Klaas Bom
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Nicolaas "Klaas" Bom (1 December 1937 – 4 October 2025) was a Dutch engineer. He was a professor of medical technology in cardiology at the Erasmus MC. His 1970s research on ultrasound technology provided several new medical devices, including the portable ultrasound scanner.
Bom was born on 1 December 1937 in Velsen.[1] He was the third of five children. He attended the Hogere Burgerschool in Velsen.[1] He studied electrical engineering at Delft University of Technology, writing his dissertation on electromagnetic wave propagation.[2] Through a university hockey teammate he was brought into contact with the Royal Netherlands Navy Sonarlab.[1] He subsequently joined the Royal Netherlands Navy, became an officer, and did sonar research in La Spezia, Italy for six years. In 1968 Bom started working at the cardiology department of the Erasmus MC and engaged in diagnostic echo research. Bom continued his studies and in 1972 obtained his PhD on the topic of echocardiography. He subsequently became head of bioengineering of the Thoraxcenter.[1][2]
