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			Willem J. Kolff Born Feb 14 1911 - Died Feb 11 2009 Soft Shell Mushroom Shaped Heart Artificial Heart Patent Number(s) 3,641,591 Inducted 1985 Medical researcher Willem J. Kolff invented the artificial kidney dialysis machine. The artificial kidney dialysis machine Kolff invented has been perfected through a series of improvements so that there are an estimated 55,000 people in the U.S. with end-stage renal disease that are being kept alive by this invention or a subsequent modification of it. Invention Impact There are an estimated 55,000 people in the U.S. with end-stage renal disease that are being kept alive by this invention or a subsequent modification of it. Inventor Bio Born in the Netherlands, Kolff received his M.D. in Leiden in 1938 and a Ph.D. degree from the University of Groningen in Holland in 1946. He holds nine honorary doctorates. Since 1934 Kolff has held numerous medical research positions in the Netherlands and the United States. From 1950 to 1967 he was affiliated with the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, ultimately as scientific director of the Artificial Organs Program. Since 1967 he has been professor of surgery and head of the Division of Artificial Organs at the School of Medicine of the University of Utah. Kolff never patented his original artificial kidney dialysis machine, but after coming to the United States he headed a team which invented and tested an artificial heart. Interview with Willem Kolff (Academy of Achievement)