Thomas J. Fogarty Prize to Recognize High-Impact Medtech Innovations

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Thomas J. Fogarty Prize to Recognize High-Impact Medtech Innovations

2025-03-18 01:04 Last Updated At：17:50

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar 17, 2025--

Nominations open next week for the inaugural “Thomas J. Fogarty Prize” (Fogarty Prize), a prestigious new recognition for an innovator or team who has developed and brought to market a lifechanging medical technology. The award consists of an unrestricted $100,000 cash prize, a custom-cast bronze medal, and a formal celebratory dinner and award ceremony with medtech leaders in Silicon Valley.

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Named in honor of cardiovascular surgeon and serial medical technology innovator Thomas J. Fogarty, MD, the Fogarty Prize is made possible through a foundational grant from the Linda and Mike Mussallem Foundation, with Silicon Valley-based law firm, Wilson Sonsini, also contributing to the prize endowment.

Fogarty dedicated his career to improving medicine. His balloon embolectomy catheter, invented when he was still in medical school, revolutionized vascular surgery and launched an era of minimally invasive device innovation that has improved and saved the lives of millions of people. He also invented a legion of other surgical tools and technologies and has been recognized by numerous organizations for his contributions to medical science, including the National Inventors Hall of Fame and the Presidential Medal of Technology and Innovation.

“Tom’s constant refrain, ‘there must be a better way,’ has inspired countless innovators to search for new solutions to important problems in patient care,” said Mike Mussallem, co-founder of the Linda and Mike Mussallem Foundation and former CEO and Chairman of the Board of Edwards Lifesciences. “We are proud to take part in the inaugural Fogarty Prize, which honors the magnitude of Tom’s contributions to healthcare while recognizing the next generation of trailblazers who are developing transformational medical technologies today.”

“The process of translating an idea into a commercially available medical device or therapy is hard,” said Andrew Cleeland, CEO of Fogarty Innovation, the nonprofit educational medtech incubator and accelerator that is administering the prize. “It’s a long, costly process that involves navigating a multi-stakeholder landscape far more intricate than most industries. This award illuminates and acknowledges the collaboration and grit required to drive a new therapy to patients and achieve broad acceptance and use.” This ethos is best reflected in a Fogarty quote that is well-known across the startup ecosystem: “An idea by itself has no importance whatsoever. It’s the implementation of that idea and the acceptance by others that bring true benefit to our patients.”

Eligibility for the Fogarty Prize

The Fogarty Prize recognizes a singular, clinically impactful technology, which differentiates it from a lifetime achievement award. Recipients must be individuals (up to three per award); companies are not eligible. An independent selection committee whose members include Dorothy Abel; K. Angela Macfarlane; Mike Mussallem; Asha Nayak, MD, PhD; Carla Pugh, MD, PhD; Allan Will; and Bill Starling will review nominations and select the annual award recipient/s.

The nomination period opens March 24, 2025 and closes on July 31, 2025. The winner(s) will be announced in August. The award will be presented at a formal dinner in October 2025 in Silicon Valley, California, the night before the annual Thomas J. Fogarty, MD: Focus on Innovation Lecture (Fogarty Lecture). The nomination form can be found on the Fogarty Innovation website.

Dr. Fogarty’s Impact on Medical Innovation

During his acclaimed career, Fogarty, age 91, acquired 190 medical patents for his revolutionary work, including the “industry standard” Fogarty balloon embolectomy catheter, The Hancock Tissue Heart Valve, and the AneuRx Endovascular Aortic Stent Graft. He is the founder or co-founder of over 45 medical technology companies, and his inventions significantly influence the way surgery is performed today.

However, nearly all of Fogarty’s inventions involved a long journey through what has been characterized as “hand-to-hand combat and a slog through things that ‘couldn’t be done.’” After inventing the balloon embolectomy catheter, which replaced a high-risk, open surgical procedure to remove blood clots that frequently resulted in amputation, Fogarty struggled first to publish and then to find a manufacturing partner. In 1969, Edwards Laboratories became that partner.

In 2007, Fogarty founded Fogarty Innovation on the campus of El Camino Health with the goal of using his experience to help innovators and young companies navigate a web of stakeholders that include regulators, insurers, hospital systems, physicians, investors, acquirors, and patients. Since 2017, Fogarty Innovation has been helmed by CEO Andrew Cleeland, who moved the organization into a 30,000 square-foot facility complete with lab, office, and conference space; hired a core senior staff of medtech veterans with a broad range of expertise to actively coach young companies; and expanded the nonprofit’s educational offerings and alliances program, with the goal of streamlining the path forward for promising medical technologies.

