Zubaz. Nerf balls. Microwave popcorn. Even the first snow blower. Minnesota has a habit of inventing things people didn’t know they needed—until they did.
That same mindset has shaped a legacy of world-changing medical innovation. Some of health care’s most transformative breakthroughs—pacemakers, stem cell therapies, and surgical tape—were born here, driven by a culture that values practical solutions and human impact. But they didn’t begin with cutting-edge technology or fanfare. It was something much simpler: a problem to solve.
From world-class institutions like Mayo Clinic and the University of Minnesota (U of M) to garage inventors and suburban research labs, the state has been shaping modern health care for over a century. Call it the Minnesota model: grounded, collaborative, and focused on fixing what’s broken. This is a state that doesn’t just advance medicine—it redefines it.
Courtesy of University of Minnesota Libraries
The Operation That Changed Everything
Few breakthroughs better embody the Minnesota model than one bold surgery that opened a heart—and a new chapter in medicine. On Sept. 2, 1952, Dr. F. John Lewis entered the operating room at the U of M to perform the world’s first successful open-heart surgery on a fragile 5-year-old girl. He repaired an atrial septal defect using groundbreaking techniques—lowering the patient’s body temperature to 82 degrees Fahrenheit to safely halt circulation for up to 15 minutes, protecting the brain while he operated. At his side was Dr. C. Walton Lillehei, a trusted friend.
“The first open-heart surgery at the U of M opened the door for an entirely new field that was filled with innovation and excitement,” says Dr. Ranjit John, heart transplant surgeon with M Health Fairview and the University of Minnesota Medical School. “It paved the way for an entirely new way of treating initially children and later adults with heart disease that until then had no other options.”
Courtesy of University of Minnesota Libraries
In the early 1950s, open-heart surgery was still experimental. Surgeons had no reliable way to operate inside a beating heart, and methods like Lewis’ gave them less than 10 minutes to repair the damage before it was too late.
When asked whether the first open-heart surgery was genius or terrifying, John called it a bit of both. “More genius, but it did require a healthy combination of innovation, guts, and teamwork,” he says. “This was able to succeed at the University of Minnesota because of a combination of talent, brilliant minds, and importantly, leadership.”
In 1954, Lillehei pioneered the technique of cross-circulation at the U of M—connecting a patient’s circulatory system to that of a healthy donor whose heart and lungs oxygenated the blood during surgery. Though high-risk, it allowed surgeons to operate on the open heart for longer than ever before.
“Those first open-heart surgeries were not just surgical procedures but moments where the belief in possibility overcame fear.”
–Dr. Forum Kamdar, University of Minnesota
The following year, Lillehei challenged his lab assistant, Richard DeWall, to develop a simple oxygenating apparatus to take the place of a donor during open-heart surgery, according to the University. DeWall constructed the first workable, portable heart-lung machine, known as the Lillehei-DeWall bubble oxygenator, which quickly became the global standard for open-heart surgery. By 1957, Lillehei had performed more than 300 open-heart operations on children and young adults, establishing himself as a leader in pediatric cardiac surgery.
Dr. Forum Kamdar, assistant professor of medicine in the cardiovascular division at the University, says she feels immense pride in practicing where history was made. “This innovation did not just save individual lives, but it sparked the field of modern cardiac surgery and also cardiology,” she says. “Those first open-heart surgeries were not just surgical procedures but moments where the belief in possibility overcame fear.”
Courtesy of University of Minnesota Libraries
But just as Minnesota’s momentum grew, a sudden crisis exposed a critical vulnerability. On Oct. 31, 1957, a power plant explosion plunged the Twin Cities into darkness. At the U of M, a young heart surgery patient reliant on a wall-powered pacemaker died—a stark reminder that even the most advanced tools could be crippled without electricity.
Following the incident, Lillehei turned to trusted collaborator and local electrical engineer Earl Bakken, who had recently co-founded a company called Medtronic in a Minneapolis garage with Palmer Hermundslie, his brother-in-law. Bakken’s first attempt at a solution—using a car battery and inverter—was far from practical, but he kept experimenting. And in 1957, he found his answer.
