Marvin Slepian

Marvin J. Slepian, MD, is Regents' Professor of Medicine and Biomedical Engineering (Associate Department Head), with professorships in Medical Imaging, Materials Sciences and Engineering, and Chemical and Environmental Engineering and McGuire Scholar in the Eller College of Management, at University of Arizona. Dr. Slepian is founder and director of the Arizona Center for Accelerated Biomedical Innovation (ACABI) – a “creativity engine,” focused on novel solution development for unmet medical needs. Dr. Slepian attended Princeton (AB Biochemical Sciences and Science in Human Affairs ’77) and received his MD from University of Cincinnati College of Medicine (’81 AOA).  He completed his residency in Internal Medicine at New York University–Bellevue Hospital, where he served as Chief Resident in Medicine; clinical and research fellowships in Cardiology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; and clinical and research fellowships in Interventional Cardiology and a research fellowship in Artificial Organs at the Cleveland Clinic.  In addition, Dr Slepian received post-doctoral training in Chemical Engineering and Polymer Chemistry at MIT, and Business and Management training at Harvard Business School.

In parallel with his clinical career Dr. Slepian has had an extensive research career leading to the development of innovative diagnostics and therapeutics for cardiovascular diseases.  His work has focused on the development and use of novel biomaterials for tissue engineering, drug delivery and medical device development. His lab has developed many novel diagnostics and therapeutics which have found their way into clinical use today including: drug-eluting stent technologies, stent coatings, “polymer paving,” surgical anti-adhesive barriers, stretchable and biodegradable electronics, “wearables,” synthetic tissue sealants, myocardial revascularization and cell delivery methods and cardiovascular prosthetic devices - including the total artificial heart.  Dr. Slepian’s lab has also, for years, been heavily involved in basic science concentrating on three main areas: 1. the role of cell-matrix interactions in vascular disease, 2. basic aspects of cell-material interactions and 3. the impact of physical forces (notably shear and sound) on platelet activation.   

Dr Slepian is author of more than 250 articles and textbook chapters published in journals such as Science, Nature Materials, PNAS, PlosOne, Circulation, the New England Journal of Medicine, and Cardiovascular Pathology, and serves on several editorial review boards. He is a prolific inventor with more than 100 issued and filed patents and has been the founder of numerous medical device companies including FOCAL (NASDAQ), Endotex, Angiotrax, Hansen Medical (NASDAQ), Arsenal, 480 BioMedical, MC10 and SynCardia, and has been involved with bringing many new devices through the FDA regulatory process into clinical use, including most notably the total artificial heart. He has received multiple awards for his academic and translational research including: the American Heart Association Award for the Most Significant Advance in Cardiovascular Medicine, the AZBio Pioneer Award (2017) for Lifetime Achievement in Biomedical Science Innovation, and in 2019 was named daVinci Fellow – the highest recognition of the University of Arizona College of Engineering; and received the Daniel Drake Medal – the highest distinction of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine for outstanding innovative medical research.  In 2020 Dr. Slepian was selected as Founders’ Lecturer – the highest honor of the U Arizona College of Medicine.  Dr. Slepian is an elected Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) and an elected member of BEMA – the Biomaterials Engineering Materials and Applications (BEMA) Roundtable, of the National Research Council of the National Academies.  He is Past-President of the International Society for Mechanical Circulatory Support (ISMCS) is and the Immediate Past-President of the American Society for Artificial Internal Organs (ASAIO).

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