Earl Bakken Fellow
On August 10, 2017, Walt Baxter, Ph.D., a 1999 Graduate from UCSD Department of Bioengineering, was inducted at a black tie ceremony into Medtronic’s Bakken Society (http://adesignerportraits.com/2017-medtronic-bakken-society/). Medtronic is the world’s leading developer and distributor of medical devices such as cardiac pacemakers, implantable defibrillators, heart valves, brain stimulators, and diabetes management systems. The society is named for the company’s founder, Earl Bakken, who is credited with being instrumental in the creation of the medical device industry. According to the proclamation from Medtronic’s board of directors, election to the Bakken Society is the company’s highest award to “recognize persons who have made superior contributions of a technical or scientific nature to the company.”
Walt, a senior principal scientist, has a track record of developing and using numerical models to compare design concepts and to create clinically relevant confirmatory bench tests that ultimately produce reliable and innovative devices. At his induction, he was also recognized for being a
“….strong collaborator. Walt models candor and critical thinking, whether he’s leading a team of Medtronic employees or mentoring students at the university level, where he also teaches and leads academic and industry boards.”