Courtesy of University of Minnesota Libraries
Inspired by a circuit he had seen in Popular Mechanics, Bakken built a compact, battery-powered pacemaker inside a 4×1-inch aluminum box. Tested first on a dog, his pacemaker worked. Then, to Bakken’s surprise, it was used on a human patient the very next day, just four weeks after the fateful Halloween blackout.
Bakken later refined the design into the Medtronic 5800—the first wearable pacemaker. That same year, the first fully implantable version was reported in clinical use in Sweden.
The pacemaker’s greatest legacy, says Adrian Fischer, curator of exhibits and collections at The Bakken Museum, isn’t just the millions of lives it has saved—but the spirit of collaboration it inspired. Fischer shares one of Bakken’s trailblazing insights: “Engineers and physicians needed to develop a common language, so they can communicate about what is possible, what is needed, as well as potential improvements to existing technologies.” That spirit, Fischer adds, “opened up a whole new world to improve and save the lives of millions.”
In 1960, Medtronic secured a licensing agreement for the first implantable pacemaker, laying the foundation for the field of biomedical technology. Today, the company operates in over 150 countries and is one of the largest medical device manufacturers in the world.
“Health care innovation is woven into the state’s DNA,” said Dr. Rob Kowal, cardiac electrophysiologist and vice president and general manager of Cardiac Pacing Therapies at Medtronic. “With industry leaders like 3M and Mayo Clinic, there’s deep expertise and a tradition of excellence. Minnesota has been integral in our 75-year journey as a company.”
In 1966, Lillehei was involved in the innovation of the prosthetic heart valve, later named the Lillehei-Nakib Toroidal Disc. In the years that followed, the U of M emerged as a global leader in heart procedures, solidifying the state’s reputation as a hub for cardiac innovation.
Mayo Clinic in Rochester contributed as well, with Dr. John W. Kirklin developing the Mayo-Gibbon heart-lung machine—a modified version of the original—which enabled surgeons to stop the heart while maintaining blood and oxygen flow. In 1955, Kirklin performed the first successful procedure using the machine. “The Mayo-Gibbon heart-lung machine revolutionized medicine—transforming heart surgery from an impossibility into a lifesaving field,” says Dr. Juan A. Crestanello, chair of Mayo’s Department of Cardiovascular Surgery. “That spirit of innovation and collaboration continues today, as surgeons, engineers, and researchers work together to shape the future of cardiac care.”
Courtesy of Mayo Clinic
In 1990, Minnesota marked another milestone with the Angel Wings device, invented by the University’s Dr. Gladwin Das, offering a less invasive and potentially safer alternative for correcting certain heart defects. In 1996, Dr. Kurt Amplatz, co-founder of Plymouth-based company AGA Medical, invented the Amplatzer Septal Occluder with his son, Curtis. This minimally invasive device was used to close heart defects and reduce stroke risk in patients with congenital heart defects. And in 2002, the medical device company Atritech (also once based in Plymouth) created the Watchman device to reduce stroke risk in patients with atrial fibrillation. The company was later acquired by Boston Scientific, a major contributor to medical research and development in Minnesota—particularly in cardiology, with innovations like the Watchman, and Farapulse, a minimally invasive ablation therapy used to treat irregular heartbeats in atrial fibrillation patients.
“At Mayo Clinic, innovation is driven by collaboration… always with the patient at the center of every advancement.”
–Dr. Juan A. Crestanello, Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic and Boston Scientific have collaborated for over a decade, blending clinical insight and engineering innovation to advance patient-centered care. In 2019, they formalized the partnership with Motion Medical, an innovation accelerator focused on developing minimally invasive treatments that help patients live longer, healthier lives.
These cardiac innovations are just a glimpse of the state’s legacy of medical progress. Each shares a common goal—not just to keep hearts beating, but to give people their lives back—and each reflects Minnesota’s unique culture of health care synergy. “At Mayo Clinic, innovation is driven by collaboration,” says Crestanello. “Surgeons, engineers, cardiologists, and scientists work side by side to develop the next generation of cardiac breakthroughs—from artificial hearts to transcatheter valve systems—always with the patient at the center of every advancement.”
