Masao Saito
FF, Tokyo Denki University, Japan
Deceased

Masao Saito (1933-2017) graduated 1956 from Dept. of Electrical Engineering, Univ. Tokyo, and received Doctor of Engineering, Univ. Tokyo 1962. Served as Professor of Engineering, as well as Professor of Medical Sciences 1974-2004 and received Prof. Emer. in Univ. Tokyo, Tokyo Denki Univ., and other universities. He joined in research of biological engineering in Univ. Pennsylvania, U.S.A, 1959-1960 as Fulbright Exchange Program.

He was a member of Prof. T. Sakamoto’s Group pioneering medical electronics from 1955, as well as Prof. H.P. Schwan’s Group of biological effect of electromagnetic fields from 1959. He also worked with H.J. Catlin from 1965 in studies of circuit and systems theory in Polytech. Inst. Brooklyn. He was one of invited lecturers in ICME (presently IFMBE) in 1961 and since published many papers in MBE and received number of honors in academic fields.

He was a member of meeting in 4th ICME 1961 founding the framework of present IFMBE and was one of the key members in establishing Japanese Soc. Med. Elect. Biol. Eng. In 1962. He was also a key member of ICMBE 1965 in Tokyo, which is known as a milestone in development of medical engineering. He served as a member of council and committees 1973-1985 in IFMBE, especially as President 1979-1982 in IFMBE. Since this period, he was concerned in harmonizing diversified activities of medical engineering in the world, and actively invited many new countries to join in IFMBE, He was elected as honorary life member of IFMBE 1985 as well as a member of IAMBE 1997, and received MBE Award of IUPESM 2000.

As social activities, in addition to MBE, he guided many policy-making national committees in Japan for engineering for infants and senior persons, in various aspects of care, positive life, assistive devices, manpower problems and industries. He is also interested in interaction of high technologies with human thought and published books, which is expected to guide many misdirected research efforts to the right way.