ODT FORUM 2026 On Demand - Rewatch Dave Sheppard’s State of the Industry Speech

If you want a clear-eyed read on where the orthopedic device industry is actually heading, Dave Sheppard's State of the Industry from the ODT Forum is worth your time. As a Managing Director at MedWorld Advisors and a former medical technology Fortune 500 executive, Dave brings the rare combination of operator experience and M&A advisory perspective — meaning he doesn't just describe the trends, he explains what they mean for deal-making, valuations, and competitive positioning.

The orthopedic market is on track to grow to roughly $75 billion, but the real story is structural: the sector is shifting from a fragmented, implant-driven business toward an ecosystem where data, robotics, regenerative materials, extremities, and procedural integration increasingly define who wins. Sheppard lays out why regulatory change has become a supplier qualifier rather than just an OEM burden, why the ambulatory surgery center shift is real and accelerating, and why the suppliers who thrive will be the ones embedded in design, compliant ahead of requirements, and relentlessly innovative.

For OEMs, contract manufacturers, suppliers, and investors trying to understand which moves matter now — and who will define the leaderboard in the coming years — this session offers a strategic framework grounded in someone who watches the transactions up close.

We invite you to watch it here: ODT Forum 2026: The State of the Industry