Courtesy of Medtronic
Inventing Modern Medicine
From a small Midwest town, Drs. William J. and Charles Mayo championed radical ideas for their time and pioneered a bold new vision for health care—one that continues to shape the practice of medicine to this day. After a tornado devastated Rochester in 1883, Dr. William W. Mayo and his sons partnered with the Sisters of St. Francis to care for the injured. That spirit of teamwork led to the opening of St. Mary’s Hospital in 1889 and eventually, Mayo Clinic.
One notable innovation came from Dr. Henry Plummer in 1907. Together with his colleague, Mabel Root, Plummer designed one of the first unified medical record systems, assigning each patient a unique number and consolidating their entire medical history in a single, portable file. Patient No. 1 was registered that July—the system now serves more than 1 million patients annually.
Plummer also helped shape the clinic itself. Working with the Mayo brothers, he developed the “integrated multispecialty group practice,” where teams of specialists with diverse expertise collaborate to deliver comprehensive, coordinated care to every patient—a model that remains one of Mayo’s most influential contributions to medicine.
In 1920, Mayo Clinic pathologist Albert C. Broders introduced the system for grading tumors, giving surgeons a scientific way to predict their aggressiveness. In 1932, he introduced the concept of “carcinoma in situ” to describe early-stage cancer that hasn’t spread—an idea that was controversial at first but is now a key concept in cancer care.
Courtesy of Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic’s innovation also, naturally, extends to education. In 1915, it established the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research in partnership with the U of M, raising the bar for training medical specialists. Mayo also introduced the mobile surgical instrument stand, known today as the Mayo stand, which allowed students to observe procedures in tight operating rooms and has since become a staple in surgical settings worldwide.
Mayo’s history of medical breakthroughs spans nearly every area of care—from discovering the link between insulin and diabetes to opening the nation’s first hospital-based blood bank and performing the first FDA-approved total hip replacement in the United States. With each innovation, Mayo Clinic continues to push the boundaries of what medicine can achieve.
Pioneers of Possibility
The U of M has long been a world leader in organ transplantation, particularly in living donor procedures. It pioneered kidney transplants in children and patients with diabetes, setting a national standard. In 1966, the U of M was the site of the world’s first successful pancreas transplant, performed by Dr. Richard Lillehei (coincidentally, the younger brother of Walton Lillehei) and Dr. William Kelly. Just two years later, immunologist Dr. Robert A. Good and his team performed the world’s first bone marrow transplant using a matched related donor.
At the time, options for blood cancers and immune disorders were grim. “Before hematopoietic cell transplant, there was little hope that leukemia of any kind would respond to regimens of steroids, chemotherapy, and radiation used in hopes of slowing the disease or in the rare case, providing a cure,” says Dr. Christen Ebens, pediatric hematology oncologist with M Health Fairview and the University of Minnesota Medical School. (Click here to learn more about Minnesota’s oncology breakthroughs.)
Outcomes were unpredictable in the early days of organ transplantation, and the procedure carried significant risks. “Clinicians did not yet know how to identify a matched donor, so successes were quite limited, and the side effect of a donor’s immune system recognizing a patient’s body as foreign and attacking… was at times worse than the disease being treated,” adds Ebens.
“The bravery, trust, and hope that manifested that [first organ transplant] success is astonishing and opened the door for thousands of patients to come.”
–Dr. Christen Ebens, M Health Fairview
That landmark achievement opened an entirely new field of medicine, leading to cures for dozens of life-threatening diseases. More than 50 years later, the U of M remains at the forefront of advancing transplant science. Reflecting on this legacy, Ebens says she feels humbled, grateful, and motivated. “The bravery, trust, and hope on all sides that manifested that success is astonishing and opened the door for thousands of patients to come.”
In 1981, the U of M made national headlines when liver transplant surgeon Dr. John Najarian took a bold chance on Jamie, an 11-month-old girl from Massachusetts with biliary atresia—a fatal blockage of the bile ducts. At the time, liver transplants were still considered experimental, and no child that young had ever survived.
