AIMBE’s Academic Council is composed of leading educational programs in medical and biological engineering at the graduate and undergraduate levels. Department chairs generally serve as representatives to the Council, many of whom are elected members of the prestigious AIMBE College of Fellows.

The Council’s member institutions play critical roles in educating the next generation of scientists, serving as innovation hubs to investigate new scientific frontiers, and enabling groundbreaking research to be translated into use in the marketplace.

Medical and biological engineering educational programs are undergoing tremendous change as the fields grow and take on new shapes; as research funding becomes more difficult to secure; and as the student population, and their desired academic experiences, shifts. AIMBE’s Academic Council serves as a venue to come together and discuss these current issues and acts as a forum to raise the national visibility and advocate for the fields of medical and biological engineering.

In addition to networking with department chairs, participation in the Academic Council enables you to recognize your faculty by submitting nominations to the AIMBE College of Fellows, as well as the Emerging Leaders Program.

The AIMBE Academic Council provides several opportunities to engage with Members of Congress through congressional visits and lawmaker briefings on medical and biological engineering topics.

We also offer travel awards for AC members’ students to attend AIMBE’s annual Public Policy Institute Public Policy Institute, a two-day workshop in Washington, DC on the intersection of science and public policy.

The Academic Council meets twice yearly in-person, once at the BMES conference in the fall and once at the AIMBE Annual Event in the spring, as well as quarterly via zoom for additional networking.

AIMBE Survey Data on Impact of Research Disruptions

AIMBE has released new data on the impact of disruptions to biomedical engineering research and training. AIMBE surveyed over 100 biomedical engineering departments across the country, making us uniquely positioned to gather critical, nationwide insights from academic leaders in the field.

Current Chair

Phil Messersmith, Ph.D.

Chair, Academic Council (2026-2028)

Professor; Class of 1941 World War II Memorial Chair
Dept. of Bioengineering
Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering
University of California, Berkeley

Past Chairs

Raj Rao, Ph.D

Chair (2024 – 2026)

Professor of Biomedical Engineering in the College of Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville

Jennifer S. Wayne, Ph.D

Chair (2022 – 2024)

Professor and Department Head, Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics, Virginia Tech

Michele J. Grimm, Ph.D

Chair (2020 – 2022)

Wielenga Creative Engineering Endowed Professor of Department of Mechanical Engineering, Michigan State University

Ranu Jung, Ph.D

Chair (2018 – 2020)

Professor and Chair, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Wallace H. Coulter Eminent Scholars Chair in Biomedical Engineering, Florida International University

Frederick H. Epstein, Ph.D

Chair (2016 – 2018)

Professor and Chair Biomedical Engineering; Professor of Radiology, University of Virginia

Todd D. Giorgio, Ph.D

Chair (2014 – 2016)

Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Professor of Cancer Biology, Vanderbilt University

Robert S. Keynton, Ph.D

Chair (2012 – 2014)

Professor and the Lutz Endowed Chair of Biomechanical Devices of the Department of Bioengineering, University of Louisville

Jeffrey L. Duerk, Ph.D

Chair (2010 – 2012)

Executive Vice President and Provost, University of Miami

Kristina M. Ropella, Ph.D., P.E.

Chair (2008 – 2010)

Opus College of Engineering Dean, Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Director, Joint Ph.D. Program in Functional Imaging, Marquette University

Vincent T. Turitto, Sc.D.

Chair (2007)

Robert A. Pritzker Endowed Chair Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Director of the Pritzker Institute of Biomedical Science and Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology

any questions?

Sarah Mandell

AIMBE

Email: program@aimbe.org

For questions or inquiries, please contact Sarah Mandell at the email above.

Academic Council