Gary K. Michelson Joins the Giving Pledge March 15, 2016

Los-Angeles based surgeon and inventor Gary Michelson has joined the Giving Pledge. Born in Philadelphia and trained at Drexel University's Hahnemann Medical College, Michelson made his fortune developing and marketing medical devices that revolutionized spinal and orthopedic surgery.

In 2005 Michelson's company, Karlin Technology, sold its patents and patents pending to Medtronic, the medical device company, for $1.35 billion. His company is now held in trust to benefit Michelson's philanthropic work which includes supporting innovations in medicine, incentivizing research into animal population control and increasing access to vocational education.

Gary K. Michelson
Los Angeles, CA

In 2014, Michelson and his wife Alya donated $50 million to the University of Southern California to fund the Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience. His Found Animal Foundation's Michelson Prize for Reproductive Biology has provided more than $15 million in grants toward eliminating animal shelter euthanasia - part of a pledge of $75 million made in 2008. In 2010 Michelson launched the 20 Million Minds Foundation to improve post-secondary and vocational education access and affordability. Learn more.

Since its inception in 2010, the Giving Pledge, Warren Buffett and Bill and Melinda Gates' effort to encourage the world's wealthiest to commit the majority of their assets to philanthropic causes, has garnered 143 signatories in 16 countries with a combined net worth of more than $710 billion.

Learn more about all the pledgers in our Glasspockets feature Eye on the Giving Pledge.

-- Daniel Matz