Tofy Mussivand, D.Eng, Ph.D., FRSC

A True Visionary

An immigrant to Canada, Dr. Tofy Mussivand’s journey from a childhood as a shepherd to one of the world’s leading medical scientists is one marked with prodigious accomplishments – his medical devices have not only saved lives, but also put Canada on the map as a leader of scientific innovation.

Perhaps best known for his work in artificial heart technology, Dr. Mussivand is world-renowned scientist, educator, industrialist, inventor and humanitarian that has been recognized by numerous awards. He is the founder and director of the University’s new Medical Devices Innovation Institute (MDI 2) and long-time director of the Cardiovascular Devices Division of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. Holding doctorates in both engineering and medical sciences, Dr. Mussivand is also a professor of surgery and engineering at the University of Ottawa and Carleton University and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

Turning the Tides

Persistence is one of Dr. Mussivand’s central characteristics, and he shows no signs of slowing down or resting on his laurels. Combining his scientific, management and business expertise, Dr. Mussivand is in fact doggedly determined to turn a powerful tide in Canada – our current dependence on importing medical devices.

“Canada used to produce more of its own medical devices, and was a world leader in developing medical devices like pacemakers and artificial hearts,” explains Dr. Mussivand.  “Today, most of the medical devices we use in Canada, from tongue depressors to artificial hearts, come from other countries.”

With the development and export of medical devices being a rapidly growing sector in a global market approaching one trillion dollars per year, Dr. Mussivand believes that Canada can and should once again become a powerhouse in this important and lucrative industry.

“The revenue generated from Canada could compete with that generated by many major exporting sectors such as oil and gas, automotive, fishery, forestry and others in Canada,” says Dr. Mussivand, who has been a CEO of several successful companies and the chairman of several boards. “But in order to get there, we have to get much better at commercializing our medical devices and addressing any obstacles that are preventing us from doing so.”

That’s why Dr. Mussivand has put together the Medical Devices Innovation Institute at the University of Ottawa, a team of highly qualified, innovative and motivated professionals, including professors, doctors, scientists and engineers whom all share a common vision of bettering society through the research and development of medical devices. His group has already gained regional, national and international recognition and acceptance by focusing on the research, development and commercialization of medical devices and technology through a series of wide-ranging activities.

Championing Canadian Medical Devices

Currently, Mussivand and his group are working on 24 innovative medical device technologies. One of the current projects under way includes a microchip that could identify a person’s DNA from a single fingerprint in less than 15 seconds – the commercialization opportunities for the security industry are obvious.

“Our group works diligently in the advocacy and collaboration area to advance the knowledge and understanding of the importance of medical devices for providing high quality healthcare in Canada,” says Mussivand. “We conduct workshops, symposiums and international congresses to further advance the knowledge of medical devices technology to build Canada’s reputation on the global stage.”

Dr. Mussivand and his team at the Medical Devices Innovation Institute recently hosted the 2011 Medical Devices Summit at the Ottawa Convention Centre on October 13-14, 2011 and brought together major stakeholders from across Canada including Hospitals, Universities, Industry, Government, and other agencies. The purpose of the summit was to work on building a National Medical Devices Strategy for Canada and Canadians and based on the input of the participants the summit was a major success towards advancing this important goal.

Dr. Mussivand’s successes are being noticed and his insights and opinions are in high demand. He has recently been a guest speaker at numerous conferences and panels to describe his commercialization successes and how his medical inventions have saved lives around the world. He will soon appear as a panellist as a part of a series of Financial Times conferences in Los Angeles, Dallas, Minneapolis, San Francisco, Miami, and Washington to discuss the latest sector trends, the key areas of growth, and factors relevant to considering Canada as a place to invest.

Ultimately, Mussivand sees his wide-ranging multidisciplinary collaborations with various hospitals, universities, industry, government and other related agencies in Ottawa, across Canada and around the world as the secret to success. “Without such collaboration, there would simply be no advances in this field,” he insists.

“And I always surround myself with smart, practical people,” says Mussivand. “Collaborators,
co-investigators – I generally don’t do things alone. This is not only helpful, it’s a crucial part of medical device innovation.”

For further information, please contact Tofy Mussivand, D.Eng, Ph.D., FRSC using the Email contact form