Nominations have opened 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 life-changing 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.
Named in honor of our founder, 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.
Honoring a Legacy of Transformative Innovation
Dr. Fogarty, now 91, dedicated his career to improving medicine. While still in medical school, he invented the balloon embolectomy catheter, revolutionizing vascular surgery and launching an era of minimally invasive device innovation. 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.”
Recognizing Ingenuity and Perseverance
“The process of translating an idea into a commercially available medical device or therapy is hard,” said Fogarty CEO Andrew Cleeland. “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.”
Nomination and Key Dates
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; Philip Oettinger; Allan Will; and Bill Starling, will review nominations and select the annual award recipient/s.
The nomination period opened March 24 and will close on July 31, 2025. The winner(s) will be announced in August. The award will be presented at a formal dinner in October 2025. To learn more or submit a nomination, visit the Fogarty Innovation website.