Several Vanderbilt faculty members are among an international roster of scholars presenting research at the Nature conference, “Bioengineering for Global Health,” at Vanderbilt University Nov. 13–15. Faculty members from the Department of Biomedical Engineering and editors from Nature Communications, Nature Biomedical Engineering and Nature Reviews Bioengineering led the organization of the conference.
Participants will discuss advances in diagnostic, treatment and disease-monitoring platforms that can function in diverse settings, particularly in resource-constrained areas. Featured speakers include Chancellor Daniel Diermeier and Nature Editor in Chief Magdalena Skipper, with a welcome address by Michael Miga, the interim chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering. Conference speakers will represent numerous countries, including India, South Korea, Brazil, China, South Africa, Spain and Scotland.
“Access to low-cost, high-quality, advanced medical interventions for all people across the world remains one of the grand challenges of our times. With Vanderbilt’s mission of inclusive engineering innovation to make a lasting societal impact, locally and globally, we are uniquely suited to host this vital conference. The topics being discussed focus on developing transformative technological solutions to address some of humanity’s most critical health challenges globally,” said Krishnendu Roy, Bruce and Bridgitt Evans Dean of Engineering and University Distinguished Professor. “I especially want to thank School of Engineering Professors Audrey Bowden and Michael King for their diligent work in making this event a reality.”
Roy, whose research is focused on engineering biomaterials for delivering vaccines and immunotherapies, will provide Nov. 14’s opening remarks at the conference. Current Vanderbilt-affiliated researchers and alumni who will present findings during the conference include:
- Charleson Bell, BE’07, MS’09, PhD’15, research assistant professor of biomedical engineering and director of entrepreneurship and biomedical innovation at the Wond’ry, will present on commercialization as a pathway to disseminate biomedical technologies
- Xiaoguang Dong, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, will present a new study on a robotic ciliary system to remove excessive mucus in airway stents
- Nabil Simaan, professor of mechanical engineering, will present work on robot-assisted training aimed at scaling the availability of surgical care in developing countries
- Carol Ziegler, MSN’06, DNP’12, professor at the Vanderbilt School of Nursing and co-founder of the Climate, Health, and Energy Equity Lab, will discuss implementing and translating bioengineering research to a clinical setting
- Kit Parker, MS’93, PhD’98, who is the Tarr Family Professor at Harvard University, will speak about the on-demand manufacturing of heart valves
Additional presentation topics at the conference include surgical robotics, mobile technology and open-source medical device development—all within the framework of providing flexible, low-cost solutions to improve treatment and health equity worldwide. A full report of the proceedings is expected to be available in early 2024.