Gary K. Michelson Explained

Gary K. Michelson
Birth Date:1949 1, mf=yes
Birth Place:Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US
Alma Mater:Temple University
Hahnemann Medical College
Spouse:Alya Michelson
Children:3

Gary K. Michelson (born January 14, 1949) is an American orthopedic surgeon, medical inventor, and billionaire philanthropist.[1] [2]

Early life and education

Michelson and his three brothers were raised in Philadelphia by his mother and grandmother, whose struggles with syringomyelia inspired his interest in spinal ailments.[3] [4] After graduating Central High School of Philadelphia in 1966,[5] he attended Temple University and Hahnemann Medical College of Drexel University, until finishing his medical residency in orthopedic surgery at Hahnemann Medical Hospital in 1979. Michelson then completed his fellowship training in spinal surgery at St. Luke's Medical Center, in a joint program between Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Texas.[6] He was a practicing spinal surgeon for over 25 years before retiring from private practice in 2001 to focus on philanthropy.

He is of Jewish heritage.[7]

Medical innovations & related legal battles

Seeing the low success rates associated with spinal surgery procedures early in his career,[8] [9] Michelson developed new implants, instruments and procedures for spinal surgery. These technologies, often recognized in the medical profession as "Michelson Devices", assist in surgical procedures by decreasing blood loss, incision size, and addressing other critical factors.[10] [11] Michelson is the sole credited inventor on over 950 issued or pending patents worldwide related to the treatment of spinal disorders.[12] [13]

In 2005, Michelson sold many of his spine-related patents to Medtronic for $1.35 billion,[14] placing him on the Forbes 400 list.[15] A legal battle with Medtronic over the origins of the patents preceded the sale. In 2004, Michelson cross-filed in response to Medtronic's 2001 suit, and was awarded financial damages for both lawsuits by the jury.[16] The legal defense against Medtronic's suit established a major legal precedent in 2004, governing who bears the cost of pre-trial discovery of electronic evidence.[17]

Philanthropy

The Gary Karlin Michelson, M.D. Charitable Foundation, Inc. was founded in 1995 through a $100 million contribution from Dr. Michelson (it was later renamed the Michelson Medical Research Foundation in 2005). The nonprofit does not accept donations.[18]

Michelson Center for Public Policy

The Michelson Center for Public Policy endorsed a 2021 bill from U.S. representative for Florida's 16th congressional district Vern Buchanan to end an FDA requirement that animal testing be used to determine a drug's efficacy on humans.[19]

Michelson Found Animals Foundation

In 2005, Michelson launched the Found Animals Foundation, a 501(c)(3) private operating foundation dedicated to animal welfare. In response to Hurricane Katrina, the foundation created the Found Animals Registry, the first free national pet microchipping registry.[20] Found Animals also performs surveys of pet owners, to study industry trends and owner/pet relationships.[21]

In 2008, the foundation launched the Michelson Prize and Grants in Reproductive Biology,[22] a $75 million initiative to create a safe and effective single-dose, non-surgical spay/neuter method for cats and dogs. The program includes the $25 million Michelson Prize,[23] and an additional $50 million provided by Michelson to fund medical research in support of the prize. To date, the program has awarded 41 grants, including a gene therapy approach that could keep potentially keep felines kitten-free for almost two years.[24] [25]

In 2020, the foundation launched the Better Neighbor Project to support low income and homeless pet owners with food and veterinary services.[26] In 2021, the Found Animals Registry was acquired by Pethealth Inc. (a subsidiary of Fairfax Financial).[27] The foundation is also on the board of the Best Friends Animal Society's No-Kill Los Angeles initiative.[28]

For World Spay Day 2024, the foundation donated $1 million to Community Animal Medicine Project clinics in Southern California.[29]

Michelson Institute for Intellectual Property

Dr. Michelson was a contributing author to the free 2016 textbook The Intangible Advantage: Understanding Intellectual Property in the New Economy, written for non-lawyers and undergraduate students to better understand patents, copyrights, and trademarks.[30] In 2016, the new Michelson Institute for Intellectual Property was formed, to provide free intellectual property-related educational resources.

Michelson Medical Research Foundation

See main article: Michelson Medical Research Foundation.

