Fischell Wins President's Distinguished Alumnus Award

Fischell Department of Bioengineering benefactor and namesake Dr. Robert E. Fischell (M.S. '53, physics) has been named the recipient of the 2009 President's Distinguished Alumnus Award, which will be presented at the 10th Annual Alumni Association Awards Gala this April.

The University of Maryland Alumni Association's President's Distinguished Alumnus Award recognizes an alumnus or alumna "for achieving national recognition for excellence, both personally and professionally." Fischell was nominated for the honor by former Clark School interim dean Dr. Herbert Rabin.

Fischell, who holds more than 200 patents, is the father of modern medical stents, lifetime pacemaker batteries and implantable insulin pumps. His recent projects have included the AngelMed Guardian, a pacemaker-sized implant capable of informing both the patient and medical personnel via wireless connections if a heart attack is imminent; and the Neuralieve Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Treatment System, a handheld device that uses noninvasive technology to deliver magnetic pulses to the brain's occipital cortex, stopping migraines at their earliest signs.

Fischell will be discussing another of his current projects, the "Svelte Stent", at the 3^rd Annual Fischell Festival this April.

Fischell received his B.S. in mechanical engineering from Duke University in 1951, and an M.S. in physics from the University of Maryland in 1953. He was awarded an honorary doctoral degree from the University of Maryland in 1996. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and has received numerous awards and recognitions including induction into the Space Technology Hall of Fame and U.S. Inventor of the Year. Fischell serves on the Clark School Board of Visitors, as well as on the University of Maryland College Park Foundation Board of Trustees. In 2004 he was inducted into the Clark School Innovation Hall of Fame and in 2001 received Maryland's Major F. Riddick, Jr. Entrepreneurship Award.

"'Zap' Away Migraines?" »

"Alumnus, Inventor, Benefactor...Opera Singer?" »

"Improving Life for Millions of People" »

Published March 23, 2009