Session Chairs
Session Chairs
Session of Chairs
Theme 1: Update on strategies for enhanced learning environments and evidence-based practices in undergraduate programs.
| Theme 1 Session Chairs | Theme 1 Session Chairs |
| Sally Shady, Stevens Institute of Technology | Mahendra Kavdia, Wayne State University |
|
Christine King, University of California Irvine Biography:- Dr. Christine King is an Associate Professor of Teaching in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of California Irvine, director of the BioENGINE program, and concentration director of the Master's of Engineering Biomedical Engineering program. Her research focuses on engineering education research for design-build-test courses, virtual reality clinical immersion, and women's health medical devices. |
Laura Christian, Georgia Institute of Technology Biography:- Laura Christian is a Lecturer in Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology. She has a Ph.D. in Cell and Molecular Biology from The University of Texas at Austin and has held teaching faculty positions in both biological sciences and engineering. She was a 2022-2023 Georgia Governor’s Teaching Fellow and received a 2023 Engineering Unleashed Fellowship. Her favorite teaching activity is Problem Solving Studio. |
|
Jennifer Leight, Ohio State University Biography:- Jennifer Leight is a Professional Practice Associate Professor and Associate Director for Undergraduate Education in the Biomedical Engineering Department at the Ohio State University. She is passionate about supporting her students to develop DEIJ-related skills for their future career success and faculty professional development in this area. Reflective of her passion for teaching, she has received several awards including the David C. McCarthy Engineering Teaching Award in 2022 and the Herman R. Weed Excellence in Teaching Award in 2018. |
Alyssa Taylor Amos, University of California San Diego Biography:- Dr. Alyssa Taylor is an Associate Teaching Professor in the Shu Chien-Gene Lay Department of Bioengineering at the University of California San Diego. Dr. Taylor has over thirteen years of teaching experience across bioengineering introductory, laboratory, and design courses. |
|
Alexandra Werth, Cornell University Biography:- Dr. Alexandra Werth, is a discipline-based education researcher and Assistant Professor in the Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering at Cornell University. Her research focuses on improving engineering education, specifically aimed at advancing the field by developing novel research‑based assessment tools and investigating the efficacy of authentic learning environments. Werth earned her Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Princeton University (2019), where she worked on the development of a non-invasive, quantum cascade laser glucose monitor for diabetes management. Subsequently she conducted postdoctoral research in physics education research at the University of Colorado Boulder, where she developed the first reported large-enrollment, introductory physics course-based research experience. |
Mike King, Vanderbilt University |
| Rebecca Scott, University of Oklahoma | Joseph “J” Sarver, Drexel University |
|
Alexander Guevel, Wake Forest University Biography:- As an early-career assistant professor in biomedical engineering at Wake Forest University, I focus on developing biomedical engineering solutions to make health systems, such as hospitals, more resilience and sustainable. This involves integrating circular economy concepts and low-tech solutions to promote health equity in underserved communities. My research inspires my teaching in providing real-world case studies on how engineering can support health equity and social justice. |
Rob Macleod, University of Utah Biography:- Rob MacLeod was trained in Canada and Austria in physics, electrical engineering, and physiology & biophysics and has been on the faculty at the University of Utah since 1991. He now is a full professor of Biomedical Engineering and Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Utah. Dr. MacLeod has a deep commitment to education, training, and mentorship and for the past 16 years has been Vice Chair and Director of the Undergraduate program in Biomedical Engineering. He serves on numerous committees around the practice of teaching and learning. His most recent projects include a new University of Utah initiative in Responsible AI, where he will co-direct the working group on AI in teaching and learning.
|
Theme 2: Resourcing collaboration and exchange for faculty and student success.
