The BioMed SA Award for Innovation in Healthcare and Bioscience honors individuals who have put novel ideas into action with tangible, transformational results. This award builds on the legacy of innovation by Dr. Julio Palmaz from UT Health San Antonio, who invented the first commercially successful intravascular stent in the 1980s. The stent revolutionized cardiac care and was named one of "Ten Patents that Changed the World" by IP Worldwide magazine.

The BioMed SA award, which bore Dr. Palmaz’s name for the first 10 years, alternates between recipients from San Antonio and the national level.

"As BioMed SA enters its second decade of operation, we are broadening our vision to celebrate innovation of all kinds in healthcare and bioscience, including healthcare delivery, biomedical education, research and development, leadership, and public policy in addition to medical technology," explained former BioMed SA Chair Kenneth P. Trevett when the award name was changed in 2016.

"I am proud to have played an early role in San Antonio’s track record of biomedical innovation and pleased to see how the local industry has grown over the years," said Dr. Palmaz.

BioMed SA is a non-profit, membership-based organization, supported in part by the City of San Antonio. Its mission is to accelerate the growth of San Antonio’s healthcare and bioscience sector, create regional economic benefit, and contribute to the health of San Antonio and beyond by establishing San Antonio as a global leader in healthcare and bioscience.