The Role Model for Doctor-Inventors
One of the goals of this blog is to help Doctors become Inventors. So, my very first post covers the role model for all potential Doctor-Inventors -- Dr. Thomas Fogarty. Dr. Fogarty's past and present achievements should inspire and motivate you to become a Doctor-Inventor.
Dr. Thomas Fogarty is the most prolific Doctor-Inventor of all time. Over the past 40 years, he has invented medical devices that have saved millions of lives and improved the quality of life of millions of patients.
Dr. Fogarty holds 63 US patents in surgical devices, with additional patents pending. Two of his most famous inventions are the Aneurx stent and the balloon arterial embolectomy catheter for the removal of blood clots. Over a 40 year period, he helped found 33 business and research companies and he also owns an award winning winery.
Dr. Fogarty started inventing a young age – he invented the centrifugal clutch when he was only 15. As a scrub technician before attending Medical School, he invented the embolectomy balloon catheter (i.e., the Fogarty catheter) -- by altering a surgical glove using techniques he learned from fly-fishing. In 2000 Dr. Fogarty won the Lemelson-MIT Prize for Invention and Innovation (the world's largest single award for invention and innovation). He is also an inductee in the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
For me, Dr. Fogarty’s role as a mentor and motivator for Doctor-Inventors is one of his greatest achievements. The following are a few quotes from Dr. Fogarty:
“I've achieved the things I've done by asking one question: 'Can it be done better?' I've tried to improve the application of technology to daily patient care. A technology that works in one segment of medicine can, if thought of appropriately, be applied elsewhere successfully."
“If you look at major innovations, most of them are not accepted right away. They’re challenged, because tradition tells us they won’t work. That’s why so many inventors are initially viewed as crazy.”
“Well, ideas are only ideas. I’ll tell people about something, and they’ll say, “Oh, I had that idea.” But the idea alone has absolutely no value. Thinking about something doesn’t in and of itself help anybody. It’s the implementation of the idea that brings value to the public.”
“Failure is the preamble to success. Most first efforts don’t work. If you persist, you’ll eventually figure it out.”
“I believe that if you emphasize doing good, making things better, improving society, you’ll end up getting rewarded. A lot of people start at the other end, and I don’t think that works as well. The most successful people I’ve seen acknowledged a problem and said, “We can fix that.” They end up being rewarded, and that’s the way it should be. That’s the system we live in.”
Read more about Dr. Fogarty on his Fogarty Winery Website.
Lets all make Dr. Fogarty proud and continue his legacy of doing good, making things better and improving society. Image how many lives would be saved and how many patients would benefit. Wouldn't it be great to be the next Dr. Fogarty? Think about it and then act on it.
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A lot more information, data, links and resources can be found on my mirror Doctor of Invention Blog. Please check it out.