SVU's Pioneer Award Awarded D. Eugene (Gene) Hokanson 

LANHAM, MD, June 3, 2006 -- The Society for Vascular Ultrasound (SVU) announces the 2006 SVU Pioneer Award, sponsored by Zonare Medical Systems, was presented posthumously to D. Eugene (Gene) Hokanson, former President of D.E. Hokanson, Inc., at the recent SVU 29th Annual Conference in Philadelphia, PA. His daughter Kyra Gray accepted the award on behalf of her father. The SVU Pioneer Award, the highest scientific award presented by SVU since 1992, is dedicated in the memory of David Phillips, who contributed to the scientific field of vascular diagnostics with the development of duplex ultrasound and color flow Doppler technology.

Gene Hokanson began his career in vascular technology in 1965, when he accepted a position working for D. Eugene Strandness, Jr., MD at the VA Hospital in Seattle, WA. His function at the VA was to use his knowledge of physics and electronics to develop and build instruments so the vascular surgeons could obtain physiologic information on their patients. He started D.E. Hokanson, Inc. in 1973 when many of Dr. Strandness' fellows asked Gene to build them instruments similar to the ones they used in Seattle. He worked at the VA until 1978, when he turned his full attention to his company. During his 40 year career in vascular technology, he developed many unique noninvasive instruments including the ultrasonic arteriograph, the calibrated 4-wire strain gauge plethysmograph, several automatic cuff inflators, vascular cuffs, and an ultrasonic echo tracking devise for measuring and tracking arterial wall movement. He continued his dedication to the development of vascular technology through his company, D.E. Hokanson, Inc. until his untimely death in October 2005 in a private airplane crash.