Finalists have been announced for the first Thomas J. Fogarty Innovation Prize, a new award recognizing innovators who developed and commercialized medical technologies with major impact on patient care.
The winner will be named Oct. 24 at a gala in San Francisco and will receive $100,000 and a bronze medal. The award is administered by Fogarty Innovation and supported by the Linda and Mike Mussallem Foundation.
Previously: Mike Mussallem plans to support medtech innovation in these four areas
This year’s finalists are:
- Dr. John Adler for CyberKnife, the first frameless stereotactic radiosurgery system;
- Allan Zingeler, Raju Viswanathan and Michael Mahoney for the Farapulse pulsed-field ablation (PFA) system for atrial fibrillation;
- and Dr. Michael Harrison for pioneering fetal surgery.
“The Fogarty Prize celebrates the spirit of innovation and the drive to make a lasting difference in patients’ lives through bold medical technology breakthroughs,” said Mike Mussallem, the retired CEO and chair of Edwards Lifesciences. “The selection process went far beyond technical achievement to identify leaders whose integrity, vision, and relentless dedication to improving patient outcomes set them apart. We are proud to play a part in recognizing the next generation of innovators who are redefining what’s possible in medicine.”
Accuray’s CyberKnife Robotic Radiosurgery System is used to treat a range of cancers and metastases. [Image courtesy of Accuray]
Farapulse won CE Mark in 2021, was acquired by Boston Scientific later that year, and then won FDA approval in 2024. The minimally invasive cardiac ablation system has treated nearly 500,000 patients worldwide.
Harrison’s work in the 1980s at UCSF established procedures to treat spina bifida, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, and twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome before birth.
“The Fogarty Prize not only honors Tom’s enduring legacy of asking, ‘Is there a better way?’ but also shines a spotlight on that journey from concept to commercialization, celebrating not just invention, but the years of dedication, resilience, and collaboration required to bring a breakthrough to patients at scale,” said Fogarty Innovation CEO Andrew Cleeland.
DeviceTalks West is proud to be partnering with Fogarty Innovation to help start-up entrepreneurs find their path to success. Register at West.DeviceTalks.com to hear from Fogarty leaders. DeviceTalks West is Oct. 15–16, 2025 in Santa Clara, California. Here’s a 25% off discount code: MDO25OFF
