Dr. Thomas Fogarty: Surgeon, Inventor, Entrepreneur

I wanted to write a quick blog about a medical hero of mine: Dr. Thomas Fogarty.

I have never met Dr. Fogarty, but one day I'd like to have the opportunity.  Dr. Fogarty is a former Professor of Surgery in the Stanford University Medical Center.  He has published over 170 scientific articles but is most famous for his medical inventions.  He currently holds 63 surgical instrumentation patents, has founded or co-founded over 30 startup companies, helped begin a venture capital firm, has won numerous awards, and is the founder of the Fogarty Institute for Innovation .

His other claim to fame is his vineyard.  The Thomas Fogarty Winery and Vineyard is located in the San Francisco region and produces an array of fine wines.

Dr. Fogarty is an example of a physician who began as a clinician, branched out into an alternative area of medicine, and then went on into a non-medical venture.  The purpose of the Medical Fusion conference is to teach physicians how to make these career transitions, and there are few better examples of this progression than Dr. Fogarty.