 In 2016, he was awarded the Dean's Medal of Distinction from the Faculty of Applied Science at the University of British Columbia 'for outstanding contributions to applied science'.McEwen also received the Research and Innovation Award in 2018 from the UBC Alumni Association for his biomedical inventions, for founding several medical technology companies, for establishing the non-profit Medical Device Development Centre, and for having taken the lead on important issues to create positive social change.In 2020 he was inducted into the United States National Inventors Hall of Fame.