“In a gentle way, you can shake the world.”
– Mahatma Gandhi
There has been a lot of news coming out of Fogarty Innovation recently. In quick succession, we elevated our long-term partnership with El Camino Health, launched the inaugural Thomas J. Fogarty Innovation Prize, co-hosted the jam-packed, fourth annual TCT MedTech Innovation Forum, and announced our merger with the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF).
But that whirlwind is just what it looks like from the outside. The real story behind these headlines is that none of these endeavors happened overnight. Each represents the culmination of years of discussion and planning rooted in deep friendship, shared values, and profound respect between teams.
In my last newsletter, I described our long-term collaboration with El Camino Health, and the measurable impact of that relationship in facilitating the launch of numerous groundbreaking companies and technologies. It’s a proven partnership that strengthens both organizations’ ability to advance healthcare innovation and delivery.
Our merger with CRF—a partnership that unites two legacies of purpose-driven innovation under one global mission—also expands our impact and reach by allowing us to think and act on a larger scale. By combining CRF’s global research and education platform with Fogarty’s hands-on incubation model, we can accelerate breakthrough ideas from concept to clinical impact. Together, we are building a new model of collaboration—one where innovators, clinicians, investors, and regulators work side by side from the very beginning. Our vision goes beyond advancing individual technologies; it seeks to redesign the pathway for medtech innovation itself—making it faster, leaner, and more inclusive.
Importantly, Fogarty will remain Fogarty. From our home on the El Camino Health campus, and now as CRF’s West Coast innovation hub, we will continue to coach entrepreneurs and startups across clinical specialties, produce practical educational programs that enrich the medtech community, and work with our alliance partners to strengthen the early-stage innovation ecosystem.
On a personal note, when I stepped out of the world of medtech startups and into the nonprofit world as the CEO of Fogarty Innovation, I had a specific goal in mind: to grow an organization that would give back to the medtech innovation ecosystem and create lasting, meaningful impact. We would do this by leveraging the experience of a veteran team to shape individuals, advance technologies, and grow companies.
This merger is another step toward realizing that vision—building an ecosystem where great ideas have the mentorship and support they need to reach patients faster.
There was also a second mission I accepted when I took the helm at Fogarty: the even more profound responsibility of stewarding Tom’s remarkable legacy. Our partnership with CRF not only advances my vision for Fogarty Innovation and for our industry, it also safeguards our future and ensures that Tom’s curiosity, determination, and refusal to accept the status quo will continue to inspire innovators for decades to come.
The Thomas J. Fogarty Innovation Prize
That spirit of curiosity and courage is also what inspired the Thomas J. Fogarty Innovation Prize. On October 24, after more than a year of planning, we celebrated the inaugural Fogarty Prize at a sold-out, black-tie gala in San Francisco. The award was conceived during a 90th birthday dinner for Tom, when Mike Mussallem announced that he and his wife, Linda, wanted to commemorate Tom’s extraordinary impact on healthcare by creating an annual innovation award and making a foundational gift to support it.
The vision for the Fogarty Prize that we shaped that evening, and refined in the months that followed, was to recognize an innovator or team who has developed and commercialized a singular, life-changing medical technology. This would not be a lifetime achievement award. Rather, our goal was to shine a light on innovation and the entire journey—from concept to implementation and adoption. In this way, we could reinforce both the essence of our industry and Tom’s relentless pragmatism: that great ideas only matter when they reach the bedside and meaningfully improve patient care.
In addition to an unrestricted $100,000 cash prize, we wanted to present the winner with a custom-cast bronze medallion. We had some fun with this part, choosing a bear to represent Tom because bears are fierce, intuitive, and tenacious in the face of challenges, and as a nod to a memorable fishing trip in which a large and hungry brown bear woke Tom from a nap. Finally, we added the Latin phrase “A Posse Ad Esse” meaning, “From Possibility to Actuality.”
For me, the Fogarty Prize means three things. First, it is a way to honor Tom–whose restless curiosity, inventive mind, and deep commitment to mentorship have inspired generations of innovators. Tom taught us that there is always a better way—and more importantly, that we each have a responsibility to find it. Second, it’s an opportunity to recognize remarkable innovators who have changed healthcare in ways that ripple across lives, families, and communities. And third, it is an occasion that brings the medtech community together to celebrate our relentless focus on improving patient care and remind ourselves that the hard days (and there are many hard days in medtech innovation), are worth it. What we do matters. We improve, restore, and sometimes save the lives of millions around the world.
In this inaugural year, from an outstanding field of nominees, three exceptional finalists emerged:
- Frameless Stereotactic Radiosurgery: John Adler, MD
- FARAPULSE Pulsed Field Ablation (PFA) System: Allan Zingeler; Raju Viswanathan, PhD; Michael Mahoney
- Fetal Surgery: Michael Harrison, MD
As you likely know, the winner—and the scores were very close—was FARAPULSE. Congratulations to the entire FARAPULSE team, to the two other finalists, and to all the nominees. It was a true pleasure to learn about each of your journeys and the persistence and dedication it took to bring these remarkable technologies forward.
We look forward to continuing this award for decades to come—both to honor Tom and to bring our industry together to remember why we chose this path and how much more we can do when we move forward together.
Thank you for your continued support as work through these exciting changes. We’ll return to our regular newsletter format—and catch up with the people and companies making news at Fogarty Innovation—next month.
Until then, I wish you curiosity, inspiration, and the courage to face challenges—on the bench, in the boardroom, or on the banks of a river.
–Andrew
(This letter from Andrew Cleeland was shared In Fogarty’s November 2025 newsletter.)