Dave Harrington, PhD, a long-time 24×7 Magazine board member and frequent contributor to the publication, passed away on Thursday, September 27, after an extended battle with an illness. Harrington, 77, of Medway, Mass., is survived by his wife of 54 years, Dorothy (Geary) Harrington; three sons, Sean Harrington and his wife, Alison Gustafson; Bryan Harrington and his wife, Cheryl; and Todd Harrington and his wife, Britt; six grandchildren, Conor, Camryn, Meghan, Elliot, Patrick, and Kathryn; and two-stepchildren, Ryan and Jenna.
Dave Harrington, PhD
A veteran of the biomed field, Harrington worked in medical engineering at New England Medical Center for many years. He taught biomedical engineering at the Franklin Institute for two decades, in addition to stints at Wentworth Institute of Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Tufts University, and Boston University.
In addition to his tenure on the editorial board, Harrington was also very involved in the biomedical industry—locally, nationally and internationally—having published more than 100 articles and working with Mother Teresa while in India. Some of Harrington’s most popular articles include “Making Miracles Happen on a Small Budget,” “Important Lessons from Previous Soapbox Columns,” “Looking Back to Look Ahead,” and “Reflections from the Other Side of Patient Care.”
Harrington, who was heavily involved with the American College of Clinical Engineering (ACCE), was also beloved by many of his fellow HTM professionals. One such friend and colleague, Matt Baretich, called him a “stalwart of the profession,” who will be sorely missed. “He was one of a handful of pioneers who took time to talk to newcomers like me,” Baretich said. “All of us who have benefited from Dave’s influence must continue to pay it forward.”
Binseng Wang, also a fellow 24×7 Magazine board member and friend, echoed Baretich’s remarks. “I have known him and have been his friend since early 1990s when ACCE was first founded—and especially when the 2nd Advanced CE Workshop was held in Boston,” Wang said. “Indeed, he [was] a strong voice for the CE profession for a very long time and an admired leader among us. I will keep his memory in my mind for a long time.”
Wayne Hibbs, a long-time friend of Harrington, also shared a memory of him, recalling all of the “great times” they had at various conferences and seminars. “Dave will be missed by everyone who has ever met him,” Hibbs said.
A funeral mass will be held for Harrington on Thursday, October 4, at 10 a.m. at St. Joseph Church in Medway, Mass. The burial will be private. Calling hours will be held on Wednesday, October 3, from 5 p.m.-8 p.m. at the Ginley Crowley Funeral Home.
For those of you who were fortunate to have known Harrington, please share a memory of him in the comments section.
Very sad to hear.
As others have said, Dave was always ready to share his experience and knowledge with new people. I met him at an AAMI conference many years back, but Dave made you feel at ease, and feel his enthusiasm for our field.
I will miss his contributions.
Sorry to hear of this loss to our profession. Saves contributions to the HTM industry will be missed.
My condolences to the family of this great person.
We will miss you Dave.
I remember when I was just starting out in the field of Biomed just out of college with my Associates degree in Electronic Engineering technology looking for a job and some direction and I met Dave at a Symposium in Bostoni early 1990’s. I had a chance to listen to him speak in the conference and later talked to him in person. The things he said motivated my interest in the Medical Technology field and I got my first job as a BMET at 3rd party company within that year and from his ideas and motivation and now today work as a X-ray Service Engineer for on of the Larger vendors. I always try to be as supportive to new people interested in this field of Biomed when they have questions about how to get started due to people like Dave. May Dave rest in peace and his family be at peace.
Our prayers and condolences are with the Harrington family. Dave was true Icon in this field and respected by so many. He will be missed by family and friends.
Dave was a tireless advocate for patient safety. I always enjoyed his articles, he will be greatly missed.
I met Dave at AAMI back in the 80’s and have always been inspired by his talent, gestures and friendly attitude. He will be missed by all of us in this field.
Dave was a great mentor for me, with bonds being firmly established during his initial visit to Australia many years ago. He was passionate, inspirational and a hard worker, our profession is all the better for him having spent time in it. We should all commit to continuing his cause of championing patient safety, improving our profession and calling things as they really are. RIP my good friend.
The Clinical Engineering field has lost a great advocate. I always enjoyed reading his articles because they contained great insight and advice. We in the Baltimore Medical Engineering & Technicians Society (BMETS) were fortunate enough to have Dave come and speak at our monthly meetings on several occasions in the past. It was a real treat. He will be missed.
Whenever I think of Dave I think about the NorthEastern Biomedical Symposium where we sometimes sent a little time together. Dave Harrington was an inspiration to me because he really enjoyed what he did. He always impressed me as someone who was very comfortable in his own skin. It is something we should all try to learn.
Rest in peace my very good friend.
Dave was so kind and knowledgeable. He genuinely wanted everyone to be their best. He encouraged and shared his enthusiasm with me back in the 80’s when I took the CBET exam study course in St Louis. He actually remembered me at one of the AAMI conferences and I will always keep in my heart as a great inspiration and wonderful man. Rest gently great man.