Joshua Eric Medow (born 1973) is an American neurosurgeon. He is an

associate professor Associate professor is an academic title with two principal meanings: in the North American system and that of the ''Commonwealth system''. In the ''North American system'', used in the United States and many other countries, it is a position ...

of neurosurgery at the

University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health The University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (UWSMPH) is a professional school for the study of medicine and public health at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. It is one of only two medical schools in Wisconsin, along wit ...

and inventor of the "Digital Intern." Medow also invented a device which allows doctors to track cranial pressure in a child with

hydrocephalus Hydrocephalus is a condition in which cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) builds up within the brain, which can cause pressure to increase in the skull. Symptoms may vary according to age. Headaches and double vision are common. Elderly adults with n ...

Early life and education

Medow was born and raised in

Skokie, Illinois Skokie (; formerly Niles Center) is a Village (United States), village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 67,824. Skokie lies approximately north of Chicago's dow ...

to a

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veteran father. By the age of 10, he bought himself a

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and taught himself computer programming. As a result, Medow originally intended to pursue computer engineering, but changed his pursuits after his cousin died of leukemia. Medow said his father "generally dislikes doctors" and considered his career choice his "last chance at rebellion." Medow went on to earn his

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and Medical degree from the

University of Illinois College of Medicine The University of Illinois College of Medicine offers a four-year program leading to the MD degree at four different sites in Illinois: Chicago, Peoria, Illinois, Peoria, Rockford, Illinois, Rockford, and formerly Champaign–Urbana metropolitan ...

and his

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from the

Career

Medow joined UW Health University Hospital after completing his neurosurgical fellowship in endovascular neurosurgery at the University of Wisconsin. He founded UW Health's Neurocritical Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at UW Hospital and Clinics in 2008 which included 16-beds per each dedicated neurocritical care unit. As an

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of neurosurgery and biomedical engineering, Medow was the recipient of a three-year, $300,000 award from The Hartwell Foundation to "refine a new implantable device that will allow parents to easily monitor the pressure inside a child’s head." With this grant, he began developing an implantable intracranial pressure (ICP) monitor to track patients brain pressure. The device consisted of a tiny sensor embedded in a patient's skull which would display the intracranial pressure. In recognition of his invention, he received the Rising Star Physician Excellence Award. Drawing from inspiration from a former neurosurgeon professor, Medow collaborated with Susan Hagness and Nader Behdad to develop a different approach to thermal therapies. They discovered that high-frequency microwaves could offer a comparable ablation zone to existing low-frequency antennas. As a result, the three professors received a $390,000 grant from the

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(NSF) to design smaller ablation antennas that can reach tumors through less invasive methods. By 2014, Medow was continuing to run the ICU but required more staff to effectively manage patients there. As a result, he launched a startup in 2014 titled Integrated Vital Medical Dynamics and created the "Digital Intern." The aim of the "Digital Intern" was to decrease the amount of time physicians spend in the ICU monitoring patients by alerting a doctor when patients’ lab test results don't come back normal. During its testing, Medow stated the software sustained organ donors, reduced costs and blood usage by about 50 percent.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Medow, Joshua E. 1973 births Living people People from Skokie, Illinois American neurosurgeons University of Illinois College of Medicine alumni University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health alumni Jewish physicians