Featured Inventor: John Bookwalter

A pioneer in modern Surgery, Dr. John Bookwalter is a celebrated surgeon and inventor with over thirty years of experience. The “Bookwalter Retractor,” John’s best-known invention, is a popular retractor device that holds open abdominal incisions. Dr. Bookwalter developed “The Bookwalter Retractor” as a solution to the lack of help he had access to in his practice. Today, the laparoscopic surgical device is widely utilized internationally and in most American hospitals.

Academically, John earned a degree cum laude from Amherst College in Massachusetts and his medical degree from Harvard Medical School. Under the direction of top surgeons Cornelius E. Sedgwick, MD, Lew Pernokas, MD, and William V. McDermott, MD, John completed his residency in General Surgery at Boston Medical Center. Dr. Bookwalter is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, the New England Vascular Society, and the New England Surgical Society.

Before becoming a surgeon, Dr. Bookwalter served in the United States Army on active duty and the Army Reserves before retiring as a Colonel. Dr. Bookwalter continues to work on ideas that will lead to new instruments for laparoscopic surgical procedures. Dr. Bookwalter is known for his commitment to excellence in Surgery, which has led to recognition as The International Society of Business Leaders by the Worldwide Association of Notable Alumni.