Tacker, Willis A.
Biographical Information
Willis Tacker grew up in Wheeler, Texas. From childhood, Tacker wanted to be a doctor. After high school, he studied Biology at Baylor University and continued at Baylor Medical School to earn his MD degree and PhD in Physiology and Biophysics. Following an internship at the Mayo Clinic, he joined the faculty of Baylor Medical School due to a passion for teaching and research in CPR and defibrillation of the heart.
Tacker was part of the team invited to Purdue to start a Biomedical Engineering (BME) Program and helped found the Purdue University Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering in 1998. Tacker later directed the Hillenbrand Biomedical Engineering Center. He taught in the Weldon School, IU Medical School Program at Purdue, and Purdue’s School of Veterinary Medicine. He was invited to join the Association of Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE). Tacker served on the AAMI program committee, the board of directors, and as AAMI president.