Photo credit: Conrado Tapado, UW Center for Commercialization (C4C)
Dr. Buddy D. Ratner, joint professor of bioengineering and chemical engineering and Michael L. & Myrna Darland Endowed Chair in Technology Commercialization, was honored with the second-ever UW Medicine Lifetime Innovator Award on November 6. He received the award at UW Medicine’s 2014 Inventor of the Year event held at UW Medicine’s South Lake Union campus.
This award honors an individual whose career has helped pave the way for medical innovation to occur at UW.
Dr. Ratner, a pioneer of the biomaterials field, focuses on creating “biomaterials that heal” that enhance the performance and function of medical devices. His research interests include biomaterials, tissue engineering, polymers, biocompatibility and surface analysis of organic materials. Dr. Ratner’s work has revolutionized knowledge in the field, defined new directions and made significant clinical impact. Particularly interested in technology commercialization, Dr. Ratner holds more than 20 patents and participated in the launch of several companies based upon his work.
Dr. Ratner arrived at UW Bioengineering, then called the Center for Bioengineering, in 1972.
The event also recognized Dr. David Russell, UW clinical professor of hematology, as 2014 Inventor of the Year for his contributions to the field of gene targeting and gene therapy. Along with the awards ceremony, the event included an expert panel discussion, an innovator showcase that presented exciting biomedical research underway at UW and a reception.