RE Log Fall 2016

FALL 2016 Ransom Everglades LOG 21 2000, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Bill Clinton. Ferré trained his eyes on her example, not on perceived limitations. “She really inspired me,” he said. “We were very close. She was a human being who did amazing things … to better mankind. I felt like I needed to do something to make this a better world.” Added Ferré: “I got inspired by the sciences and STEM. I be- came determined to overcome my limitations and set my goal high by getting into medical school – it really fit into the whole idea that I could do something good with my life.” Two years into his medical education, Ferré met a handful of pioneers in the world of supercomputing at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Those relationships would change the course of his career. Convinced supercomputers could revolu- tionize medicine, Ferré took a two-year sabbatical to combine his burgeoning medical education and parallel-computing tech- nology to hone the new science of 3D-medical imaging, which provided an in-depth look at brain function and problems. The work proved so promising Ferré started his first company even before he had earned his Doctor of Medicine and Master’s in Public Health from Boston University in 1992. After receiving his doctorate, he returned full-time to his start- up, then called Visualization Technology. He served as founder and chief executive officer for nearly a decade, expanding the imaging technology he helped develop as a med student to offer surgeons the ability to use 3D images in the operating room to track tumors. The technology that Ferré developed is now con- sidered standard of care in the treatment of brain surgery. In 2004, he took the technology a step further as the co-founder of his next company, MAKO Surgical Corp. Ferré and his part- ners added robotics to their mix of medicine and technology, using guided instrumentation to allow doctors not only to see the anatomy better, but also to repair it. MAKO grew from a tiny start-up to become the world leader in robotic orthopedic surgery, transforming the way knee replacement is performed. The company was acquired for $1.6 billion in 2013 by Stryker, a world-leading medical device company. After that transaction, Ferré settled into retirement – or so he thought. He devoted himself to his family – wife, Maria Dolores, and four children, Isabella ’10, Camila , Maurice ’13 and Antonia – while working on three vol- unteer boards: the Everglades Foundation, an organization focused on the restoration of the Everglades; Endeavor Miami, an international group that connects business leaders with youth- ful entrepreneurs; and Boston University, his alma mater. He created scholastic programs in robotics and engineering for inner-city schools in Miami, and assisted aspiring business leaders through mentorship efforts. He enjoyed those ventures, but was lured to the helm of the Israel-based INSIGHTEC because of its bold and exciting ambition: using ultrasound for non-invasive surgical proce- dures, particularly of the brain, that otherwise could not be performed. The work seemed to offer Ferré the chance to finish what he had started using 3D-medical imaging. He had gone from creating images of the brain as a medical student, to tracking and then repairing tumors as a young man, to figur- ing out how to get inside the brain without cutting to attack diseases. “This changes the whole dynamic of how we look at the brain,” said Ferré, who commutes to Israel from his home on Key Biscayne every few months. “It’s a vehicle to open up ways to treat brain disorders… I think we’re on the cusp of major break- throughs in cancer therapy.” Though the technology remains under development, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration this summer approved the company’s ultrasound treatment for essential tremors. Ferré’s voice leaped when he talked about the treatment’s promise and potential, offering new hope for those suffering from previ- ously inoperable or deadly diseases. As he sat in the Dan Leslie Bowden Library during a recent visit to campus, he leaned forward in his chair, spinning through details, unable to sup- press a grin. “I thought I was done” with my career, he said. But “I feel like everything I had done before prepared me to do this.” Added Ferré: “It’s OK to fail. If you have a deficiency in some- thing, turn around and use it as an asset. Never be satisfied. There’s so much more to do – keep driving and improving. Do something good. Do something to make a difference in the world.” INSIGHTEC’S focused ultrasound device treats patients with essential tremor, a movement disorder.