| Theme 2 Session Chairs | Theme 2 Session Chairs |
| Joshua Kays, Boston University |
Sarah Rooney, University of Delaware Biography:- As a teaching-focused faculty member and Associate Chair of Undergraduate Studies, Dr. Rooney’s efforts center around developing and teaching courses in the undergraduate BME curriculum and facilitating continuous improvement of the program. She teaches biomechanics, medical devices and design courses spanning sophomore to senior years, and a technical elective course that bridges engineering and exercise physiology. Dr. Rooney is PI of an NIH R25 grant to develop a sophomore medical devices course that integrates industry and clinical connections. |
|
Reem Khojah, University of California San Diego Biography:- Reem Khojah serves as an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Bioengineering Department at the University of California, San Diego. Specializing in educational research, the role is dedicated to advancing AI and cloud-based automated biomedical research lab technologies for accessible undergraduate research. Additional projects include a data-driven pre/post lecture assessment to optimize teaching effectiveness in bioengineering education and the development of AI-proof assignments. |
Kelly W. Broadhead, University of Utah Biography:- Kellly Broadhead is an Associate Professor (Lecturing) and Director of Undergraduate Operations in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Utah. His primary teaching responsibilities include the bioDesign (senior capstone) and bioInnovate (MS project) programs that focus on student teams following the design control process (21 CFR 820.30) as they design and develop new medical devices. He has also been extensively involved in leading the ABET accreditation activities of the department and serves as a member of the University of Utah Assessment Advisory Board. |
| Brenda Ogle, University of Minnesota Twin Cities | Jenny Amos, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign |
|
Miiri Kotche, University of Illinois Chicago Biography:- Dr. Miiri Kotche is the Richard and Loan Hill Clinical Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Associate Dean for Undergraduate Affairs in the College of Engineering at the University of Illinois Chicago. Miiri’s efforts focus on the scholarship of engineering education and providing real-world experiences for students in the classroom, through hands-on project work, interdisciplinary programming and summer immersion. Miiri is also the Director of the Innovation Medicine program, a co-curricular program for medical students interested in the intersection of technology development, innovation and health care delivery. |
Pat Alford, University of Minnesota Twin Cities Biography:- Dr Alford is an Associate Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Minnesota. His research is focused on mechanobiology of growth, remodeling, and injury. |
|
Karin Jensen, University of Michigan Biography:- Karin Jensen, Ph.D. (she/her) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and core faculty member in the Engineering Education Research program at the University of Michigan. Her research interests include well-being, engineering career pathways, and engagement of engineering faculty in engineering education research. |
Kristen Labazzo, Rutgers University |
| Julian Lippmann, University of Miami |
Lauren Heckelman, Columbia University Biography:- Lauren Heckelman is a Lecturer in the Discipline of Biomedical Engineering at Columbia University. She teaches the department's junior-level laboratory courses and two-semester senior capstone design course. Before joining Columbia, Heckelman received her B.S.E., M.S., and Ph.D. in biomedical engineering at Duke University. |
| Dave Wood, University of Minnesota Twin Cities |
Theme 3: The Future of Graduate Programs in Biomedical Engineering
| Theme 3 Session Chairs | Theme 3 Session Chairs |
| David Schmidtke, University of Texas Dallas | Michael Miga, Vanderbilt University |
| Chris Geiger, University of Florida | Wawosz Dobrucki, University of Illinois |
|
Katie Reuther, University of Pennsylvania Biography:- Katie Reuther is a Practice Associate Professor in Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania and the Executive Director for the Center for Health, Technologies, and Devices (Penn Health-Tech), overseeing the development of novel medical devices and health technologies. With prior experience as a Senior Lecturer in Design, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship at Columbia University and co-founder of a medical device start-up, she brings extensive expertise in fostering innovation and entrepreneurship and has advised 100s of student and faculty teams and start-ups. Reuther holds degrees from the University of Pennsylvania (PhD in Bioengineering), Columbia University (Executive MBA), and The College of New Jersey (BS in Biomedical Engineering), and actively supports several National Institute of Health (NIH) programs focused on translation and commercialization, including I-Corps at NIH and Concept to Clinic: Commercializing Innovation (C3i). |
Joe Bradley, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Biography:- Joe Bradley is a Clinical Assistant Professor in Bioengineering in the Grainger College of Engineering, a Health Innovation Professor and the Director of Engineering Education and Entrepreneurship in the Carle Illinois College of Medicine. His research focuses primarily on engineering design/Bio Design collaboration on transdisciplinary teams. He is also a co-founder of Sun Buckets, Inc. |
| Dhruv Seshadri, Lehigh University | Nathan Jacobs, University of Oregan |
|