To learn more and get involved, contact Allie Gregorian, chief alliance officer at Fogarty Innovation.

About Fogarty Innovation

Fogarty Innovation is a nonprofit educational medtech incubator dedicated to advancing human health worldwide. The company’s seasoned leadership team provides “full contact coaching” to help young companies navigate the path to commercialization, delivers practical educational programming to stakeholders across the ecosystem, and forges alliances that accelerate the invention, development, and deployment of new medical technologies into clinical care. Founded by Thomas J. Fogarty, MD, a world-renowned cardiovascular surgeon, inventor, and entrepreneur, Fogarty Innovation is headquartered on the El Camino Health campus in Mountain View, California. Learn more: www.fogartyinnovation.org.

About the Linda and Mike Mussallem Foundation

After decades of philanthropic commitments, Linda and Mike officially unveiled the Linda and Mike Mussallem Foundation in 2024. The Linda and Mike Mussallem Foundation aims to harness the power of innovation and integrative health solutions to address complex health care challenges and create meaningful, long-lasting change for overlooked populations in need. Learn more at www.mussallemfoundation.org.

Middle East latest: More than 320 killed as Israel launches airstrikes across Gaza

2025-03-18 17:39 Last Updated At：17:41

Israel launched a wave of airstrikes across the Gaza Strip early Tuesday, saying it was hitting Hamas targets in its heaviest assault in the territory since a ceasefire took effect in January.

The strikes killed more than 320 people, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he ordered the strikes because of a lack of progress in talks to extend the ceasefire. Officials said the operation was open-ended and was expected to expand. The White House said it had been consulted and voiced support for Israel’s actions.

Hamas warned that Israel’s new airstrikes breached their ceasefire and put the fate of hostages in jeopardy.

The surprise attack shattered a period of relative calm during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and raised the prospect of a full return to fighting in a 17-month war that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and caused widespread destruction across Gaza.

Here's the latest:

Egypt, a key mediator in Gaza ceasefire talks, lashed out at Israel, calling its new offensive on Gaza a “flagrant violation of the ceasefire deal.”

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it rejects “all Israeli attacks which aim to … make ongoing efforts to de-escalate and regain stability fail.”

It called for the international community to “to immediately intervene to stop the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip.”

It also urged the parties to “exercise restraint” and give mediators a space to “complete their efforts to reach a permanent ceasefire.”

The U.N. human rights chief says he’s “horrified” by Israel airstrikes in Gaza overnight that have killed hundreds, according to health authorities in the territory.

Volker Türk says the last 18 months of fighting between Palestinian armed groups, including Hamas, and Israeli forces have shown that “the only way forward is a political settlement” and a “military path” offers no way out of the crisis.

The rights chief reiterated his calls for hostages held by Hamas and people held arbitrarily to be released “immediately and unconditionally.”

“This nightmare must end immediately,” he added in a statement.

The families of hostages held by Hamas are calling on supporters to protest with them outside Israel’s parliament, saying the resumption of fighting in Gaza puts their loved ones at risk.

“With each passing day, the danger to the hostages grows. Military pressure could further endanger their lives,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, the main group representing the families, said in a statement announcing the protest.

An Israeli official says Netanyahu is to meet with top security officials in the coming half-hour to discuss next steps in the war.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a closed-door meeting.

— By Josef Federman in Jerusalem

The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres says he is “shocked” by the Israeli airstrikes in Gaza and has called for the ceasefire in Gaza to be respected.

Guterres, in a statement, called for humanitarian aid to resume for people in Gaza and for the hostages held by Hamas to be released unconditionally.

Freed British-Israeli hostage Emily Damari says her “heart is broken, crushed and disappointed” by the resumption of fighting in Gaza. In a story on Instagram shared by Israeli media, she said she would keep fighting for the remaining hostages.

Gaza’s Health Ministry says Israeli strikes across the territory have killed at least 326 people. The wave of strikes that began early Tuesday is among the deadliest since the start of the 17-month war.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called for the ceasefire to be maintained following Israel’s attack on Gaza.

“There’s already been enormous suffering there, which is why we’re calling upon all parties to respect the ceasefire and hostage deal that was put in place,” Albanese told reporters.

“We’ll continue to make representations. Australia will continue to stand up for peace and security in the region,” he added.

An Israeli airstrike flattened a prison run by the Hamas-led government in Gaza Strip, killing dozens of prisoners and policemen, according to hospital records.

The prison was located in the urban Shati refugee camp in Gaza City. Associated Press footage showed a collapsed building and people trying to reach bodies buried under the rubble.