Courtesy of University of Minnesota Libraries
With Jamie just days from death, her parents sent her story to major news outlets in a desperate plea for help. A match—a baby boy in Utah—was finally found. Najarian’s high-stakes surgery, connecting blood vessels only millimeters wide, succeeded against the odds. Jamie’s survival became a turning point and helped spur the National Organ Transplant Act of 1984, the country’s first national organ procurement system.
In 1999, the U of M Medical Center reached another groundbreaking milestone, becoming the first hospital in the U.S. to perform a kidney transplant from a nondirected living donor—an individual who chooses to donate a kidney not to a friend or family member, but to a complete stranger in need.
Beyond the Hospital
Not every innovation saves lives—some simply make them better. And Minnesota has paved the way in that regard, too. Whether it’s helping people sleep soundly, breathe easier, or see more clearly, these advances reflect the same ingenuity and care that define Minnesota’s health care legacy.
Take, for example, the first in-the-ear hearing aid created by Minnesota-based Miracle-Ear® in 1955—a smaller, more discreet alternative to the bulky external models sold since 1913. In 2020, Eden Prairie-based Starkey introduced the world’s first custom rechargeable hearing aid. Then in 2024, the company brought artificial intelligence to the industry with its Edge AI system, which makes speech clearer and reduces background noise in real time—innovations that continue to reshape how people hear. Or Breathe Right® Nasal Strips, created in 1991 by St. Paul’s Bruce Johnson—a frustrated snorer himself, who created the simple adhesive strip to open nasal passages. Breathe Right® quickly became a household name, embraced by athletes and allergy sufferers alike.
Minnesota’s own 3M changed the way the world heals. In 1960, a team led by Dr. Frank Copeland created the first breathable, gentle adhesive that didn’t damage the skin. Micropore™ Surgical Tape quickly became a hospital staple. Two years later came Steri-Strips™, slim adhesive closures that let doctors seal minor wounds without stitches. Together, these unassuming innovations didn’t just speed up recovery—they redefined routine care. Today, 3M remains a global leader in medical materials and technologies, continually innovating to help health care professionals deliver better care and patients heal more comfortably.
Minnesota’s eye for quality-of-life innovations continues, with new breakthroughs in ophthalmology powered by artificial intelligence and advanced analytics. Dr. Mark Lobanoff, founder of OVO LASIK + LENS, developed the Phorcides software to improve the precision of Contoura, or topography-guided LASIK—a tool he says provides “the best LASIK outcomes on the planet.” To demonstrate its impact, he launched Minnesota’s first and only office-based cataract surgery center in St. Louis Park with iOR Partners, a company specializing in helping ophthalmologists create and operate in-office surgical suites.
In 2021, Lobanoff’s second company, Lochan, launched a smart, cloud-based system for cataract surgery planning in partnership with Bausch + Lomb. The following year, Minnesota hosted trials of a groundbreaking laser—the first of its kind in nearly 20 years—offering surgeons a faster, more precise, and user-friendly tool to streamline procedures.
Mind Over Medicine
Some of the state’s most impactful medical innovations don’t show up on a scan or X-ray but have profoundly shaped our understanding of the body and mind.
In the late 1930s, U of M psychologist Starke R. Hathaway and neuropsychiatrist J. C. McKinley developed the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, or MMPI—a groundbreaking tool that standardized mental health assessment. Chris Beamish, mental health and addiction care service line executive at M Health Fairview, calls it “a lasting legacy of academic and clinical excellence.”
Originally designed to define the type and severity of psychiatric disorders and track progress over time, the MMPI quickly became the world’s most widely used and researched psychological test. “By moving beyond surface-level symptoms, the MMPI helps uncover deeper patterns of thought, emotion, and behavior,” says Samantha Sorensen, mental health and addiction services system director at M Health Fairview. “This clarity can be the difference between a generic treatment plan and one that truly meets the patient’s needs.”
Around the same time, researchers at Mayo Clinic made a very different breakthrough, discovering cortisone in the late 1940s. This powerful steroid revolutionized treatment for inflammation and autoimmune diseases, easing pain and restoring movement and quality of life for patients with arthritis, lupus, and other chronic conditions. In 1950, physicians Edward C. Kendall and Philip S. Hench were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery.
