‘Father of ECMO’ Robert H. Bartlett remembered for his passion, kindness
Robert H. Bartlett, MD, a veteran surgeon who helped develop the world’s first extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) system, died in October after a long illness. He was 86 years old.
Bartlett is commonly known as the “Father of ECMO” due to the central role he played in the technology’s development during his time at the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine from 1970 to 1980. He also led the team that used ECMO for the first time on a newborn in 1975.
Bartlett then moved on to the University of Michigan (UM) in 1980, where he made in immeasurable impact during his decades with the school.
“Dr. Bartlett was a beloved member of our faculty and will be deeply missed by all who knew him,” Justin B. Dimick, MD, chair of the UM’s department of surgery, said in a loving tribute. “There are two unique qualities Dr. Bartlett possessed. First, he never came across a subject he did not greet with great enthusiasm, whether medicine, science, music or literature. Second, he never came across a student, or trainee, that he did not find worthy of inspiration.”
Dimick also praised Bartlett for the many innovations his own work inspired, including the artificial lung and artificial placenta.
“We will miss Dr. Bartlett’s large scientific contributions to the department, and medicine broadly, but we will also miss the small magic moments of running into his energetic, animated self in the hallways of Michigan Medicine,” he added.
Bartlett helped publish nearly 600 academic papers and received multiple patents over the course of his career. He also founded MC3 Cardiopulmonary, a medtech company eventually acquired by Medtronic. Outside of the hospital, he was a longtime musician and even published two novels.
“Beyond his remarkable achievements, it was his humanity that left the greatest mark—the way he listened, encouraged, and believed in others,” Alvaro Rojas-Pena, MD, director of the Extracorporeal Life Support Lab at UM, said in the same tribute. “He taught us not only how to be better professionals, but better people.”
Michael has more than 19 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.