Formed in 2005, the Michelson Medical Research Foundation aims to promote innovation in medicine and science.[31] Its initiatives include the USC Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience,[32] the Institute for Protein Design at the University of Washington,[33] and the California Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy at the new UCLA Research Park, announced in January 2024.[34] [35]

In 2017, Michelson and his wife Alya launched the Michelson Prize, to support medically relevant research by scientists under the age of 36. The 2020 Michelson Prizes were awarded to Danika Hill, research fellow at Australia's Monash University, and Michael Birnbaum, assistant professor at MIT.[36]

Michelson Neglected Disease Initiative

In 2013, he became a principal supporter of the Sabin Vaccine Institute, giving birth to the Michelson Neglected Disease Vaccine Initiative to provide access to affordable treatments for tropical diseases.[37] [38]

Michelson 20MM Foundation

In 2011, Michelson created the Twenty Million Minds Foundation (named for the number of students enrolled in higher education in the United States), to make college more affordable by underwriting a library of free online textbooks.[39] In 2016, Michelson publicly released a variety of intellectual property tools through the organization.

The Spark Grants platform was launched by 20MM in March 2019, designed to truncate the lengthy grant-funding process.[40] The foundation partnered with California for the first California Digital Divide Challenge in 2020, offering a $1 million prize for the best proposal to expand broadband access in the state.[41]

The Michelson 20MM Foundation has been a leading force in closing the digital divide through convenings and energetic advocacy.[42] It brought together national leaders from government, industry, NGOs, academia for a series of high-level meetings and commissioned research that ultimately resulted in the FCC adopting new rules to eliminate discrimination in access to internet services.[43]

Legislative

Since 2017, Michelson has funded and successfully advanced various pieces of legislation. Those include:

Personal life

Michelson lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Alya, and their three children.

In the December 2015 issue of Forbes magazine, Michelson was featured as one of "10 People with Big Ideas to Change the World".[54]

