The Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME) held its third annual Emerging Leaders in Biomedical Engineering Symposium on Friday, September 7, at the Pinn Hall Conference Center. UVA Engineering School Dean Jennifer West, PhD, hosted the invited speakers for dinner and gave the opening remarks. Erika Moore, PhD, assistant professor of biomedical engineering at the University of Maryland, kicked off the symposium with a keynote titled “Macrophage Marvels: Embarking on New Paths in Tissue Regeneration and Inflammation.” She described her latest findings and career journey leading to her faculty position.
Dr. Moore’s keynote was followed by talks from six senior postdoctoral fellows: Fang-Yi “Ida” Su, PhD, from Georgia Institute of Technology; Sarah Libring, PhD, from Rice University; Nzinga Mack, PhD, from Johns Hopkins University; Emma Lessieur Contreras, PhD, from the University of California, Irvine; Claudia Varela, PhD, from Boston University; and Cameron Griffiths, PhD, from the University of Virginia. The topics ranged from engineering antigen-specific T cells for cancer immunotherapy to implantable devices to biomechanically probe infarcted hearts.
About 100 BME community members attended the event, which concluded with a career panel for BME graduate students. A fifth-year PhD student Yonathan Aberra said, “The Emerging Leaders Symposium was an inspirational way to start the semester. I enjoyed meeting the speakers and learning about their diverse journeys. This symposium also provided a window to the future of Biomedical Engineering as many of the symposium participants said they are looking for faculty positions and want to start their independent research groups.”
In addition to the keynote address and other presentations, graduate students enjoyed interacting with the participants during breaks and a happy hour in the MR5 courtyard.
The symposium was supported by a School of Medicine Associate Dean of Diversity and Inclusion, Anderson Symposium Committee, and the Graduate Biomedical Engineering Society.
Filed Under: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Research