Joel Nobel and his legacy

by Philip F. Jacobus, CEO | August 27, 2014

Dr. Joel Nobel

37 years ago, one of the first things I did when I was selling medical equipment in China was purchase the ECRI sourcebook (or at least I think that's what it was called).

It was a giant three-ring binder with hundreds of pages that described and listed many medical products in given sectors and compared them spec for spec.

The sourcebook told you that a Picker GX-600 generator was single-phase and 600 mA generator and that a GE DXS-650 II only had one transformer tank (how many of you remember 600-pound transformer tanks?)

We repair MRI Coils, RF amplifiers, Gradient Amplifiers and Injectors.

MIT labs, experts in Multi-Vendor component level repair of: MRI Coils, RF amplifiers, Gradient Amplifiers Contrast Media Injectors. System repairs, sub-assembly repairs, component level repairs, refurbish/calibrate. info@mitlabsusa.com/+1 (305) 470-8013

It compared b-scanners head-to-head, defibrillators, chemistry analyzers and many, many more products.

Today, you can use the internet to find anything, but 35 years ago you could not. Though, thanks to Joel Nobel and his sourcebook, it was possible
to get the information you needed.

It helped buyers make purchasing decisions; leasing companies determine residual values and competitors know how they measured up to other companies in the space.

How innovative was that?

He was so ahead of his time.

Every time I met him, he was in a great mood and always offered a smile and handshake. I was very sad to hear that he passed, but I know that he won't be forgotten.

View all The Jacobus Report Blog Posts

About Phil Jacobus

Phil Jacobus has been involved in health care since 1977, when he visited China to sell equipment. He has done business in 35 countries and still travels extensively. Phil is active in charity, helps rural clinics and always tries to help DOTmed users when he can.

Phil is a member of AHRA, HFMA, AAMI and the Cryogenic Society of America. He has contributed to a number of magazines and journals and has addressed trade groups.

Phil's proudest achievement is that he has been happily married to his wife Barbara since 1989, who helped him found DOTmed in 1998.


(132) (6) (42) Don Bogutski Passing of Joel Nobel August 29, 2014 10:14 Phil: We in the medical technology industry share a never ending responsibility. Our equipment, parts and services support the collection of life changing diagnostic information. This information may result in a favorable change in diagnosis. Or,it may supply the knowledge needed for an improvement in treatment. The information from our products and supported by our services can even indicate the need for a life saving intervention. Each of us rely upon accurate technical information to make our products reliable. Joel Nobel was a pioneer in recognizing the importance of identifying, cataloguing and evaluating medical technology. We all owe him a debt of gratitude for his life work of organizing and collecting medical technology knowledge for all of us to access. Log inor Register to rate and post a comment
You Must Be Logged In To Post A Comment Sign In If you've already created an account, use your email address and password to sign in using the form below. Login Problems: Click here if you are having login issues. Email address: Password: Forgot your password? Login Problems? View our Legal Notice and Privacy Notice Register Registration is Free and Easy. Enjoy the benefits of The World's Leading New & Used Medical Equipment Marketplace. Register Now!