Published works

Academic books

Selected articles

Awards and honors

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Gary Michelson. forbes.com. 3 April 2017.
  2. News: How I Made It: Dr. Gary Michelson. Los Angeles Times. 3 April 2017. 2011-06-05. Helfand. Duke.
  3. Web site: Dr. Gary K. Michelson: Inventor and life-saver. jewishjournal.com. 31 March 2016 . 5 April 2017.
  4. Web site: December 2018. C-Suite Quarterly Magazine Q4 2018/19. February 27, 2019. CSQ C-Suite Quarterly Magazine.
  5. Web site: Notable Alumni – Central High School. 2020-12-30. en-US.
  6. Book: Stern, Brett . Inventors at Work: The Minds and Motivation Behind Modern Inventions . 2012-12-03 . Apress . 978-1-4302-4507-0 . en.
  7. https://web.archive.org/web/20130420102554/http://www.forbes.co.il/news/new.aspx?0r9VQ=IDLM Forbes Israel: Jewish Billionaires - Profile of Gary Michelson
  8. Javid. M. J.. Hadar. E. J.. July 1998. Long-term follow-up review of patients who underwent laminectomy for lumbar stenosis: a prospective study. Journal of Neurosurgery. 89. 1. 1–7. 10.3171/jns.1998.89.1.0001. 0022-3085. 9647165. 707171 .
  9. Tuite. Gerald F.. etal. 1994. Outcome after laminectomy for lumbar spinal stenosis: Part I: Clinical correlations.. Journal of Neurosurgery. 81.5 (1994). 5. 699–706. 10.3171/jns.1994.81.5.0699. 7755690.
  10. Web site: Gary K. Michelson Inventions, Patents and Patent Applications - Justia Patents Search. 2020-12-30. patents.justia.com.
  11. Web site: Michelson Technology at Work. Medtronic. 2016-05-02.
  12. Web site: Gary Michelson, M.D., Revisited. Walter. Eisner. June 28, 2011. 2016-05-02.
  13. Web site: Gammon. Katharine. Gary Michelson: Man with a Plan. 2020-12-30. USC News. en-US.
  14. News: April 23, 2005 . Medtronic to Pay $1.35 Billion to Inventor . The New York Times . Andrew . Pollack . 2010-01-23.
  15. Web site: October 6, 2008 . Animal Nut . Forbes . David . Whelan . 2010-01-23.
  16. Web site: Big Suits: Michelson vs. Medtronic News Kirkland & Ellis LLP. 2020-12-30. www.kirkland.com. en.
  17. Web site: February 10, 2012 . 5 Costly Moments in Electronic Discovery: A rundown on the precedents that shaped the landscape for litigators. . The National Law Journal . 2012-02-10.
  18. Web site: Michelson Medical Research Foundation Inc. Charity Navigator Profile. 2021-04-07. www.charitynavigator.org. en-US.
  19. Web site: Buchanan announces bipartisan legislation to end FDA animal testing . 2021-12-16 . ABC 7 Sarasota, FL . 22 April 2021 . en.
  20. Web site: Michelson Found Animals Names Yates New Executive Director. 2021-03-11. Pet Age. 24 July 2020 . en.
  21. Web site: NEW REPORT HIGHLIGHTS THE BENEFITS OF PET-FRIENDLY RENTAL HOUSING . 2022-04-01 . HABRI . en.
  22. September 18, 2009 . A Cure for Euthanasia? . Science . David . Grimm . 325 . 5947 . 1490–1493 . 10.1126/science.325_1490 . 19762620 .
  23. Web site: October 15, 2008 . Inventor Michelson offers a $75 million prize in a sterilization innovation contest, to create more effective and wide spread spaying and neutering of pets, with the ultimate goal of curbing animal overpopulation.. USA Today . Sharon L. . Peters . 2010-01-23.
  24. Vansandt . Lindsey M. . Meinsohn . Marie-Charlotte . Godin . Philippe . Nagykery . Nicholas . Sicher . Natalie . Kano . Motohiro . Kashiwagi . Aki . Chauvin . Maeva . Saatcioglu . Hatice D. . Barnes . Julie L. . Miller . Amy G. . Thompson . Amy K. . Bateman . Helen L. . Donelan . Elizabeth M. . González . Raquel . 2023-06-06 . Durable contraception in the female domestic cat using viral-vectored delivery of a feline anti-Müllerian hormone transgene . Nature Communications . en . 14 . 1 . 3140 . 10.1038/s41467-023-38721-0 . 37280258 . 2041-1723. 10244415 . 2023NatCo..14.3140V .
  25. News: 2023-06-06 . Gene Therapy May Offer Birth Control for Cats . en . 2023-08-21.
  26. Web site: Michelson Found Animals shares 15 years of accomplishments. 2021-04-07. www.petfoodprocessing.net. en.
  27. Web site: Effendi. Mashaal. 2021-07-30. Pethealth acquiring microchip registry operations. 2021-12-13. Oakville News. en-ca.
  28. Web site: Best Friends Animal Society's No-Kill LA Initiative Becomes Reality at LA City Shelters. 2021-12-16. NBC Los Angeles. en-US.
  29. Web site: 2024-02-27 . Southern California pet clinics get $1M for World Spay Day . 2024-03-11 . KTLA . en-US.
  30. Web site: 2016-06-08 . Innovation Lessons From a Billionaire Patents & Patent Law . 2016-06-11 . IPWatchdog.com Patents & Patent Law.
  31. Web site: December 28, 2018. Dr. Gary K. Michelson: The Benevolent Catalyst. February 25, 2021. C-Suite Quarterly.
  32. Web site: January 13, 2014 . $50 million gift funds new building for convergent bioscience research at USC . USC News . Robert . Perkins . 2014-01-13.
  33. Web site: UW Institute for Protein Design 2017 Report . University of Washington . 1 March 2022.
  34. Web site: Vincent . Roger . Peterson . Melody . UCLA will transform dead Westside mall into major science innovation center . Los Angeles Times . 7 January 2024 . 4 January 2024.
  35. Web site: Gittelsohn . John . Former LA Mall Goes From Empty Google Space to UCLA Science Park . Bloomberg.com . 7 January 2024 . en . 3 January 2024.