Larwrence Boyd, Palmetto Biomedical Biography:- Lawrence Boyd is the President of Palmetto Biomedical Design & Consulting and a Professor of the Practice at Clemson University. He is an experienced business leader & entrepreneur, having founded two medical device-focused ventures (OrthoClip LLC and View Medical). He has three decades of experience leading product development, engineering and business development efforts for medical devices and biologics in orthopaedic and spine surgery. He is a prolific inventor, with nearly 70 issued U.S. patents for medical devices and related procedures. He holds a BS degree in Mechanical Engineering and MS degree in Bioengineering from Clemson University, a Master of Engineering Management from Christian Brothers University, and a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Duke University. |
Marissa Gray, Brown University |
|
Tomas Gonzalez-Fernandez, Lehigh University Biography:- Tomas Gonzalez-Fernandez is an assistant Professor at the Bioengineering Department at Lehigh University. His research interests focus on the design of smart cells and materials for guiding tissue regeneration in musculoskeletal disorders |
Brian Helmke, University of Virginia |
Theme 4: Industry readiness skills for a diversified job market
| Theme 4 Session Chairs | Theme 4 Session Chairs |
|
Christian Rivera, University of Texas Dallas Biography:- Dr. Christian Rivera is an Associate Professor of Instruction in Bioengineering at The University of Texas at Dallas. He received a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Joint Program with Emory and Peking Universities. He is currently teaching several undergraduate courses including Junior Design, Biomechanics, Fluid Mechanics, and Statics. His research focuses on engineering design and improvement of student education. |
Gabrielle Lam, University of British Columbia Biography:- Dr. Gabrielle Lam is an Assistant Professor of Teaching at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Canada, holding a joint appointment between the School of Biomedical Engineering and the Department of Materials Engineering. She joined UBC shortly after completing her PhD in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Toronto in 2018, where she focused on studying and harnessing the oxygen-sensing machinery of cells to drive vascularization of injectable microtissues. Gabrielle has been serving as the Co-Director, Undergraduate at the School of Biomedical Engineering since 2022.
|
|
Lori Herz, Lehigh University Biography:- Dr. Lori Herz is a Full Teaching Professor and Associate Chair of the Bioengineering Department at Lehigh University. She teaches courses in Metabolic Engineering, Quantitative Biology, and Regulatory Affairs, and leads several research projects. Prior to joining the Lehigh faculty, she worked in the pharmaceutical industry, where she specialized in bioprocess development and technology transfer. |
Patricia Widder, Washington University Saint Louis Biography:- Patricia Widder is a member of the teaching faculty in the Biomedical Engineering Department at Washington University in St. Louis. She holds the title of Principal Lecturer, and currently serves as Director of Undergraduate Studies. Ms. Widder currently teaches courses in biomechanics, biomedical circuits, quantitative physiology, and biomedical data science, and provides prototyping support for the capstone biomedical engineering design classes. In 2021, she led the creation of a minor program in Biomedical Data Science. |
|
Holly Golecki, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Biography:- Holly Golecki, Ph.D is a Teaching Assistant Professor of Bioengineering at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign. Dr. Golecki earned her BS and MS degrees in Materials Science and Engineering from Drexel University and her PhD in Bioengineering from Harvard University. Dr. Golecki's research spans work engineering biomaterials in medical device design to developing new educational and analysis tools with the goal of increasing equity and access in research and engineering. |
Laura Gaviria, University of Texas San Antonio Biography:- Dr. Laura Gaviria earned her PhD in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Texas at San Antonio, where she later became part of the same program’s faculty in 2017. She is currently an Associate Professor of Instruction at the Biomedical Engineering and Chemical Engineering Department at The University of Texas at San Antonio. Dr. Gaviria teaches several undergraduate core courses and serves as the Program Director for the Biomedical Engineering Program. |
|
Isgard Hueck, University of California San Diego Biography:- Dr. Isgard Hueck, a UC San Diego professor and Bioengineer, focuses her research on work-based educational models in engineering education. She leads the industrial outreach, academic-industry liaisons, and educational program evaluation in the Department of Bioengineering. |
Kris Billiar, Worcester Polytechnic Institute |
|
Novella Keeling, University of Colorado Boulder Biography:- Novella Keeling is a Teaching Assistant Professor in the Biomedical Engineering Program at the University of Colorado Boulder, where she teaches General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Introduction to Biomedical Engineering, and BME Senior Design. Novella received her PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the Oregon Health & Science University where she worked on engineering novel cardiovascular biomaterials and contact pathway-targeted therapeutics. She is committed to and passionate about innovative approaches to engineering education and mentoring the next generation of biomedical engineers from diverse backgrounds. |
Ruth Ochia, Temple University |
| Brian Helmke, University of Virginia |
Sabia Abidi, Rice University Biography:- Sabia Abidi is an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Department of Bioengineering at Rice University. She teaches several bioengineering courses including Senior Capstone and Bias in Medical Device Design. |
