Announcing Our New Editors

Announcing Our New Editors

The Society For Biomaterials (SFB) is excited to announce the new Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Biomedical Materials Research - Part A, Dr. Kent Leach (University of California, Davis), and gratefully acknowledges the legendary contributions of Dr. James M. Anderson (Case Western Reserve University), for more than 30 years of stewardship!  We are also pleased to announce the new editors for the Biomaterials Forum, Roger Narayan, MD, PhD, University of North Carolina and North Carolina State University, and the SFB website, Antonio Merolli, MD, FBSE, Rutgers University. We thank Guigen Zhang, PhD, University of Kentucky for his service to the Biomaterials Forum, and Adam Ekenseair, PhD, Northeastern University for his service as website editor. Please see below for an introduction to our new editors, and join us in welcoming them to their new roles!

Kent Leach, PhD
Editor‐in‐Chief, Journal of Biomedical Materials Research—Part A (JBMR Part A)

Kent Leach, Ph.D., Professor of Biomedical Engineering and the Lawrence J. Ellison Endowed Professor of Musculoskeletal Biology (elect) in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at UC Davis, has been named the new Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Biomedical Materials Research—Part A. The Journal of Biomedical Materials Research, published by Wiley, is the official journal of the Society For Biomaterials (SFB), the Japanese Society for Biomaterials, the Australasian Society for Biomaterials, and the Korean Society for Biomaterials.

The Journal publishes original contributions concerning studies of the preparation, performance, and evaluation of biomaterials and the response of blood and tissues to biomaterials. Also, interdisciplinary areas are covered, such as tissue engineering, medical devices and controlled release technology where biomaterials play a significant role.

Leach’s research is focused on the development of novel biomaterials to instruct cell fate for the purpose of tissue regeneration and treatment of disease. He works closely with clinicians at UC Davis Health and the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. He will first share editorial duties for the Journal with Dr. James M. Anderson, M.D., Ph.D., who has led the journal for more than 30 years. On April 1, Leach will assume sole duties as the Editor-in-Chief. Leach has a dedicated history with SFB, serving on the Membership, Education, and Finance Committees and helping to initiate a student chapter of the SFB at UC Davis.

“I am humbled and genuinely excited to be selected as Editor-in-Chief of JBMR Part A. The Journal is a wonderful venue to showcase new advances in biomaterials research. I have been an active member of SFB for many years and am excited for this opportunity to support the mission of our Society and share exciting advances in biomaterials. During my tenure, I will create new programs that increase opportunities for trainees to learn more about the reviewing and publishing process, while also developing strategies to highlight biomaterials research accomplishments throughout the community.”

To view the full press release issued by UC Davis, please click here.

Click here to read "Passing the torch of the Journal of Biomedical Materials Research—Part A"- Kent Leach PhD

Click here to read "Reflections on the Journal of Biomedical Materials Research—Part A" - James M. Anderson MD, PhD

Roger Narayan, MD, PhD
Executive Editor, Biomaterials Forum

Roger Narayan is a Professor in the Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of North Carolina and North Carolina State University. Since completion of a MD from Wake Forest University in 2001 and a PhD in Materials Science & Engineering from North Carolina State University in 2002, Dr. Narayan’s research group has published over two hundred research papers as well as several book chapters on the use of lasers to create materials with micrometer scale and sub-micrometer scale features for medical applications. Dr. Narayan has also edited several books, including the Encyclopedia of Biomedical Engineering (Elsevier) and the handbook Materials for Medical Devices (ASM International). Dr. Narayan has received several honors for his research activities, including the NCSU Alcoa Foundation Engineering Research Achievement Award, the NCSU Sigma Xi Faculty Research Award, the University of North Carolina Jefferson-Pilot Fellowship in Academic Medicine, the University of North Carolina Junior Faculty Development Award, the National Science Faculty Early Career Development Award, the Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award, and the American Ceramic Society Richard M. Fulrath Award. He has been elected as Fellow of the American Ceramic Society, ASM International, AAAS, and AIMBE.

Antonio Merolli, MD, FBSE
Web Editor, SFB Website

Antonio Merolli is a Medical Doctor and Orthopedic Surgeon. He is Fellow in Biomaterials Science and Engineering (FBSE). He joined the New Jersey Center for Biomaterials in 2016 until the retirement of his Director, Dr. Joachim Kohn. He is now Research Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Rutgers University – New Brunswick. He has been a faculty at the Catholic University in Rome and served for eight years in the Board of the European Society for Biomaterials. His main expertise is in translational in-vivo models; he has also made extensive use of high definition microscopy techniques, most recently Helium-ion Microscopy. His main fields of interest are bone and nerve regeneration. He his vice-Chair of the Biomaterial-Tissue Interaction SIG of SFB, and Clinical Editor of the “Journal of Materials Science Materials in Medicine” (Springer/Nature). He lives in Princeton NJ.