| University of Florida Foundation, Inc. | |
| Christopher Brazda | 352-392-1633 |
| Public Relations | 100 NW 20th St |
| cbrazda@uff.ufl.edu | Gainesville, FL 32603 |
| For immediate release | Tuesday, January 17, 2006 |
UF BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT RECEIVES $10 MILLION TRANSFORMATIONAL GIFT
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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A name often associated with a device that has revolutionized stroke-prevention therapy will soon also be associated with the University of Florida’s College of Engineering.
UF President Bernie Machen announced today that St. Petersburg inventor, surgeon and entrepreneur J. Crayton Pruitt Sr. has committed $10 million to UF for its Department of Biomedical Engineering. As a result of the gift, University officials will name the department in honor of the Pruitt family, making it the first-ever named department at UF.
Pruitt’s gift is among the largest cash gifts received by UF. It is eligible for matching funds from the State of Florida Major Gift Trust Fund, which could result in a $20 million endowment for the newly named J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering.
“Dr. Pruitt and his family are helping to make a major statement regarding the future of biomedical engineering in the state of Florida,” Machen said today during a news conference at the Renaissance Vinoy Resort in St. Petersburg. “This truly transformational gift will enable us to take full advantage of the remarkable multidisciplinary resources available on our campus—including the College of Engineering, Shands at UF and the UF Health Science Center—and places further focus on Florida as a center of research and discovery.”
Biomedical engineering plays a crucial role in modern medicine. Often described as the fusion of engineering with medicine, research initiatives typically focus on discovering materials and inventing techniques, technologies and devices for improving health care.
The Department of Biomedical Engineering at UF began with a program formed in 1997. In 2002 it became the 11th department within the College of Engineering. William L. Ditto was chosen that same year to become the Department’s founding chair. The Department currently has nine faculty members, dozens of researchers and more than 75 graduate students. Research expenditures last year approached $2 million.
“It is because of Dr. Pruitt’s generosity and vision that we are able to ensure the future of the biomedical engineering department,” said Pramod P. Khargonekar, dean of UF’s College of Engineering. “This wonderful commitment will be critical in helping the University of Florida create one of the world’s best biomedical engineering research and teaching institutions.”
Pruitt’s gift will support teaching, translational research, technology enhancements and academic programs for faculty and students.
“It will allow us to attract the most outstanding faculty and students,” Khargonekar said. “Their work will have a great impact on the quality of life, and it will create economic activity by stimulating industry growth.”
Pruitt, 74, pioneered the surgical treatment of carotid artery arteriosclerosis for the prevention of stroke. Among his many inventions is the Pruitt-Inahara Carotid Shunt. The device, which Pruitt co-invented, is frequently used during a delicate surgical procedure to clean out the arteries that carry blood to the brain. He founded his own company, Ideas for Medicine, to manufacture and distribute the shunt and other surgical products. Pruitt’s interest in biomedical engineering is not limited to his professional life, though. In 1995, he received a life-saving heart transplant at Shands at the University of Florida. A biventricular assist device kept him alive for 10 days while he waited for a heart.
“Without that device, I was gone,” Pruitt said. “And the biomedical engineer operating it, without him I was gone. No matter how good my surgeons were, without him, I wouldn’t have made it.”
Pruitt said he chose to make one large donation instead of several smaller ones because he felt it would likely do more good to focus the money on a single organization.
“I think that the University of Florida is doing a fantastic job,” he said. “I have a lot of confidence in Dr. Khargonekar and Bill Ditto and what they’re trying to do.”
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