbA1c, and heart rate in diabetic adults without diffuse fibrosis, Magnetic Resonance in Medicine 2019, 61, 83-89. Co-author, CEST MRI reveals a correlation between visceral fat mass and reduced myocardial creatine in obese individuals despite preserved ventricular structure and function, NMR in Biomedicine 2019, 32, e4104. blam@fortemip.com https://fortemip.com/sarahnick daily 0.75 2026-03-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eb061ef72f9672364767c8d/bdbb5ebf-2cfa-4b92-9f9c-1cfbeb5502e9/2025FinalHeadshots_29_Sarah2.jpg Sarah Nick - Sarah Nick, PhD | Patent Agent Sarah has over six years of academic research experience in both independent and collaborative projects as a bioengineer. Her technical expertise spans biomaterials, microbiology, and computational protein design, with an emphasis on medical devices and challenges specific to healthcare. Sarah has experience collaborating with researchers and physicians across broad scientific disciplines, particularly specializing in novel therapeutic approaches to address the rise of antibiotic resistant bacteria. As a graduate student, she was awarded a training grant by the Institute of Translational Health Sciences to develop a functionalized gauze for the controlled release of peptides at a wound site. This work resulted in a first author publication, national and international conference presentations, and the filing of a patent application. Sarah holds a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering from Columbia University and a PhD in Bioengineering from the University of Washington. Her graduate research focused on the use of biomaterials to prevent the formation of clinical bacterial biofilms by inhibiting amyloid formation with computationally designed peptides. She also investigated these peptides in the context of Alzheimer’s disease, with potential implications for the elucidation of disease mechanisms. Outside of work, Sarah is an avid skier and runner, and recently completed a 5-month thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. EDUCATION BS Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University PhD, Bioengineering, University of Washington PUBLICATIONS Co-author, Layer-by-layer functionalized gauze with designed α-sheet peptides inhibits E. coli and S. aureus biofilm formation, Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part A 2025, 113(3):e37879. Co-author, Designed de novo α-sheet peptides destabilize bacterial biofilms and increase the susceptibility of E. coli and S. aureus to antibiotics, International Journal of Molecular Sciences 2024, 25(13):7024. Co-author, De novo-designed transmembrane proteins bind and regulate a cytokine receptor, Nature Chemical Biology, 2024 20(6):751-760. Co-author, Oral azithromycin use and the recovery of lung function from pulmonary exacerbations treated with intravenous tobramycin or colistimethate in adults with cystic fibrosis, Annals of the American Thoracic Society 2019, 16(7):853-860. snick@fortemip.com https://fortemip.com/get-started daily 0.75 2021-06-10 https://fortemip.com/get-started/p/relationship-with-youothers-kzd5c monthly 0.5 2019-07-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ced8e1d5fd4c700018dd761/1560190004400-XTA0DF0S9WOZJUG994C8/Stocksy_txp824ffa5crXt000_Original_845035.jpg Get Started - Relationship with You+Others https://fortemip.com/get-started/p/relationship-with-others-p7b73 monthly 0.5 2019-07-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ced8e1d5fd4c700018dd761/1560189982811-KFAJF1TCUH1SXZ827UMC/Stocksy_txp824ffa5crXt000_Large_844923.jpg Get Started - Relationship with Others https://fortemip.com/get-started/p/relationship-with-you-f2ntg monthly 0.5 2019-07-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ced8e1d5fd4c700018dd761/1560189874730-3B0TSLDUHTQ93497V3L8/Stocksy_txp824ffa5crXt000_Large_844934A.jpg Get Started - Relationship with You