September 25
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4:00 PM
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5:00 PM
To celebrate 150 years of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, the Department of Mechanical Engineering will feature distinguished alumni in mechanical engineering and engineering mechanics who have made a lasting impact on the field. Jim Berbee, who received his bachelor’s (’85) and his master’s (’87) in mechanical engineering, started his career as an IBM system engineer and then founded Berbee Information Networks Corporation. After selling his company, Dr. Berbee earned his doctor of medicine and now serves as a clinical assistant professor at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health. To learn more about Jim Berbee’s experience, please join us for this installment of our ME 903: Graduate Student Lecture series.
Presentation title: Is it a good thing, or a bad thing?
Bio: After graduating from the University of Wisconsin–Madison with degrees in mechanical engineering and business, Dr. Berbee started his career as an IBM system engineer where he specialized in system interoperability. He then founded Berbee Information Networks Corporation, which he sold to the public company CDW. He went on to earn his medical degree at Stanford University School of Medicine.
Dr. Berbee joined the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine & Public Health after completing his emergency medicine residency at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics. He served as an attending physician at the UW, the VA and on MedFlight, the UW critical transport helicopter service. He also attended patients at the Rice Lake emergency department in northern Wisconsin.
Dr. Berbee serves as a Trustee of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Association (WARF, known for the medication Warfarin) and is on the board of directors of Madison Gas and Electric (MGEE). He was the Chair of WARF from 2018-2024. He is an active venture investor in medicine and technology and holds patents related to digital otoscopy. He is the founder and chair of WiscMed, a company that designs and markets the Wispr digital otoscope.
He supports human health and welfare projects through the BerbeeWalsh Foundation. He is the event founder of the Berbee Derby Thanksgiving Day 10k RUN & 5k RUN/WALK whose proceeds support technology education. He holds an airline transport pilot (ATP) license, and type ratings in Cessna Citation jets. In addition, he has rotor and float plane endorsements.
His primary home is in British Columbia, Canada which he shares with Maple, his spaniel.