Anthony Atala
Director
Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine
Winston-Salem, NC USA
“Nothing I ever planned in my life turned out the way that I thought it would…just went in totally different directions at every single step.”
Videos
By Roadtrip NationAnthony Atala
Milestones
My road in life has been direct.
Was originally inspired to go into medicine by his childhood physician, one of the few who still made house calls.
Debated going into medicine, didn't know if he wanted to put so much time, schooling into it.
Realized that it was his passion, and he was willing to dedicate the time required to become a doctor.
Planned on doing primary care in a small community, like his childhood doctor had.
As he did surgeries, he was constantly "devastated" by the fact that the tissues he was transplanting into his patients weren't ideal.
Knew that there was a better way to find tissue and organ matches for his patients.
Created the world's first tissue-engineered organ in 1997, started a lab regenerating new tissues and organs from patients' own cells.
Likens life to his research: "Many times you go through 100 experiments before one works."
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Career
Director
I'm a surgeon and researcher in regenerative medicine, focusing on growing new human cells, tissues and organs.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Medicine
Science
