John Alexander Hopps
| John Alexander "Jack" Hopps | |
|---|---|
| Born |
May 21, 1919 Winnipeg, Manitoba |
| Died | November 24, 1998 (aged 79) |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Occupation | medical researcher |
| Awards | Order of Canada |
John Alexander "Jack" Hopps, OC (May 21, 1919 – November 24, 1998) was one of the pioneers of the artificial pacemaker and the founder of the Canadian Medical and Biological Engineering Society (CMBES) who have called him the "Father of biomedical engineering in Canada".[1]
Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, he received a B.Sc.Eng. degree in electrical engineering from the University of Manitoba in 1941. He joined the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) in 1942.
Beginning in 1949, he worked with Dr. Wilfred Bigelow and Dr. John Callaghan at the Banting Institute in the University of Toronto, developing the world's first external artificial pacemaker in 1951. (The first internal pacemaker was implanted in a human body by a Swedish team in 1958.)
Hopps was an advisor to the Sri Lanka health department's Electromedical Division through the Canadian government's Colombo Plan in 1957-58 before returning to the NRC and becoming head of its Medical Engineering Section in 1973.[2]
In 1965, Hopps founded the Canadian Medical and Biological Engineering Society (CMBES) and became its first President.[3] In 1976, he was awarded the honour of Fellow of the Canadian Medical and Biological Engineering Society.[4] He was also the President of the Ontario Heart Foundation (Ottawa Chapter).
He retired in 1978. In 1985, his autobiography, Passing Pulses, the Pacemaker and Medical Engineering: A Canadian Story, was published.[5]
In 1986, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. He is a member of the Canadian Science and Engineering Hall of Fame.[6]
References
- ↑ Administrator. "CMBES Founder". www.cmbes.ca. Retrieved 2016-11-14.
- ↑ "John Alexander Hopps fonds". Archival description. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 16 Sep 2016.
- ↑ Founder of CMBES, The Canadian Medical and Biological Engineering Society.
- ↑ "CMBES Membership Awards - Fellows". Canadian Medical and Biological Engineering Society. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
- ↑ Hopps, John Alexander (1985). Passing Pulses, the Pacemaker and Medical Engineering: A Canadian Story. Gloucester, Ont. ISBN 9780968101001.
- ↑ The Canadian Science and Engineering Hall of Fame: The Hall, Canada Science and Technology Museum.
- Sources
- "NRC, City of Ottawa to Commemorate Local Whose Inventions Helped Saved Millions of Lives Around the World". Retrieved January 3, 2006.
- "In Memorium Dr. John A. Hopps 1919 - 1998". Retrieved January 3, 2006.
- "IEEE Milestone in Electrical Engineering and Computing". Retrieved September 5, 2009.