James McEwen (born June 10, 1948) is a Canadian

biomedical engineer Biomedicine (also referred to as Western medicine, mainstream medicine or conventional medicine)

microprocessor A microprocessor is a computer processor where the data processing logic and control is included on a single integrated circuit, or a small number of integrated circuits. The microprocessor contains the arithmetic, logic, and control circu ...

-controlled automatic tourniquet system, which is now standard for 15,000-20,000 procedures daily in

operating rooms An operating theater (also known as an operating room (OR), operating suite, or operation suite) is a facility within a hospital where surgical operations are carried out in an aseptic environment. Historically, the term "operating theater" refe ...

worldwide. Their widespread adoption and use has significantly improved surgical safety, quality and economy. McEwen is President of Western Clinical Engineering Ltd., a biomedical engineering research and development company and he is a director of Delfi Medical Innovations Inc., a company he founded to commercialize some results of that research and development. He is also an adjunct professor in the School of Biomedical Engineering, in the Department of Orthopaedics and in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...

. In 2020, to recognize his invention of automatic tourniquets for surgery and other applications he was inducted to the U.S.

National Inventors Hall of Fame The National Inventors Hall of Fame (NIHF) is an American not-for-profit organization, founded in 1973, which recognizes individual engineers and inventors who hold a U.S. patent of significant technology. Besides the Hall of Fame, it also opera ...

, joining others including

Thomas Edison Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventio ...

Alexander Graham Bell Alexander Graham Bell (, born Alexander Bell; March 3, 1847 – August 2, 1922) was a Scottish-born inventor, scientist and engineer who is credited with patenting the first practical telephone. He also co-founded the American Telephone and Te ...

, the Wright brothers, Banting and Best,

Nikola Tesla Nikola Tesla ( ; ,"Tesla"
''

Steve Jobs Steven Paul Jobs (February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011) was an American entrepreneur, industrial designer, media proprietor, and investor. He was the co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Apple; the chairman and majority shareholder of Pixar; a ...

. The National Inventors Hall of Fame, in partnership with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, recognizes individuals ‘who hold a U.S.

patent A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention."A p ...

of highly significant

technology Technology is the application of knowledge to reach practical goals in a specifiable and reproducible way. The word ''technology'' may also mean the product of such an endeavor. The use of technology is widely prevalent in medicine, science, ...

’ and honors ‘the people responsible for the great technological advances that make human, social and economic progress possible.’ He currently resides in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

Career

McEwen received the B.A.Sc. degree in electrical engineering (biomedical) from the University of British Columbia in 1971. He received the Ph.D. degree in the same field in 1975. McEwen founded the Biomedical Engineering Department at the Vancouver Hospital & Health Sciences Centre in 1975. He served as the Director from 1975 to 1990. During his tenure at the

Vancouver General Hospital Vancouver General Hospital (locally known as VGH, or Vancouver General) is a medical facility located in Vancouver, British Columbia. It is the largest facility in the Vancouver Hospital and Health Sciences Centre (VHHSC) group of medical faciliti ...

, McEwen invented the automatic tourniquet system for surgery. His improvements to tourniquet systems in general led to greater safety and their wider acceptance as the de facto standard for procedures involving bloodless surgical fields and Bier block anaesthesia. For several years, he served on the Board of Governors of the

British Columbia Institute of Technology The British Columbia Institute of Technology (also referred to as BCIT), is a public polytechnic institute in Burnaby, British Columbia. The technical institute has five campuses located in the Metro Vancouver region, with its main campus in Burn ...

and the (BC) Premier's Advisory Council on Science and Technology, to help advance post-secondary educational programs. McEwen also served as chairman of the Board of Directors of the ALS Society of British Columbia. As a result, 'in recognition of outstanding community service', he was honoured with a British Columbia Community Achievement Award and the William Fraser Leadership Development Award from the ALS Society of Canada. Currently, he is President of Western Clinical Engineering Ltd., a biomedical engineering research and development company that he founded, and he is a director of Delfi Medical Innovations Inc., a company he founded to commercialize some results of that research and development. At

, he is an adjunct professor in the School of Biomedical Engineering, in the Department of Orthopaedics and in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He is a past member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and is a registered Professional Engineer (P.Eng). For 15 years, McEwen served as a Trustee and Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Ernest C. Manning Awards Foundation. In that capacity, he worked with like-minded individuals to help increase public awareness of the importance of innovation and innovators to the economy and to society. He also created and funds a number of scholarships and bursaries annually at various high schools to recognize outstanding students who overcome adversities to achieve excellence while at the same time helping others, and to advance public education.

Recognition

McEwen was appointed as an Officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...

for his contribution to biomedical engineering as an inventor and entrepreneur, in December 2011. The Order of Canada is one of the highest civilian honours in Canada. Appointment as an Officer 'recognizes a lifetime of achievement and merit of a high degree, especially in service to Canada or to humanity at large'. In April 2012, McEwen received the

Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (french: Médaille du jubilé de diamant de la reine Elizabeth II) or The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2012 to mark the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's ...

. McEwen was awarded a Fellowship in the Canadian Medical Biomedical Engineering Society in 2006. In 2009, he was awarded a Doctor of Science (honoris causa) degree from Simon Fraser University. Subsequently, in 2011, he was awarded a Doctor of Science (honoris causa) degree from the University of British Columbia. In 2016, he was awarded the Dean's Medal of Distinction from the Faculty of Applied Science at the University of British Columbia 'for outstanding contributions to applied science'. McEwen also received the Research and Innovation Award in 2018 from the UBC Alumni Association for his biomedical inventions, for founding several medical technology companies, for establishing the non-profit Medical Device Development Centre, and for having taken the lead on important issues to create positive social change. In 2020 he was inducted into the United States National Inventors Hall of Fame. McEwen was appointed to the Order of British Columbia in 2021. The Order of British Columbia is the highest form of recognition by the Province of British Columbia and "recognizes those persons who have served with the greatest distinction and excelled in any field of endeavour benefiting the people of British Columbia and beyond".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McEwen, James 20th-century Canadian inventors Living people 1948 births Officers of the Order of Canada University of British Columbia Faculty of Applied Science alumni Canadian biomedical engineers 21st-century Canadian engineers Members of the Order of British Columbia