Krista Toler is a pioneering leader in orthopedic innovation, with a career defined by translating scientific insight into impactful, patient-centered solutions. Her journey began as an undergraduate intern at Zimmer Biomet, where her research on a novel autologous protein solution (APS) for osteoarthritis led the company to sponsor her master's degree at Purdue. She later guided the APS technology - commercialized as nSTRIDE® APS - through clinical development and global adoption. Today, it has helped over 50,000 patients, generated $25M+ in revenue, and resulted in 11 issued patents.

Now serving as Associate Director of R&D, Krista leads a multidisciplinary team tackling one of orthopedics' most urgent challenges: periprosthetic joint infection. Under her leadership, the team developed Zimmer Biomet's first AI-enabled diagnostics product, integrating biomarker testing with machine learning to deliver fast, accurate, and actionable results. The system generates a SynTuition Score - a clear indicator of infection likelihood - within 24 hours, streamlining diagnosis and improving patient outcomes across 2,700+ institutions. This most recent work has led to three patent applications, multiple high-impact publications, and consecutive wins of the Jon T. Mader Award for best clinical paper at the Musculoskeletal Infection Society. Her ability to drive innovation, mentor talent, and deliver scalable solutions continues to shape the future of technology-driven healthcare.