Morton Mower

Morton M. Mower
Co-inventor of the automatic implantable cardioverter defibrillator.
Born	(1933-01-31) January 31, 1933 (age 84) Baltimore, Maryland
Residence	Baltimore, MD and Beaver Creek, CO
Nationality	American
Education	Johns Hopkins University and University of Maryland School of Medicine
Occupation	Cardiologist, inventor
Known for	Co-inventor of the implantable cardioverter-defibrillator
Spouse(s)	Tobia Kurland
Children	Mark and Robin Sara

Dr. Morton M. Mower (born January 31, 1933) is an American cardiologist and the co-inventor of the automatic implantable cardioverter defibrillator. He has served in several professional capacities at Sinai Hospital and Cardiac Pacemakers Inc. In 1996, he became the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Mower Research Associates. He was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2002 for the development of the automatic implantable cardioverter defibrillator with Michel Mirowski in the 1970s. He now continues his research in the biomechanical engineering laboratories at Johns Hopkins University.

Mower was born in Baltimore and raised in Frederick, Maryland. His father was a shoe repairman and his mother raised three children. During his summers while in grade school, Mower worked at his Uncle Sam’s salt-water bathhouses in Atlantic City. Shortly thereafter, he became a salesman at his uncle’s toy store on the Atlantic City boardwalk.

When Mower was 15 years old, his uncle fell ill and a family physician made frequent house calls to treat Mower's uncle. Mower was inspired by the outstanding quality of patient care the family physician provided. As a result, Mower applied to Johns Hopkins University to pursue medical studies.

Mower graduated from the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences at Johns Hopkins University in 1955. He then graduated from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in 1959. From 1963 to 1965, he served as a captain and Chief of Medicine in the Medical Corps of the United States Army in Bremerhaven, Germany. After returning from Germany, he served his residency and a fellowship in cardiology at Sinai Hospital.

During his fellowship at Sinai Hospital in 1966, Mower was named co-investigator of a coronary drug project. Then in 1969, he started work on an implantable heart defibrillator with Michel Mirowski, an Israeli physician.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Mower served in several capacities at Sinai Hospital. He was a research associate in the Cardiopulmonary Laboratory, Acting Administrative Director of the Division of Cardiology, Acting Chief of Cardiology, and Chief of Cardiology. Mower also held the positions of Secretary-Treasurer, Vice-President, and President of the Medical Staff at Sinai Hospital.

Mower is a licensed cardiologist in Maryland, Colorado, and Minnesota. He is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular Diseases.

Mower has served as Instructor in Medicine, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, and Visiting Associate Professor of Medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He has also served as Professor of Physiology and Biophysics at Howard University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C.

In 1989, Mower became Vice President of Medical Science at Cardiac Pacemakers Inc. in St. Paul, Minnesota. While at Cardiac Pacemakers, he designed and executed studies in medical education. From 1995 to 1996, he was a senior consultant for Guidant Corporation, a branch of Boston Scientific that manufactures cardiovascular medical products. In 1996, he became chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Mower Research Associates in Baltimore, Maryland.