SACRAMENTO — Julio Palmaz, the physician widely credited with inventing the first commercially successful stent for opening clogged arteries, has been appointed to the UC Davis School of Medicine's Board of Visitors.

“We are honored to welcome Dr. Palmaz to our Board of Visitors,” said Claire Pomeroy, Vice Chancellor for Human Health Sciences and dean of the UC Davis School of Medicine. “Dr. Palmaz is an innovative, visionary physician who has had a profound impact on medicine and millions of people around the world. We look forward to the unique insights and perspectives he can share with us as we develop novel approaches to treat disease.”

As the pioneer of the iliac and coronary stents, Palmaz is recognized for revolutionizing the treatment of coronary and peripheral vascular disease worldwide. The PALMAZ Stent received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1990.

Stents are now deployed in two million patients annually to repair clogged arteries near the heart and elsewhere in the body. The PALMAZ Stent has been on display at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.

Palmaz received his medical degree from the National University of La Plata, Argentina, in 1971. He received training in diagnostic radiology from UC Davis Medical Center through a training program at the Veteran's Administration Medical Center in Martinez, Calif. Palmaz is the Ashbel Smith Professor and chief of cardiovascular and interventional radiology at the University of Texas Health Science Center.

The Board of Visitors are a group of eminent leaders in medicine, government, business, communications, industry, education and public policy whose combined experience and expertise provide a valuable and independent perspective on School of Medicine initiatives and strategies. They support the school in realizing its vision to be among the top tier of academic health systems in the country and a fully engaged partner with the diverse community it serves. They help identify opportunities for distinction and assist in developing strategies to implement them. They advise UC Davis leadership and serve as advocates and ambassadors locally and nationally.