Steve Keating, 41, of Shakopee, Minnesota, Passed Away on February 23, 2016

Steve Keating of Shakopee, Minnesota died February 23, 2016. He had been diagnosed with glioblastoma during the summer of 2014 and underwent various experimental therapies.

Keating became involved with cancer center patient groups to discover that many other cancer patients shared his experiences. He knew what it felt like to experience the hands tingle from oxaliplatin treatment and have providers inject irinotecan into his veins.

Early Life and Education

Steve Keating SM ’12, PhD ’16 dedicated his life to research, teaching and serving others. He was an inspiring leader in his field as well as an advocate for patient access to their health data.

After the bombing, Keating joined a congressional delegation that traveled to Russia in order to ascertain how Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev had managed to stay under FBI’s radar. What ensued was something from a spy thriller: an unexpected cameo by Steven Seagal, efforts by officials not wanting their identities revealed, meetings with sources fearful of becoming exposed as agents, etc.

Keating was instrumental in creating a fiber optic scalpel to facilitate minimally invasive surgery on brain tumors, now used by neurosurgeons across the world.

Professional Career

Keating’s research-driven approach to his fight against cancer left an impactful mark. He carefully analyzed his own MRI scans, had his microbiome sequenced, and 3-D printed a model of his tumor – not forgetting becoming an outspoken advocate for patient access to medical data.

Privet Capital was established by Chris in 2008 to specialize in mid-market investments with special situations. Chris brings more than 25 years of experience investing, fixing and growing SME businesses.

He is an in-demand speaker on leadership, drawing upon both personal and professional experiences to inspire audiences and encourage them to embrace challenges as opportunities for personal and professional growth and success. He has spoken at numerous events worldwide on topics including leadership, sales and customer service; in addition, he is an avid photographer specializing in capturing buildings with distinct personality.

Achievement and Honors

Steven Keating has always been driven by curiosity, sparking his interest in engineering and filmmaking. Born to build, he pursued dual degrees in mechanical engineering and film and media from Queen’s University before following his dream to attend MIT.

As an MIT graduate student in the Media Lab’s Mediated Matter group, Keating conducted research in additive manufacturing and synthetic biology. When diagnosed with a baseball-sized brain tumor, he used his training from MIT to attack it head on like any true “MITer.”

After gathering 200 gigabytes of his medical information, Keating reached out to Yoel Fink for advice and assistance. Fink had developed a fiber optic scalpel used for minimally invasive brain surgery; Keating then connected with neurosurgeon E. Antonio Chiocca of Boston who removed the tumor.

Personal Life

Keating was an energetic traveller who delighted in exploring new places while advocating for open patient data. He valued his friendships and roommates and was enthusiastically embraced into MIT’s student ghetto community. An avid participant of April Fools’ Day festivities, he also had an affinity for dancing.

Keating is a conformist who forsakes his values in an attempt to gain social approval, following in his father’s footsteps as an architect while suppressing his artistic desire. Unfortunately, this leads him down a path that ultimately leaves him empty-souled by having sacrificed those and things which truly matter to him – Roark represents contrast who acts according to their own set of principles; Ayn Rand believed this to be key in attaining true happiness.

Net Worth

Ballotpedia calculates the net worths of members of Congress using public records. While this amount may reflect how much wealth an individual or their family possesses, often those with significant wealth don’t disclose all of their assets publicly.

Keating has an extensive record of charitable work, raising funds for the 606 Trail and making donations to various causes such as Christian Aid and Comic Relief. He married model-turned-television personality Yvonne Connolly in 1998; they went on to have three children before parting ways in 2015.

Telecommunications have also been among his passions, serving on the board of Kaman Corporation and investing in multiple private companies. Presently he sits on both the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Armed Services Committee subcommittees for Europe, Eurasia, and International Terrorism respectively.