2007 Wylie Scholar

Dr. Eagleton’s initial interests when receiving his award was to investigate the processes leading to the development of an aortic aneurysm, a potentially fatal bulge or ballooning of the main artery leading from the heart to lower portions of the body. Currently, the only available treatment for aortic aneurysm disease is surgical repair. Dr. Eagleton’s goal is to develop a drug therapy that will limit the growth of an aneurysm or prevent it from forming. 

Since that time, Dr. Eagleton’s interest has altered with much of his focus on the development of technology and the application of this technology towards the treatment of aortic and vascular disease. Dr. Eagleton is the sponsor and principal investigator on several Investigation Device Exemption studies evaluating the use of branched and fenestrated aortic endografts to treat complex aortic pathology. In addition to the above research, Dr. Eagleton is involved in the development and commercialization of an imaging and navigation system to allow the performance of endovascular procedures without the use of ionizing radiation. Dr. Eagleton serves as the Director of the Scientific Advisory Board for Centerline Biomedical, who recently received 510K approval from the FDA for this technology. 

Dr. Eagleton’s Wylie award led to the opportunity for several leadership positions including becoming Chief of the Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery and the Co-Director of the Fireman Vascular Center at the Massachusetts General Hospital. In addition, he currently serves as the Vice-President of the Society for Vascular Surgery.

“One of the greatest assets of this award is the opportunity to meet and share ideas with several of my peers with whom I might not have done so previously. These interactions have helped fuel ideas that contributed to hypothesis development and establishment of clinical and translational research programs. I have received about $6.8 million in research funding since the Wylie award.”