Abu Dhabi Women's College hosts world-renowned inventor Dr. Julio Palmaz

Dr. Palmaz is the inventor of the "Palmaz Stent," often named as "one of ten patents that has changed the world."

The Palmaz stent holds open blocked arteries, in the heart and other parts of the body, to allow blood to flow normally.

The medical device is implanted, without invasive surgery, in approximately 2 million patients a year, and is credited with reducing drastically the number of open heart surgeries performed and saving countless lives.

A long-time member of the faculty at the University of Texas Health and Science Center at San Antonio, Dr. Palmaz encouraged Abu Dhabi Women's College students to persist in their studies, even in the face of difficulty.

"I've always considered myself to be of average intelligence," he told students, "but perhaps I have above-average perseverance."

Noting that he faced years of rejection in developing his world-changing invention, he advised students that success "is not a matter of brilliance. It's a matter of perseverance."

In a subsequent interview, conducted by an Applied Media student in ADWC's state-of-the-art production studio, Dr. Palmaz told the story of how he developed his invention.

"One idea led to another" after he heard another researcher describe a revolutionary treatment in heart disease, that, unfortunately, failed almost half of the time. The other researcher's "emphasis on those limitations put the idea into my mind" of designing "little cage" to support a patient's recently unclogged arteries.

"Abu Dhabi Women's College is honored to have Dr. Palmaz visit us," said Dr. Brad Cook, Director of ADWC. "Dr. Palmaz is a scientist whose efforts have benefitted millions of people's lives, and his visit has helped our students get inspired by a real-life story of triumph after long years of effort."