Paul A. Friedman, M.D., is the Norman Blane & Billie Jean Harty Chair, Mayo Clinic Department of Cardiovascular Medicine Honoring Robert L. Frye, M.D. and the Betty Knight Scripps-George M. Gura, Jr., M.D., Professorship in Cardiovascular Medicine, with a joint appointment in the Department of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering. He holds over 90 patents, has co-founded or been an early contributor to a number of companies, including unicorns, and has been recognized as a top inventor in Minnesota, is one of five Mayo Clinic Distinguished Inventor (in Mayo Clinic’s entire history), and a Fellow of the National Association of Inventors. He has also published over 500 peer-review articles, edited 10 books, and written over 80 book chapters.

Dr. Friedman earned his B.S. and B.A. at the University of Texas and his M.D. at Stanford University. He completed an internship in internal medicine at the University of Washington, a residency in internal medicine at Stanford University, and fellowships in cardiovascular medicine and cardiovascular electrophysiology at Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education.

Dr. Friedman’s research has focused on nonpharmacologic therapy for the treatment of arrhythmias. He has been energetic in bringing new procedures and techniques into practice, in collaboration with colleagues in cardiovascular medicine and surgery. He has been the recipient of multiple NIH grants and has been the principal investigator on multicenter international studies. Dr. Friedman has contributed to over 40 patents pertaining to medical devices, signal processing, remote monitoring, valvular heart disease, ablation, pacing, defibrillation, epilepsy treatment, and the application of artificial intelligence (AI) to medicine. He has built a team that has brought AI into cardiovascular medicine and completed clinical trials of AI in medicine. He continues to create new AI tools to improve the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular diseases.

Dr. Friedman has given numerous invited presentations to both national and international audiences and is a prolific author of articles, books, book chapters, editorials, abstracts and letters. He serves on the editorial boards of European Heart Journal – Cardio Plus, Heart Rhythm O2, and Mayo Clinic Proceedings: Digital Health. He has also participated in journal review activities for Circulation, The Lancet, Journal of the American College of Cardiology, and Annals of Internal Medicine, among others.

During his training and career, Dr. Friedman has received many awards and honors, which include naming as a Minnesota Top Inventor and being recognized with the Innovation-Bright Idea, Department of Medicine Allied Health Recognition Award at Mayo Clinic.