Albion College mourns the loss of Robert Bartlett
Robert “Bob” Bartlett ’60, a medical researcher and inventor of one of today’s most important lifesaving medical devices, died Oct. 20 at age 86.
In the 1970s, Bartlett dramatically improved the trajectory of neonatal intensive care when he developed extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECCMO). The process removes blood from an infant, oxygenates it, then pumps it back in, thereby relieving stress on tiny, fragile hearts and lungs. An undisputed standard of care today, ECMO has saved countless lives, thanks to Bartlett’s research and development.
Robert Bartlett ’60 was a recipient of Albion’s Distinguished Alumni Award.
After spending his early career at the University of California Irvine, Bartlett relocated to the University of Michigan in 1980, where he established the Extracorporeal Life Support research laboratory. Nearly 100 students, residents, and investigators annually continue Bartlett’s work in this lab, supported by the unprecedented 54 years of grant funding he attracted throughout and beyond his working days.
In 1989, he founded the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization, whose registry lists well over 100,000 ECMO recipients.
His contributions have been honored with the American College of Surgeon’s Sheen Award for Research, a Medal of Special Recognition from the National Academy of Surgery of France, the McGraw Medal of the Detroit Surgical Association, Medallion for Scientific Achievement from the American Surgical Association, the Ladd Medal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American College of Surgeons Jacobson Award. He has been inducted into the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Science, and into the National Institutes of Health Great Clinical Teachers Series.
Closer to home, Bartlett is a 1970 recipient of Albion’s Distinguished Alumni Award. He served as Albion’s 2016 Commencement speaker, at which time he was also awarded an honorary doctorate of humane letters.
While a student at Albion College, Bartlett was also a founding member of the Charlie Brown Band, which performed on campus and throughout Michigan during its four-year existence. Bartlett even corresponded with Peanuts creator Charles Schulz, who was so delighted with the group that he gave them free original artwork.
Bartlett and his Albion sweetheart Wanda Read Bartlett ’60 were married for 65 years. Along with Wanda, Bartlett is survived by three children including Karen Bartlett Fischer ’91, and four grandchildren.