  36. Web site: 2020 Michelson Prizes Support Groundbreaking Research by Young Scientists . Human Vaccines Project . 26 July 2021 . en.
  37. News: Hotez . Peter . December 12, 2010 . Diseases we can stop, but don't . Los Angeles Times . 2016-05-02.
  38. Web site: Hecht . Albert . Dr. Gary Michelson funding the }} of a soil-transmitted helminth vaccine discovery program ]. 2022-01-27 . en-US.
  39. News: June 5, 2011. How I Made It: Dr. Gary Michelson. Los Angeles Times. Duke. Helfand. 2011-11-03.
  40. Web site: 2019-07-10. Operation IP IQ. 2021-12-22. Inventors Digest. en-US.
  41. Web site: Senior. Andre. 2021-02-02. State superintendent announces $1M prize for innovator to close digital divide. 2021-04-16. KTVU FOX 2. en-US.
  42. Web site: Digital Equity . Michelson 20MM Foundation . 16 December 2023.
  43. Web site: Brown . Matt . FCC adopts rules to eliminate 'digital discrimination' for communities with poor internet access . Los Angeles Times . 16 December 2023 . 15 November 2023.
  44. Web site: Bill Text - AB-485 Pet store operators: dogs, cats, and rabbits.. 2021-01-18. leginfo.legislature.ca.gov.
  45. Web site: California Cruelty-Free Cosmetics Act Takes Effect. 2021-01-18. Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. en.
  46. Web site: California Bill Prohibits Circuses From Using Wild Animals. 2021-01-18. Green Matters. 11 September 2019 . en.
  47. Web site: 2019-10-12. California outlaws new fur sales as Gavin Newsom signs first-in-the-nation ban. 2021-01-18. The Mercury News. en-US.
  48. Web site: Breaking News: Governor Newsom Signs SB 573 Pet Microchipping Bill into Law!. 2021-02-18. Social Compassion In Legislation.
  49. Web site: California SB990 2021-2022 Regular Session . 2023-09-08 . LegiScan . en.
  50. Web site: Senate Floor Analysis - Third Reading . 3 October 2023.
  51. Web site: Today's Law As Amended - AB-2881 Public postsecondary education: students with dependent children. . leginfo.legislature.ca.gov . 3 October 2023.
  52. Web site: Singer . Mikalah . 2023-08-01 . Organoids, Digital Twins, and the Law: A Case for Alternatives to Animal Testing . 2023-09-18 . Center for Contemporary Sciences . en-US.
  53. Han . Jason J. . March 2023 . FDA Modernization Act 2.0 allows for alternatives to animal testing . Artificial Organs . 47 . 3 . 449–450 . 10.1111/aor.14503 . 1525-1594 . 36762462.
  54. Web site: Buffett, Ackman, Milken, Michael J. Fox! 10 People With Big Ideas To Change the World. Brown. Abram. November 23, 2015. Forbes. 2016-01-26.
  55. Book: Kline. David. The Intangible Advantage: Understanding Intellectual Property in the New Economy. Krupka. Robert G.. Michelson. Gary K.. Bundy. Kerry L.. Kahnke. Randall E.. 2016-04-01. Michelson 20MM Foundation. 978-0-9975426-2-2. en.
  56. Web site: COMMENTARY: Transform higher education — make textbooks free . 2022-08-30 . EdSource . en.
  57. Web site: Commentary: To vaccinate our economy, boost support for the NIH . 2022-08-30 . Fortune . en.
  58. Web site: Michelson . Dr Gary . Microchipping your pets doesn't have to be expensive. Paying for registration is a scam. . 2022-08-30 . USA TODAY . en-US.
  59. Michelson . Gary K. . 2022-03-16 . Accelerating the Pace of Innovation for the Greater Good . Technology & Innovation . 22 . 2 . 153–156 . 10.21300/22.2.2021.3. 245307790 . free .
  60. Web site: COMMENTARY: Let's help struggling students rather than benefiting textbook publishers . 2022-09-27 . EdSource . en.
  61. Web site: MD . Gary Michelson . 2024-03-14 . Is India the Key to Ending the War in Ukraine? . 2024-03-15 . CSQ C-Suite Quarterly . en.
  62. Web site: Michelson . Gary . 2024-03-22 . Low-cost solution to L.A.’s animal shelter crisis . 2024-05-23 . Daily Breeze . en-US.
  63. Web site: Gary K. Michelson; Spinal Surgical Devices: US Patent No. 6,770,074 [National Inventors Hall of Fame Induction]]. May 4, 2011. National Inventors Hall of Fame. 2016-05-02.
  64. Web site: May 5, 2011. Celebrating Heroes of Invention at the Temple of Innovation. IP Watchdog. Gene. Quinn. 2011-11-29.
  65. Web site: Current NAI Fellows. National Academy of Inventors. 2016-05-02.
  66. Web site: March 25, 2015. Dr. Gary Michelson Receives Albert B. Sabin Humanitarian Award. SABIN Vaccine Institute. Kelly. Toves. 2016-01-26.
  67. Web site: March 31, 2016. Jewish Journal: Dr. Gary K. Michelson – Inventor and life-saver. B'nai B'rith International. 2016-04-25.
  68. Web site: Past Recipients – Honorary Degrees . 2024-06-07 . honorarydegrees.usc.edu.
  69. Web site: November 6, 2017. Recap of This Year's Los Angeles Healthcare Awards. Los Angeles County Medical Association. 2017-12-12.
  70. Web site: 2018 Visionaries Awards in Philanthropy, Art, & Culture. February 5, 2019. CSQ / C-Suite Quarterly Magazine. 2019-02-27.
  71. Web site: Inner City Law Center's 2022 Awards Luncheon . 2022-06-02 . giving.innercitylaw.org.
  72. Web site: IP Champion Award . IPO Education Foundation . 12 December 2022.
  73. Web site: Westside Inventor and Philanthropist Honored with Tommy Lasorda Leadership Award . Westside Current . 3 June 2024 . en . 15 May 2024.
  74. Web site: Folven . Edwin . Innovators in medicine honored by Brain Mapping Foundation . Beverly Press & Park Labrea News . 11 June 2024 . 28 March 2024.

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