Robert M. Campbell Jr., M.D., Health Science Center pediatric orthopedic surgeon, was inducted into the San Antonio Science and Technology Hall of Fame at the second annual Stars of Innovation dinner hosted by the San Antonio Technology Accelerator Initiative (SATAI) Network on Nov. 2, 2005.
Dr. Campbell was selected for his invention of the Vertical Expandable Prosthetic Titanium Rib, which saves the lives of children whose rib and spine abnormalities do not allow normal lung growth. In 2004, the Titanium Rib became the first new spine deformity treatment to gain FDA approval since 1962. To date, the device has saved the lives of more than 300 infants and children across the country.
The 500 in attendance at the Crowne Plaza Hotel included Francisco G. Cigarroa, M.D., president of the Health Science Center; Brian Herman, Ph.D., vice president for research; and H. Randall Goldsmith, Ph.D., assistant vice president for technology transfer and economic development, all of whom serve on the SATAI Board of Directors. Drs. Cigarroa and Herman also served on committees planning the SATAI Stars of Innovation Gala.
CardioSpectra, a year-old company founded by Marc D. Feldman, M.D., of the Health Science Center and Thomas E. Milner, Ph.D., of UT Austin, was also recognized as one of the rising stars in technology by the SATAI Network. CardioSpectra is the only Health Science Center spin-off to be so honored this year.
CardioSpectra is looking for innovative ways to image blood vessel plaques that are vulnerable to rupture. A better method of imaging these plaques could dramatically reduce the number of sudden deaths from strokes and heart attacks precipitated by plaque ruptures. Dr. Feldman, an interventional cardiologist and researcher, is collaborating with Dr. Milner, a biomedical engineer.
SATAI bestowed its Technology Hero Award on Sam Barshop for his visionary support of the Texas Research Park. Dr. Cigarroa thanked Mr. Barshop and his wife, Ann, for their generous gift that supports the Sam and Ann Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies.
The SATAI Network, founded in 1999, is a non-profit organization that helps San Antonio entrepreneurs with the knowledge, skills and access to capital for turning innovations into enterprises. The San Antonio Science and Technology Hall of Fame was established last year by the SATAI Network to recognize inventors with a San Antonio connection who have provided a significant scientific or technological advance that has had a social, technical or economic impact on the world.