Courtesy of Mayo Clinic
Timely Innovation
Some medical breakthroughs don’t fit neatly into a specialty box—they answer the call when the world needs them most. From life-altering drugs to rapid-response diagnostics, Minnesota has stepped up in critical moments with quiet resolve and transformative results.
In the 1980s, Dr. Robert Vince, founding director of the U of M’s Center for Drug Design, developed the compound that became Ziagen (Abacavir)—one of the first antiviral drugs designed specifically to fight AIDS. Approved by the FDA in 1999, it revolutionized HIV treatment and improved outcomes for millions. Vince, a prolific researcher, holds more than 30 patents and has authored over 200 scientific papers.
In the wake of the 2001 anthrax attacks, Mayo Clinic scientists quickly developed a rapid, accurate test to detect the deadly bacteria, providing a critical tool in a moment of national fear and urgency.
Courtesy of Mayo Clinic
These breakthroughs don’t just follow the science—they follow the patient. They reflect a Minnesota ethos of practical innovation, human-centered care, and quiet perseverance. “Individual brilliance may have sparked their careers as inventors, but it was the power of their teams that turned innovations into lasting achievements,” says patent attorney Benjamin I. Edlavitch, president of the Minnesota Inventors Hall of Fame. According to Edlavitch, at least nine of the 75 inductees in the Minnesota Inventors Hall of Fame created technologies that have directly improved human health.
Minnesota has proven time and again that medical breakthroughs don’t always begin with prestige—they begin with purpose. This is a place where heart surgeons and hardware engineers speak the same language, where world-firsts are met with quiet resolve, and where every advancement carries the same clear intent: to make life better.
The innovations born here—some lifesaving, some life-enhancing—share more than geography. They reflect a deeper ethos: Health care should be human, and when we work together to solve real problems, we create something extraordinary. These are legacies that ripple outward—improving lives and proving the spirit of innovation knows no borders. Not just for Minnesota, but for the world.
Courtesy of Mayo Clinic
Health Care Powerhouses
Minnesota’s contributions to modern medicine aren’t just historical—they’re ongoing. The state is home to a remarkable concentration of institutions and innovators shaping the future of global health.
The University of Minnesota has pioneered numerous surgical firsts and remains a leader in academic medicine. From performing the world’s first successful open-heart surgery to the first successful pancreas and bone marrow transplants, the U of M has a long tradition of bold, life-changing innovation. Today, the University continues to drive medical discovery, blending cutting-edge research with hands-on training to prepare the next generation of health care innovators.
Courtesy of Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic consistently ranks among the world’s top hospitals, celebrated for its collaborative patient-first model and groundbreaking research. Its legacy of discoveries has profoundly shaped modern medicine, from the discovery of cortisone to advancing imaging, cancer treatments, and joint replacement techniques. In 2008, Mayo launched the Mayo Clinic Center for Innovation—one of the nation’s first and largest health care delivery innovation centers, aimed at improving the delivery of care. Today, Mayo remains at the forefront of medical discovery, education, and compassionate care, shaping health care worldwide.
Founded in 1949 in Center City, Minnesota, the Hazelden Betty Ford established a groundbreaking model of addiction treatment based on the 12-step approach—now used worldwide. Today, as the nation’s largest nonprofit treatment provider, Hazelden Betty Ford leads the field with innovations like medication-assisted treatment and real-time patient tracking through Feedback Informed Treatment (FIT). Hazelden Betty Ford also has the nation’s only research center, publishing house, and graduate school all dedicated to mental health and addiction.
Medtronic, once a Minneapolis garage startup, is now a global med-tech titan. Boston Scientific maintains a strong research and development presence here, fueling advances in cardiovascular and neurological care. And 3M’s practical, patient-focused materials have revolutionized everything from wound care to surgical tape.
These powerhouses are joined by the likes of UnitedHealth Group, Patterson Cos., and Coloplast, whose continued investment cements Minnesota’s role not just as a hub for health care—but as a home for its future.
