Magazine Spotlights VP’s Inventive Side

Sheldon Retchin — vice president for Health Sciences at Virginia Commonwealth University, CEO of the VCU Health System, doctor, professor and inventor — now has another title to add to his lengthy curriculum vitae: cover model.

Retchin is featured on the cover of this month’s Swimmer magazine, the publication of U.S. Masters Swimming, for his invention that brought music to the swimming masses: the SwiMP3.

Retchin, an avid swimmer, and VCU Biomedical Engineering Professor Martin Lenhardt co-invented the bone-conduction technology used in the SwiMP3 waterproof MP3 player. Their invention safely conducts sound through vibrations from the cheekbone to the inner ear.

In 2004, the duo licensed their technology to California-based Finis Inc., which began selling a 128-megabyte version that held about 32 songs. Today, the SwiMP3 comes in a 1-gigabyte version that holds approximately 240 songs and sells for between $115 and $150.

Since its inception, the SwiMP3 has been touted for its exceptional sound delivery.