Led by Experience. Driven by Innovation.
Meet the Axcess Instruments leadership team—a blend of surgical expertise, product development, and investor-backed business strategy. Our mission is to make surgery simpler, faster, and more efficient—whether in a top-tier hospital or an austere field environment. Backed by 13 patents and a working prototype, Axcess Instruments is moving forward with FDA testing and strategic manufacturing partnerships to bring this technology to operating rooms worldwide.
This isn’t just a better scope.
It’s a complete rethink of how we approach laparoscopy from the inside out.
Driven by firsthand experience and an engineer’s eye for efficiency, Dr. Norton co-developed the AxcessPort to eliminate the inefficiencies he encountered daily: fogged lenses, camera removals, delayed procedures, and expensive sterilization cycles. What began as a solution to a professional challenge has evolved into a patented, AI-compatible device that represents a smarter way to perform laparoscopic surgery.
Dr. Norton’s deep surgical insight and practical design thinking make him the ideal founder to lead Axcess Instruments through FDA approval, commercialization, and scale. His goal? To give every surgeon a clean view, every time—and every patient a better outcome.
Dr. Michael Norton is a board-certified general surgeon with over 30 years of experience in laparoscopic and minimally invasive surgery. Based in Tyler, Texas, Dr. Norton has built his career on serving patients with excellence and now, he’s bringing that same passion to solving the most frustrating challenges in the OR.
Our Team
Dr. Michael Norton, MD, FACS
President, Axcess Instruments, Inc.
Dr. Norton is a board-certified general surgeon with over three decades of hands-on experience in minimally invasive procedures. Based in Tyler, Texas, he has seen the evolution of laparoscopic technology from both clinical and strategic perspectives. After encountering persistent workflow disruptions and costly equipment inefficiencies, he channeled his surgical insight into a revolutionary solution.
Dr. Norton’s leadership is grounded in clinical expertise and driven by practical innovation. He’s not just a founder—he’s a front-line user who built the AxcessPort to fix real problems in the OR. From its AI-powered imaging to its facility-agnostic design, the device reflects his commitment to improving patient care while increasing operational velocity.
Informed by his years in surgery and guided by a mission to modernize the tools surgeons rely on, Dr. Norton is building more than a product—he’s building a platform for the future of minimally invasive care.
Noel Ischy
Vice President, Axcess Instruments, Inc.
Noel D. Ischy brings over four decades of entrepreneurial and technical leadership to Axcess Instruments, where he serves as Vice President and co-inventor of the AxcessPort™. As President of Now Development Co., Inc., Mr. Ischy has operated, enhanced, and sold oil and gas assets for over 37 years. He is also the former President of Bio Products, Inc., where he led the commercialization of BioBalls, a patented downhole diversion device that became the industry standard in oil and gas stimulation. From concept to production, he built and scaled a manufacturing operation, developed a national market, and led ongoing sales prior to a successful exit.
Beyond energy, Mr. Ischy has developed and operated a 312-acre drive-thru safari park in East Texas—Cherokee Trace Safari—home to over 600 animals from 37 exotic species. His experience spans acquisition, development, operations, and IP management.
At Axcess Instruments, he co-authored 13 patents related to the AxcessPort and holds 2 additional patents from prior ventures. He also serves as President of the Axcess Instruments IP Holding Company, ensuring the protection and strategic management of the company’s intellectual property portfolio.
OUR ADVISORy board
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Dr Abrameit received his undergraduate training at Texas A&M University where he received a B.S in Biomedical Science in 1987. After receiving his Medical Degree from Texas A&M College of Medicine in 1991, he completed 5 years of residency training at Scott & White Memorial Hospital in Temple, Texas. He has practiced General Surgery at Mother Frances Hospital since 1996 and has served as Chief of Surgery with an accomplished background in advanced laparoscopy in foregut, biliary, solid organ resection including splenectomy and adrenalectomy as well as colorectal surgery. Dr. Ambrameit also spent 3 years in Doha, Qatar at Hamad Hospital as a Surgery Consultant in advanced laparoscopy, while also training medical students from Weill Cornell in Qatar.
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Dr. Charles Beall is a board-certified general surgeon with more than 30 years of experience in advanced surgical care, including general, laparoscopic, and robotic-assisted procedures. He has dedicated his career to Christus Trinity Mother Frances Health System in Tyler, Texas, where he currently serves as Attending Surgeon and Director of the Metabolic Surgery Program.
A Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, Dr. Beall has held leadership roles including Chairman of the Department of Surgery at Christus Trinity Mother Frances Hospital. He is recognized for his expertise in metabolic and bariatric surgery, breast surgery, and complex abdominal wall reconstruction, and has been honored with awards for both patient care and research innovation.
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Louis DeLuca brings 37 years of expertise in the healthcare industry through his tenure at Johnson & Johnson, where he held roles in field sales, field sales training, and field management. He is also a certified instructor for Integrity Selling.
In the early stages of his career, Mr. DeLuca was tasked with reducing hospital-acquired infections by facilitating the transition from reusable to single-use medical supplies, primarily within hospital operating rooms and endoscopic procedural areas. Throughout his career, he has been an advocate for the adoption of laparoscopic techniques over traditional open surgery, significantly contributing to their widespread acceptance in his local market. Clinical studies have demonstrated that these methods lead to shorter patient recovery times, lower complication rates, and enhanced institutional efficiency across multiple surgical disciplines. In this capacity, he utilized company led professional educational events and product launches as the primary mechanism for training on laparoscopic instruments and procedures. Mr. DeLuca collaborated closely with surgeons, nurse managers, materials management personnel, hospital administrators, clinicians, risk management teams and biomedical professionals to ensure smooth implementation of laparoscopic practices in local hospitals and surgery centers.
His efforts have consistently focused on delivering education to physicians, nurses, and technicians on the critical devices used in surgery, such as stapling equipment, advanced energy systems, hemostasis tools, wound closure products, single-use surgical drapes, surgical gloves, and disinfectants. These initiatives have played a critical role in supporting the broad adoption of innovative medical devices for use in advancing patient care.
In addition to his extensive experience in sales and management, Mr. DeLuca is credited as co-inventor on several patents related to ultrasonic surgical technology developed with Ethicon Endo-Surgery.
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Cedric Burgher is CEO for Industrial Biomass Group LLC (IBG), a privately held wood pellet and chip producer with operations in Nova Scotia, Canada. Renewable wood pellets are made from wood waste and serve as a replacement fuel for coal-fired power plants. IBG’s growth plans include organic expansion projects and acquisitions in North America.
Mr. Burgher is a seasoned executive with more than 25 years in senior leadership positions across the energy and natural resources industries. He has served as CEO, COO, and CFO of public and private energy companies, bringing extensive experience in mergers, acquisitions, strategic growth initiatives, and capital markets—including executing two IPOs as CFO.
Previously, Mr. Burgher was CFO of Occidental Petroleum, where he led financing and key workstreams related to the $55 billion acquisition of Anadarko Petroleum. As COO of Quantum Energy Partners, he was involved in private equity investments and acquisitions across the energy sector. As CFO of KBR, Inc., he oversaw the company’s IPO and spin-off from Halliburton. Earlier in his career, he was a partner at FTI Consulting, focusing on traditional energy and energy transition projects.
His prior experience also includes executive roles with EOG Resources, Halliburton, Baker Hughes, and QR Energy, as well as serving as CFO of Burger King Corporation. He began his career with eight years in banking, specializing in acquisition financing.
Mr. Burgher earned his B.B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin, an M.B.A. from the University of Dallas, and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.
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Brian J. Bell is a seasoned medical sales and business development leader with 34 years of experience driving growth in the healthcare industry. As President of BLB Medical Partners, he partners with innovative medical companies to introduce the most minimally invasive techniques and therapies for advanced surgical, orthopedic, and regenerative solutions that improve patient outcomes.
Brian began his career in healthcare with Pfizer, where he spent over a decade as a top-performing Healthcare Representative, consistently exceeding sales goals, training peers, and earning numerous national awards. He went on to hold progressive sales and leadership roles with Medtronic and Covidien where he managed multimillion-dollar territories, launched new medical technologies, and trained surgeons and clinical staff on advanced procedures for General, Bariatric, Cardio Thorasic, Urology and Gynecology. While representing Covidien’s endo mechanical and Vessel sealing technologies he was successful in converting hospital systems to full line conversions while providing savings to those systems.
In 2019, Brian founded BLB Medical Partners, where he represents cutting-edge products focusing on the most minimally invasive therapies in endoscopic spine surgery, si fusions, facet fusions, joint preservation therapies, diagnostic arthroscopy, and regenerative therapies. His career is defined by a proven ability to build strong physician relationships, deliver clinical expertise, and consistently drive revenue growth.
Brian holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing from Northeast Louisiana University, where he attended on a full athletic scholarship for football and earned multiple academic honors