4 faculty named AIMBE fellows
The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering fellowship is one of the highest honors for researchers in these fields.
Faculty from the UNC College of Arts and Sciences, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy and the Lampe Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering have been inducted into the College of Fellows for the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering.
The election is among the highest professional distinctions for those in the biological and medical engineering fields. AIMBE fellows comprise the top 2% of engineers in these fields, honoring those who have made extraordinary contributions to research, education or practice in engineering, advancing engineering or creating new approaches for bioengineering education.
A formal induction ceremony was held in April for 175 inductees.
UNC College of Arts and Sciences
Ronit Freeman, director of graduate studies and associate professor, applied physical sciences department
Freeman, also an associate professor in the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy’s pharmacoengineering and molecular pharmaceutics division, was honored for innovative and creative contributions to the supramolecular engineering of biomimetic materials for biosensing and synthetic biology. She leverages nature’s innovation to tackle urgent global challenges. Freeman’s biologically inspired materials unlock novel solutions in infectious disease, lung disease, cancer, brain health and health monitoring, turning groundbreaking discoveries into market-ready solutions. Freeman was also honored for her advocacy in the fields of medical and biomedical engineering and their benefit to society. Read more about Freeman’s work on UNC.edu.
Lampe Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering
Yevgeny Brudno, associate professor of biomedical engineering, pharmacoengineering and molecular pharmaceutics
Brudno, also an associate professor at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, works to improve commercial drug delivery to support surgical patients with chronic illness. His focus is on cancer immunotherapy and CAR-T cell therapy. His Molecular Pharmacoengineering Lab helps bridge chemistry, molecular science and engineering to solve unmet clinical needs. Brudno is also a co-founder of Persistence Therapeutics, a company that developed a porous, spongy device that “has everything you need to make CAR-T cells.”
Michael Daniele, professor of biomedical engineering and electrical and computer engineering
Daniele focuses his research on using a variety of soft nanomaterials while engineering different devices that assist, provide readings on and mimic biological function. In addition to his wearable device expertise and health monitoring research, he is a principal investigator with the North Carolina Viral Vector Initiative in Research and Learning, which provides viral vector services as well as training for doctoral, master’s and undergraduate students to develop fundamental experience with viral vectors.
Matthew Fisher, director of graduate studies, director of the Translation Orthopaedic Research Laboratory and professor
Fisher was recognized for research on musculoskeletal biomechanics and tissue engineering. Some of his most notable work involves bioscaffolds that are implanted to assist with the regeneration and rehabilitation of musculoskeletal soft tissue after injury. Fisher was also recognized for serving in various leadership roles in professional societies and for applying innovative methods of instruction for graduate students.
