ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

NEC Friday morning Seminar



Speaker: Prof. J.T. Mortimer

Title: Lojze Vodovnik: the unveiling of his statue and his indelible legacy on the electrical stimulation community at ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Abstract: Join me in a journey through time and innovation as we uncover an untold story of Lojze Vodovnik (1933-2000) and his pivotal role in shaping the neural component of the Biomedical Engineering Department at ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½.  It was serendipity that Vodovnik, a post doc, and I, a graduate student, exactly overlapped our stay in James B. Reswick’s Medical Engineering Group, January 1964 to August 1968.  It was during this time period that Vodovnik, thinking in terms of Electricity in Medicine, reformulated Reswick’s pneumatically powered arm assist device into the idea of a Neural Bypass, employing electrically activated muscles as a way to restore arm-hand control to patients with spinal cord injury.

Leaving the seed of the Neural Bypass at Case to germinate in 1968, Vodovnik returned to Ljubljana to nurture his idea there AND he traveled the Northern Hemisphere sowing the seed of his Neural Bypass idea at six or so other institutions.

The impact of Vodovnik’s Neural Bypass on his home institution and the fame it brought to the University of Ljubljana was memorialized on September 30, 2023, with the unveiling of a bronze statue of him at his academic home.  I had the distinct pleasure of telling the Case chapter of Vodovnik’s journey on that occasion.

Drawing from interviews with those who knew Vodovnik and Reswick (1922-2013) before me, as well as insights gained during my time in Ljubljana, this talk aims to bridge the past with the present, connecting the dots between the pioneers who laid the foundation and the current generation in the electrical stimulation community at Case. By understanding the drive that shaped the choices of these trailblazers, we aim to cultivate a deeper appreciation for the knowledge they imparted—a knowledge that continues to shape the landscape of the electrical stimulation community at ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½.  Join me in unveiling the legacy of Lojze Vodovnik and embracing the profound impact his Neural Bypass idea had on us.