Earl E. BakkenNorth Hawaii Community Hospital Hawaii, U.S.A.
Born 1924 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Bakken was educated in the Columbia Heights public schools. He served four years in the United States Air Force as a radar maintenance instructor until 1946 when he enrolled at the University of Minnesota. After earning a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering degree in 1948, Bakken studied electrical engineering with a minor in mathematics at the University of Minnesota Graduate School. Bakken developed the first wearable, external, battery-powered, transistorized pacemaker in 1957 for Dr. C. Walton Lillehei, a University of Minnesota heart surgeon. He has authored several professional papers and delivered numerous speeches to medical technical, educational and business groups throughout the world. Bakken also was instrumental in the development of the Bakken (A Library and Museum of Electricity in Life) located in Minneapolis. In retirement, Bakken has headed the Board of Directors of the North Hawaii Community Hospital in development of a healing center for North Hawaii on the Big Island. The center, which opened in May 1996, emphasizes a balance of technology and the human touch to provide patient-centered, cost-efficient health care. |