The Focus is on You
Envision an educational environment that personalizes instruction in a community-centered approach to create leaders in academia, industry and medicine. We do. Our ABET, Inc. accredited biomedical engineering program is a pioneer in its field and remains one of the most well respected programs nationally. Our students become independent, productive and adaptive interdisciplinary experts.
Cynthia Paschal
Associate Dean of the School of Engineering
Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Associate Professor of Radiology and Radiological Sciences
Vanderbilt students have big, generous hearts, and one of the most satisfying things for me is to help our students apply their engineering skills to the service of others. After all, to be an engineer is to commit oneself to a life of service—service in solving problems and making the world a better place. I have had the pleasure of teaching both local and Central American service learning courses and enjoyed observing the activities of our students involved in Engineering World Health and Engineers Without Borders. Our students do amazing things, and I could not be more proud of them. I'm especially proud of our students on Design Day each year when our seniors present the engineering designs they've created to meet various challenges. Imagine your career as an engineer 10 years from now. Perhaps you will be reporting your research findings at a conference in Germany, collaborating with engineers in India, marketing your new biomaterials products in China or sharing a new surgical technique with colleagues in Australia. If you study abroad, as we encourage you to do, not only will your international career activities bring back terrific memories of your studies abroad, they will draw on the cultural competency you gained. We've worked hard to bring you many options to study engineering abroad during one of your regular semesters as an undergraduate. As
associate dean of the School of Engineering, one of my jobs is to help you find the best fit to study abroad. My colleagues in Vanderbilt's Global Education Office and I look forward to getting you started on one of the most meaningful and memorable aspects of your education.
Matthew Walker III
Associate Professor of the Practice of Biomedical Engineering
I spent 12 years in the biotech industry, leading teams of photoacoustic imaging scientists at Merck and MIT, delivering nano- and microparticles for gene therapy and blurring the lines between engineering, imaging and drug/biomarker discovery. A great deal of my work focused on establishing molecular imaging platforms for use in drug/gene/device/ biomarker development in the experimental medicine and translational research space. I came back to Tennessee my original home—and to Vanderbilt, because I saw a disconnect between the way biomedical engineers are trained and the industrial environment. Now, I am developing an innovative biomedical engineering design curriculum, working across departments, schools and with university and biotech medical device companies to prepare students for the ever-changing, fast-paced biotech industry.
Amanda Lowery
Assistant Professor of the Practice of Biomedical Engineering
I grew up in Memphis, Tenn. With the influence and presence of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, I knew from a young age that I wanted to be involved in cancer research, and that's what I set out to do. I received my Ph.D. in bioengineering, focusing on nanomedicine for cancer therapy. In 2008, I was invited to give a talk at my alma mater. Unlike other scientific talks I had given, this was about generating excitement for nanotechnology and engineering research. I loved it. I knew instantly I wanted to be a professor and to teach. My role at Vanderbilt allows me to stay in touch with the research while focusing on instructing aspiring doctors, researchers, clinicians, business leaders and scholars who will one day cure cancer.