Society For Biomaterials Announces its 2023 Award Recipients

April 10, 2023, Mt. Laurel, NJ — The Society For Biomaterials (SFB), a multidisciplinary society of academic, healthcare, governmental and business professionals who are dedicated to promoting advancements in all aspects of biomaterials science, education, and professional standards to enhance human health and quality of life, recently announced its slate of 2023 award recipients.

The Society For Biomaterials is Proud to Present their 2023 Award Winners:

FOUNDERS AWARD: Andrés J. García, PhD, FBSE, Georgia Institute of Technology

This is awarded to an individual who has made a long-term, landmark contribution to the biomaterials discipline.

The scholarship of Andrés’ contributions to the literature is highly profound and he has clearly established himself as a researcher of international caliber. He is best known for his numerous and seminal contributions in the areas of biointerface science, cell materials interactions, and in hydrogel technologies for the delivery of stem cells. He is also an international thought leader and early pioneer in the area of mechanobiology.

—Kevin E. Healy, FAAAS, FAIMBE, FBSE, & FBMES, University of California, Berkeley

C. WILLIAM HALL AWARD: G. Lawrence Thatcher, TESco Associates, Inc.

This award honors an industry and government member of the Society For Biomaterials who has made a significant contribution to the Society and has an outstanding record in establishing, developing, maintaining and promoting the objectives and goals of SFB.

“His technical knowledge of biomaterials, not just from an academic perspective but also in support of translation and manufacturing of medical devices, is unrivaled. Always the consummate professor, I find Larry not only smiling when I see him, but ready to talk (and teach) about his varied experiences, challenges, and excitement with the development and application of biomaterials.”

—M. Scott Taylor, Ph.D., Poly-Med, Inc. 4

SOCIETY FOR BIOMATERIALS AWARD FOR SERVICE: Arthur J. Coury, PhD, Northeastern University

This award honors significant service to the Society For Biomaterials in establishing, developing, maintaining and promoting its objectives and goals.

“Art has distinguished himself in dedicated, selfless service to our field. He has served as President of the Society for Biomaterials (1999-2000) and lists some 20+ activities for SFB on his CV. Art has dedicated thousands of hours to professional service and advocacy in the name of the biomaterials field, often serving with exceptional effectiveness as an industry-academic-professional bridge.”

—Buddy Ratner, Ph.D., University of Washington

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION AWARD: Cato T. Laurencin, MD, PhD, University of Connecticut Health Center

This award recognizes individuals or organizations promoting anti-racism and or creating a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment for historically excluded groups in the STEM disciplines, especially in the field of biomaterials.

“Dr. Laurencin is the quintessential candidate for this award not only because of the impact that his scientific contributions have made within the fields of medicine and engineering, but also the impact his life has made on hundreds of engineers, scientists and physicians who he has helped, trained, and mentored to follow his example.”

—Edward A. Botchwey, Ph.D., Georgia Tech and Emory University

TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION AND DEVELOPMENT AWARD: Ali Khademhosseini, PhD, Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation

This award recognizes an individual’s (or a team’s) successful application of basic and applied biomaterials research in the development of a novel medical product or technology that significantly benefits the health and well-being of medical and surgical patients.

“Dr. Khademhosseini has made a number of major contributions in developing novel biomaterials and is widely recognized as one of the leading researchers in areas of biomaterials and bioengineering. Ali has set the standards for innovation and productivity for his generation and is transforming the ways in which hydrogels are being used for biology and medicine.”

—Robert Langer, Sc.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology

CLEMSON AWARD FOR APPLIED RESEARCH: William L. Murphy, PhD, University of Wisconsin-Madison

This is awarded to an individual whose accomplishments include significant utilization or application of basic knowledge in science to achieve a specific goal in the field of biomaterials.

“The impact of Dr. Murphy’s translational biomaterials research is huge; the products successfully translated from Dr. Murphy’s lab are of critical importance. For example, the TruMatch Graft Cage™ is a 3D-printed personalized resorbable implant for treatment of critical-sized segmental bone defects. The 3D printed device is used in combination with rigid fixation devices or with bone graft material to facilitate retention of the graft material and to promote bone restoration.”

—Christine E. Schmidt, Ph.D., University of Florida

CLEMSON AWARD FOR BASIC RESEARCH: Krishnendu Roy, PhD, Georgia Institute of Technology

This is awarded to an individual who has made an original contribution to the basic knowledge and understanding of the interaction between materials and tissue.

“Prof. Roy has made impactful contributions to the field of biomaterials science and application. Specifically in developing the areas of immune-materials and immunoengineering, regenerative and cell manufacturing, and delivery science and technology. His pioneering discoveries and inventions as well as his tremendous global leadership has shaped the field over the past two decades.”

—Kam W. Leong, Ph.D., Columbia University

CLEMSON AWARD FOR CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE LITERATURE: Johnna S. Temenoff, PhD, Georgia Institute of Technology

This is awarded to an individual who has made a significant contribution to the literature on the science or technology of biomaterials.

