"I am a medical scientist, not a practical physician." — Robert Jarvik

There is a clear matter that I am not a practicing physician. I have never been a practitioner; everybody has known for decades. I'm a developer of the technology.

As a medical doctor who chose a career in artificial heart technology rather than clinical practice, I decided not to take an internship, which is required for licensing. Instead, I work with invention, manufacturing, regulatory affairs, and clinical application of artificial hearts.

The United States has an active pharmaceutical industry that has brought huge benefits to the U.S. public. Most Americans, who benefit from these advances, have little understanding of how difficult it is to create an important new medical therapy and make it available to improve public health.

I do not practice clinical medicine and hence do not treat individual patients. My career is in medical science.