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BioE Holds 7th Fischell Festival (VIDEO)

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The poster session at the 2013 Fischell Festival.

On October 24, 2013, the Clark School's Fischell Department of Bioengineering (BioE) hosted its seventh Fischell Festival. The annual event demonstrates how University of Maryland faculty and students are joining forces with colleagues in the medical field to design the next generation of biomedical devices, drugs and vaccines, and advanced treatments of injuries and disease.

This year's Festival kicked off with several important announcements from BioE Professor and Chair William E. Bentley, including updates on the University of Maryland's FDA-supported partnerships, the Center of Excellence in Regulatory Science and Innovation and the new National Capital Consortium for Pediatric Device Innovation; BioE graduate student John Goertz's introduction as the department's 2013 Fischell Fellow in Biomedical Engineering; and BioE Professor and Associate Chair John P. Fisher's appointment as the first Fischell Family Distinguished Professor in Bioengineering.

Presentations included:

  • a keynote address by department namesake Dr. Robert E. Fischell on the status of several new devices, including an implant designed to stop epileptic siezures and a handheld device used to "short circuit" migraines;

  • the emerging role of new bioimaging technologies in the kidney transplant process by Professor Peter Andrews (Biochemistry and Molecular and Cellular Biology, Georgetown University), Assistant Professor Yu Chen (BioE), and Assistant Professor and transplant surgeon Jennifer E. Verbesey (MedStar Georgetown Transplant Institute);

  • the past, present and future of rehabilitation robotics at the Baltimore Veterans Affairs Medical Center, by Assistant Professor Anindo Roy (BVAMC and Department of Neurology, University of Maryland School of Medicine);

  • the development of a new, concussion-reducing sports safety device by Professor Kenneth Kiger (Department of Mechanical Engineering) and members of his research group;

  • a special, undergraduate-oriented talk about careers in the biotechnology industry by MedImmune scientists Benjamin I. Bernstein and Dr. Roberto DePaz, hosted by BioE's student chapter of the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES); and

  • a poster session showcasing current research from our students, postdoctoral research associates, and other guests from academia and industry.

The Festival concluded with a Whiting-Turner Business and Entrepreneurial Lecture on surgical robotics by Dr. Simon DiMaio (Intuitive Surgical, Inc.).

You can learn more about this and past years' the Fischell Festivals at fischellfestival.umd.edu or visit the complete 2013 Fischell Festival recap page.

The 2013 Fischell Fischell Festival was proud to be part of the A. James Clark School of Engineering's first Mpact Week, a series of signature events showcasing the best research from our faculty, students and colleagues and linked by common themes such as entrepreneurship and robotics. More information is available at www.eng.umd.edu/html/mpact/

Selected video from the 2013 Fischell Festival (full screen options are available):

Introduction/Presentation of and comments from 2013 Fischell Fellow John Goertz:

Learn more about John

Dr. Robert E. Fischell's Keynote address: "Medical Devices to Improve the Human Condition":

"Emerging Bioimaging Technologies for Improving Organ Transplants":

"The da Vinci and Beyond: the Advancement of Surgical Robotics"–A Whiting-Turner Lecture:

 

Published November 11, 2013