The bodies of more than three dozen prisoners and guards were taken to the nearby Shifa hospital.

The Hamas-run government operates a police force that numbered in the tens of thousands before the war and quickly returned to the streets after a ceasefire took hold in January.

The Israeli military ordered people to evacuate eastern Gaza and move toward the center of the territory after Israel carried out a wave of airstrikes across the territory.

The orders issued Tuesday indicate Israel could launch renewed ground operations.

The Hamas-run Education Ministry in the Gaza Strip says classes have been suspended in dozens of schools that had recently reopened.

The decision came after Israel launched a wave of heavy airstrikes across Gaza early Tuesday, shattering a nearly two-month ceasefire.

Schools shut down across Gaza after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack ignited the war, and most were converted to shelters for displaced people.

The ministry said it had resumed classes in around 70 schools in recent weeks.

A United Nations staffer in the Gaza Strip described a “very tough night” as Israel resumed heavy strikes across the territory after a nearly two-month ceasefire.

Rosalia Bollen, a communications specialist with the U.N. children’s agency, said she woke up around 2 a.m. on Tuesday to “very loud explosions.”

She said the UNICEF bass near the southern city of Rafah “was shaking very heavily.” When the strikes subsided, she heard “people yelling, people screaming and ambulances.”

“The bombardments have continued throughout the night,” though at a lower intensity than the initial barrage, she said. “The whole night, there’s been just the constant buzzing of drones and planes flying over.”

She said the strikes hit tents and structures housing displaced families. “We’re seeing, as of this morning, at least several dozen children killed,” she said.

The main group representing the families of hostages held in Gaza has slammed the decision to return to fighting, saying the move shows the government “chose to give up on the hostages.”

The Hostages Families Forum said “military pressure endangers hostages.” It asked the government in a post on X why it “backed out of the agreement” with Hamas that set out a release of all the living hostages in exchange for an end to the war.

“We are shocked, angry, and terrified by the deliberate dismantling of the process to return our loved ones from the terrible captivity of Hamas,” the group said.

A key governing partner of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the return to fighting in Gaza.

Bezalel Smotrich had threatened to leave the government if fighting did not resume, which would imperil Netanyahu’s rule. Critics said those political considerations were influencing Netanyahu’s wartime decision-making.

“We remained in the government for this moment despite our opposition to the (ceasefire) deal, and we are more determined than ever to complete the task and destroy Hamas,” Smotrich posted on X.

Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip have killed at least 235 people, according to local hospitals.

The toll from the strikes overnight and into Tuesday is based on records from seven hospitals and does not include bodies brought to other, smaller health centers.

Rescuers are still searching for dead and wounded.

North Korea has criticized the United States over its new campaign of airstrikes targeting Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

The state-run KCNA news agency on Tuesday quoted Ma Tong Hui, North Korea’s ambassador to Egypt and concurrently to Yemen, as describing the attacks as a “wanton violation of all international laws including the U.N. Charter and it is an open encroachment upon the sovereignty of other nation that can never be justified.”

He also criticized “U.S. hooliganism.”

Trump during his first term held summits with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, but the diplomacy collapsed over disagreements on US sanctions.

A senior Hamas official says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to launch widespread strikes on the Gaza Strip amounts to a “death sentence” for the remaining hostages held there.

In a statement early Tuesday, Izzat al-Risheq, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, accused Netanyahu of resuming the war to try and save his far-right governing coalition.

“Netanyahu’s decision to return to war is a decision to sacrifice the (Israeli) occupation’s captives and a death sentence against them,” he said.

He said Israel didn’t respect its commitments in the ceasefire deal reached in January and urged mediators to “reveal facts” on which side broke the agreement.

National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said the militant group “could have released hostages to extend the ceasefire but instead chose refusal and war.”

U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, who has been leading mediation efforts along with Egypt and Qatar, had earlier warned that Hamas must release living hostages immediately “or pay a severe price.”

Israeli officials said the latest operation was open-ended and was expected to expand.

“Israel will, from now on, act against Hamas with increasing military strength,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt says the “Trump administration and the White House were consulted by the Israelis on their attacks in Gaza tonight.”

“As President Trump has made it clear, Hamas, the Houthis, Iran — all those who seek to terrorize not just Israel, but also the United States of America — will see a price to pay: All hell will break lose,” Leavitt continued, speaking to Fox News on Monday evening.

Leavitt is one of three administration officials who face a lawsuit from The Associated Press on First- and Fifth-Amendment grounds. The AP says the three are punishing the news agency for editorial decisions they oppose. The White House says the AP is not following an executive order to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.