title: The artificial organ museum in Cleveland (1979-1999) moved to Houston, Texas, and named in 2002 as the ICMT Museum for Artificial Organs.
abstract: The artificial organ museum established in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1979 organized by the International Center for Artificial Organs and Transplantation (ICAOT), was moved to Houston, Texas, in 1999. The museum with expanded and renewed artificial organ exhibits was officially opened on the 8th and 9th of November, 2002, at the Cullen Pavilion of the original Memorial Hermann Hospital. This building is the oldest in the Texas Medical Center, which was built in 1922. The ICMT (International Center for Medical Technologies) Museum for Artificial Organs (Museum) was completed after phase I, II, and III expansions of the exhibit booths, which were made over the last two years. Approximately 250 historically important and currently widely used artificial organs are exhibited in the Museum. The official opening of the Museum was coordinated with the "Symposium on Artificial Organs: Past, Present, and Future" during two days in November. There were approximately 225 participants at these events, and approximately 40 pioneers and clinical experts in the development and practice of various types of artificial organs contributed. During these programs, a proposal to maintain human resources in addition to artificial organ hardware and software was made in addition to the Museum. This new organization would be called the International Academy of Artificial Organ Pioneers (Academy). All contributors to the symposium were invited to be members of the Academy. The attendants of the symposium accepted this proposal unanimously. An additional 40 individuals, who were recognized as contributors to artificial organ technologies, were later added to the original Academy members. Later, the effective utilization of the Museum and Academy was encompassed in the International Faculty for Health and Medical Technologies (Faculty), a new addition to the activities of the ICMT. Dr. Michael DeBakey was elected as Dean of the Faculty. This is considered a "university without walls," a "university linked to the world," and a "university providing simultaneous teaching at multiple sites"--a completely new concept in teaching tools for medical technologies. All of these subsidiary organizations of the ICMT were legally included as nonprofit, nontaxable charity organizations of the state of Texas.
authors.affiliation: Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA. ynose@bcm.tmc.edu
authors.forename: Yukihiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nosé
mesh_terms: D001187:Artificial Organs / Q000266:history*; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D009144:Museums / Q000266:history; D009820:Ohio; D013781:Texas