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by Katy Doyle
Almost all the cardiac pacemakers and implantable defibrillators in the world use one or more of Bob Stevenson’s patented circuits. As owner of Stevenson Biomedical Consulting, Inc., he perfected a filter chip, which makes pacemakers and other active implantable medical devices immune to electromagnetic interference (EMI) signals from cellular telephones and other high frequency emitters. He says of his inventions, “I actually do not know exactly how many patents I have or have pending. I have approximately 36 issued U. S. Patents, approximately 60 pending patents, and a corresponding number of foreign patents.”
Born in Los Angeles, Stevenson, who now lives in Sand Canyon, grew up in a family that was, in his words, “poor enough to have relatives and friends bring used clothes and food at Christmas.” At Burbank Jr. High School, his electronics shop teacher sparked his interest in amateur radio. At 16, he built a transceiver that could communicate internationally. He went on to join the Navy as a radio operator who flew an anti-submarine aircraft. After fulfilling his military obligations, Stevenson graduated with a bachelor’s and master’s in electrical engineering from California State University of Los Angeles. He began his career in the military and aerospace, working on the Minute Man Missile Program and also on the space shuttle and space station.
In 1975, Stevenson worked on the first pacemaker to have EMI filters, the Medtronic Zytron model. He immersed himself in the medical field. He says, “I am very proud of the fact that the EMI filter chips that I have designed have saved many lives and have also reduced pacemaker patient anxiety.” His most recent work seeks to make it possible for the next generation of pacemaker and implantable defibrillator patients to safely receive an MRI scan, one of medicine’s most valuable diagnostic tools. He is the chairman of the nation’s pacemaker committee and is also heavily involved in international committees that write specifications and test standards to improve implantable medical device patient safety.
Stevenson loves the Santa Clarita Valley, where he and his wife Lynne raised their two children. His daughter, Jennie, received her Ph.D. in biological sciences from the University of San Diego and his son, Ryan, received his Ph.D. in electrical engineering from USC. Recognizing the value of higher education, for Stevenson was a college professor for many years and an original founder of the Engineering Program at College of the Canyons.
He says of his teaching, “I am proud of all the lives that I touched during the 25 years that I taught. Many of my students were the first in their families to go to college. The greatest gift you can give is of your time. I believe that it is an important obligation of all professionals to give back.”
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