James McEwen (engineer)

James McEwen OC OBC (born June 10, 1948) is a Canadian biomedical engineer and the inventor of the microprocessor-controlled automatic tourniquet system, which is now standard for 15,000-20,000 procedures daily in operating rooms worldwide.

[7][8][5] In 2020, to recognize his invention of automatic tourniquets for surgery and other applications he was inducted to the U.S. National Inventors Hall of Fame,[9][6] joining others including Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, the Wright brothers, Banting and Best, Nikola Tesla and Steve Jobs.

[3][12] His improvements to tourniquet systems in general led to greater safety and their wider acceptance as the de facto standard for procedures involving bloodless surgical fields and Bier block anaesthesia.

[22] He also created and funds a number of scholarships and bursaries annually at various high schools to recognize outstanding students who overcome adversities to achieve excellence while at the same time helping others, and to advance public education.

[23][24] McEwen was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Canada for his contribution to biomedical engineering as an inventor and entrepreneur, in December 2011.

[5][25] Appointment as an Officer 'recognizes a lifetime of achievement and merit of a high degree, especially in service to Canada or to humanity at large'.

[31][32] McEwen also received the Research and Innovation Award in 2018 from the UBC Alumni Association for his biomedical inventions, for founding several medical technology companies, for establishing the non-profit Medical Device Development Centre, and for having taken the lead on important issues to create positive social change.