Robert Steven Ledley pioneered the use of digital electronic computers in biology and medicine. In 1959 he wrote two influential articles in the journal Science: "Reasoning Foundations of Medical Diagnosis" (with Lee B. Lusted) and "Digital Electronic Computers in Biomedical Science". Both articles encouraged biomedical researchers and physicians to adopt computer technology. In 1960 he established the National Biomedical Research Foundation (NBRF), a non-profit research organization dedicated to promoting the use of computers and electronic equipment in biomedical research. At the NBRF Ledley pursued several major projects: the early 1960s development of the Film Input to Digital Automatic Computer (FIDAC), which automated the analysis of chromosomes; the creation in 1965 of the Atlas of Protein Sequence and Structure (edited by Margaret O. Dayhoff); the invention of the Automatic Computerized Transverse Axial (ACTA) whole-body CT scanner in the mid 1970s; and the establishment of the Protein Information Resource

Protein Information Resource

The Protein Information Resource , located at Georgetown University Medical Center , is an integrated public bioinformatics resource to support genomic and proteomic research, and scientific studies-History:...

 in 1984. Ledley also served as editor of several major peer-reviewed biomedical journals. In 1990, Ledley was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame

National Inventors Hall of Fame

The National Inventors Hall of Fame is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to recognizing, honoring and encouraging invention and creativity through the administration of its programs. The Hall of Fame honors the men and women responsible for the great technological advances that make human,...

. He was awarded the National Medal of Technology

National Medal of Technology

The National Medal of Technology and Innovation is an honor granted by the President of the United States to American inventors and innovators who have made significant contributions to the development of new and important technology...

by President Bill Clinton in 1997. He is currently president and research director of the NBRF.