Jos�e M. Ferrero (1940–2008)It is with much sorrow that we announce thepassing of Prof. Jos�e M. Ferrero, whichoccurred suddenly on 18 November 2008.He received his industrial engineering andPh.D. degrees from the Polytechnical Univer-sity of Madrid, Spain, in 1964 and 1968,respectively. In 1966, he joined the Electro-technical Chamartin in Madrid as a chiefconsultant in electronics. He worked in DIS-SESA as a scientific director from 1976 to1978, in Holmes Iberica from 1978 to 1979,and in COMEL Engineering from 1979 to 1980as a technical director. There, he authoredthe design of cathodic protection equip-ment that is currently installed in more than100 oil tankers worldwide. In 1981, he colla-borated with TECELSA in the design of theexperimental lighting system for El PradoMuseum in Madrid.

From 1966, Ferrero joined the Polytechni-cal University of Madrid as a lecturer andbecame an associate professor in 1975. In1981, he was elevated to full professor in thePolytechnical University of Valencia, wherehe was vice president of the Faculty ofIndustrial Engineering during the term 1982–1985 and president of the joint IndustrialEngineering and Telecommunication Engi-neering Faculty during 1985–1989. In 1989,he founded the Integrated Laboratory ofBioengineering as a scholar initiative, lead-ing a research group that has become amajor group in the medical and biologicalengineering fields in Spain. During 1990–1994, Prof. Ferrero chaired the ElectronicEngineering Department, and in 2002, hechaired the Center of Research and Innova-tion in Bioengineering of the PolytechnicalUniversity of Valencia. During 1991–1996, hewas an invited lecturer of the CambridgeInstitute of Biotechnology. He joined the IEEEas a Member in 1981 and was elevated tothe grade of Senior Member in 2004.

During his professional career, Ferrerodemonstrated constant and enthusiasticwork devoted to the impact of medical

and biological engineering in Spain. Hewas one of the prime movers in expandingthe scope and breadth of this field, lead-ing to its current state of maturity and influ-encing national resource allocations forR&D. His pioneering contributions on bioe-lectronics, biosensors, and the modeling ofcardiac activity are available in numerouspapers, patents, books, and in the forma-tion and directorship of a particularlyactive group in these areas, with manyPh.D. theses supervised. He played a majorrole in the creation of the Spanish Societyof Biomedical Engineering, which he hasserved as president from 1994 to 2004.

As a scholar, in 1999, he was commis-sioned by the Spanish Ministry of Educationto participate in the Strategic Plan for Scien-tific Research, Development, and TechnicalInnovation 2000–2003. His contributions tothe definition of a high degree program onmedical and biological engineering in Spainwere to be highly emphasized. He led an adhoc group, with the representation of themost significant Spanish universities aimed atthe harmonization and definition of a univer-sity engineering in medicine and biology(EMB) program for the first time in Spain,founding several other initiatives. He was aninvited lecturer at the Whitaker Foundation2000 summit for biomedical engineeringeducation.

In addition to his scientific and academicaccomplishments, he demonstrated the at-tributes of a kind person, great goodness,and a good sense of humor, making a posi-tive difference to the lives of the people hetouched as a friend and a professional.

Throughout his career, Ferrero did anoutstanding job for both his country andour society. It is with the feeling of havinglost a true friend that we offer our sincerecondolences to his family, relatives, andfriends. He will be remembered for a long,long time.

Laura M. Roa

IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY MAGAZINE MARCH/APRIL 2009 91