“Dr. Temenoff has had a remarkable impact through her scientific publications. She has also made a huge impact with her textbook “Biomaterials: The Intersection of Biology and Materials Science”, which has been widely adopted since its publication in 2008.Her work continues to push the envelope in the development of novel materials to direct tissue regeneration, especially in tendon and ligament. The spatial constraints of these tissues make them uniquely challenging, and I am always impressed with the highly innovative methods that Dr. Temenoff devises to address these needs.”

—Shelly Sakiyama-Elbert, Ph.D., The University of Washington

MID-CAREER AWARD: Ngan F. Huang, PhD, Stanford University

This award recognizes an individual SFB member who has demonstrated outstanding achievements in and / or contributions to the field of biomaterials research.

“Dr. Huang broke new ground in the field of cell therapy by engineering spatially patterned biomaterials as vehicles for the therapeutic delivery of primary endothelial cells or human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived endothelial cells. In particular, she showed that cells cultured on aligned nano-patterned collagen scaffolds adopt collectively organized morphology and have improved capability to form vascular sprouts.”

—Sharon Gerecht, Ph.D., Duke University

YOUNG INVESTIGATOR AWARD: Eric A. Appel, PhD, Stanford University

This award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated outstanding achievements in the field of biomaterials research.

“Eric Appel is a scholar of rare talent who has the potential to quickly assume a leadership position in the biomaterials field. He is a deep thinker who is dedicated to providing an outstanding education for the next generation of materials scientists and engineers, and he has proven himself to be exceptionally creative – generating new technologies that are already making big impacts in biomedicine and other industries.”

—Sarah C. Heilshorn, Ph.D., Stanford University

STUDENT AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING RESEARCH: PhD Candidate: Hannah A. Pearce, PhD, Rice University

This is awarded to graduate and/or PhD students who have shown outstanding achievement in biomaterials research.

“Over the course of her Ph.D., Hannah published 7 first author manuscripts and contributed to 9 middle author publications, indicating her strength and productivity as a collaborator and researcher. In addition to offering training and support for her peers, Hannah mentored 4 undergraduate students; one of whom began his Ph.D. in August of 2021, one began her Ph.D. in August of 2022, one is applying for Ph.D. programs beginning Fall of 2023, and one who has accepted a chemical engineering job in industry. Her recognition with the Best Teaching Assistant Award in Bioengineering is further testament to her remarkable teaching and mentoring skills.”

—Tony Mikos, Ph.D., Rice University

STUDENT AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING RESEARCH: PhD Candidate: Maryam Ramezami, PhD, Syracuse University

This is awarded to graduate and/or PhD students who have shown outstanding achievement in biomaterials research.

“Maryam stands out in her passion for helping others, commitment to producing high-quality data, and focused long-term goals, and my personal interactions with her have revealed her to be an exceptional researcher with high potential for success in her future research career.”

—Mary Beth Browning Monroe, Ph.D., Syracuse University

STUDENT AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING RESEARCH: Undergraduate: Blake Kuzemchak, University of Maryland

This is awarded to undergraduate students who have shown outstanding achievement in biomaterials research,

“Blake possesses an impressive project portfolio that highlights his innovative mind. Among his vast repertoire of skills, Blake can CAD, program (Python & Java), and perform computational simulations (Matlab and COMSOL Multiphysics) with advanced proficiency, which has been an immense boon for my lab.”

—John P. Fisher, Ph.D., University of Maryland

CATO T. LAURENCIN, MD, PHD TRAVEL FELLOWSHIP:

Named in honor of a distinguished member of the Society For Biomaterials, Cato T. Laurencin, MD, PhD, the travel fellowship will support undergraduate students of underrepresented minorities in the field of biomaterials to attend the SFB 2023 Annual Meeting.

Saron Ghebrezadik, Agnes Scott College

“Saron has demonstrated an exceptional research aptitude and productivity with strong interest and motivation for her project, leading the experiments and scientific discussions with independence and critical thinking. She has developed a methodology to engineer PEG-norbornene microgels using photopolymerization and microfluidic techniques.”

—Andrés J. García, Ph.D., F.B.S.E., Georgia Institute of Technology

Mackenzie D. Long, North Carolina A&T University

“Mackenzie has proven herself to be an exceptional, growing researcher and has gained an abundance of expertise in a short period of time. Moreover, she is committed to numerous scholarly activities and service opportunities. And despite her copious commitments, she still manages to excel academically and remains eager to learn.”

—Narayan Bhattarai, Ph.D., North Carolina A&T State University

C. WILLIAM HALL SCHOLARSHIP: Erfan Jabari, University of Maryland, College Park

This award honors the memory of the Society's first president, Dr. C. William Hall. This student scholarship is awarded to a junior or senior undergraduate pursuing a bachelor's degree in bioengineering or a related discipline.

“Erfan defined an ambitious honors research project exploring the relationship between mesenchymal stem cells and osteoclast precursor cells within hydrogel scaffolds.”

—John P. Fisher, Ph.D., University of Maryland