John Alexander Hopps
John Alexander "Jack" Hopps, was one of the pioneers of the artificial pacemaker and the founder of the Canadian Medical and Biological Engineering Society who have called him the "Father of biomedical engineering in Canada".
Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, he received a B.Sc.Eng. degree in electrical engineering from the University of Manitoba in 1941. He joined the National Research Council of Canada in 1942.
In the early 1940s, Hopps was very focused on researching how to pasteurize beer using various waves like radio waves or microwaves. Beginning in 1949, he worked with Dr. Wilfred Bigelow and Dr. John Callaghan at the Banting Institute in the University of Toronto, developing the world's first external artificial pacemaker in 1951. Hopps initially resented his work at the institute, calling it "an annoying interruption". During this work, Hopps discovered that the heart would contract when subjected to electrical impulses.
Hopps was an advisor to the Sri Lanka health department's Electromedical Division through the Canadian government's Colombo Plan in 1957-58 before returning to the NRC and becoming head of its Medical Engineering Section in 1973.
In 1965, Hopps founded the Canadian Medical and Biological Engineering Society and became its first President. In 1971, he was appointed president of the International Federation for Medical and Biological Engineering. He also served as its secretary general from 1976 to 1985. In 1976, he was awarded the honour of Fellow of the Canadian Medical and Biological Engineering Society. He was also the President of the Ontario Heart Foundation.
He retired in 1978. In 1985, his autobiography, Passing Pulses, the Pacemaker and Medical Engineering: A Canadian Story, was published. The same year, he also won the A.G.L. McNaughton Award for engineering contributions made as a Canadian.
In 1986, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. He is a member of the Canadian Science and Engineering Hall of Fame.
