SPIE Fellow Joseph Izatt, Duke University's Michael J. Fitzpatrick Professor of Engineering and chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME), passed away on 7 April.
A longtime SPIE Member, Izatt co-chaired the Optical Coherence Tomography conference at SPIE Photonics West for two decades and authored several SPIE proceedings papers.
Before coming to Duke in 2001, Izatt held positions at the University Hospitals of Cleveland and Case Western Reserve University. In 2006, he co-founded Bioptigen, a developer of innovative ophthalmic imaging solutions, with fellow Duke professor Cynthia Ann Toth. Izatt held more than 75 US patents, and was elected to the National Academy of Inventors in 2017.
Izatt’s research focused on the application of optical technologies for non-invasive, high-resolution imaging and sensing in living biological tissues. He was considered one of the leading experts on optical coherence tomography. His lab at Duke created systems for use in noninvasive medical diagnostics, in-vivo tomographic microscopes, and high-throughput, 3D-imaging systems for genomics studies.
“The loss of Professor Izatt leaves us with a profound sense of sorrow as his dedication to his family, students, faculty, and staff was the hallmark of who he was as a person,” said Dean of Duke’s Pratt School of Engineering Jerome Lynch. “I am especially saddened to have lost a school leader who proudly led with his heart and who cared so deeply for the members of the BME and Pratt community.”
Read the full obituary from Duke University.
