In October, representatives from the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M University attended the annual Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) meeting in Seattle, Washington, to join a collaborative community devoted to advancing human health through education, discovery and translation. At the meeting, BMES honors notable biomedical engineers, and several A&M faculty were recognized.
Dr. Shreya Raghavan, a BMES track chair for women’s health and assistant professor for the biomedical engineering department, was named the recipient of the Rita Schaffer Young Investigator Award for her outstanding contributions to the field. The award is given annually to an early-stage researcher who displays originality and ingenuity in biomedical engineering.
“Winning this award felt like a recognition of how much my lab and I have worked hard together to do brilliant science,” Raghavan said. “The recognition was timely because it also felt like being acknowledged for all the hard work we’ve done and a recognition of how much more we still have to do in biomedical engineering!”
When Raghavan presented her work as part of the award, she wore a sari to represent and honor her heritage.
“It’s important to bring authenticity into your work,” Raghavan said. “As a new immigrant decades ago, I struggled with my identity, but my heritage and lived experiences dictate what science I care about and how that will impact people. As a professor, I felt that being authentic might inspire future generations to also feel visible and empowered in their own identities.”
In addition to Raghavan’s contributions, two faculty members from the department, Dr. Akhilesh Gaharwar, Dr. Abhishek Jain and Dr. Charles Patrick, were selected to serve as track chairs. Track chairs are responsible for constructing platform sessions from accepted presentations and assigning session keynote speakers.
Patrick, professor of practice in the department, served as the track chair for biomedical engineering education. His goal was to organize engaging, forward-thinking oral and poster sessions integrating seasoned engineering educators with the next generation of educators and thought leaders.
“The most rewarding aspects of serving as track chair are getting a peek at the landscape of engineering education through the lens of submitted abstracts and the ability and privilege of connecting people through sessions, hallway conversations and social time at the conference,” Patrick said.
It is evident from the visibility of our faculty at this meeting that we had both breadth and depth of contributions, reflecting the reputation of those individuals as leaders.
For the second year in a row, the department celebrated the induction of two faculty members as BMES fellows — Dr. Mike McShane, department head and James J. Cain Professor II, and Gaharwar, professor and director of research.
“It is rather humbling to be selected,” McShane said. “Many BMES fellows have been role models for me, individuals I admire and look to for inspiration and advice. While it is hard to believe I could belong to the same group, I am deeply grateful to have been selected and will do my best to fulfill the added responsibility to serve the community that this position carries.”
The department looks forward to another year of widespread impact through BMES.
“It is evident from the visibility of our faculty at this meeting that we had both breadth and depth of contributions, reflecting the reputation of those individuals as leaders,” McShane said. “Further, the scope of the topics covered – track and session chairs in technical, education and professional development/mentoring, as well as awards committee members and major award winners – shows the broad impact Texas A&M has been able to make.”