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Strategic Planning Milestones

In 2018, the Fischell Department of Bioengineering embarked on a strategic planning process to continue our mission of academic excellence and advancement of the field of bioengineering. What emerged was the 2019-2023 strategic plan, built on input from the department faculty/staff, students, and advisory board. Below, we celebrate our progress in achieving key milestones – every few weeks, we'll reveal a new milestone and share news stories highlighting the related impact.

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Bioengineering 2019 retreat group photo

Research Excellence Milestones

The Fischell Department of Bioengineering (BIOE) employs innovative research approaches, working across disciplines to solve complex problems. Core initiatives to support this strategic goal include: incentivizing and supporting bold research proposals, improving research support resources, and cultivating collaborations to expand research impact. In 2020-2021, BIOE proudly reached $18.8 million in annual research expenditures, representing a year-over-year jump of nearly $5 million. Stay tuned for information about our progress toward other milestones in research excellence.

The department’s research excellence is supported by a collegial and collaborative working environment. One of our Research Excellence milestones centers on having one active National Institutes of Health (NIH) Research Project Grant (R01 or equivalent) per tenure-track faculty member. To date, more than 60% of BIOE tenure-track faculty have active NIH R01 or equivalent grants, totaling $8.1 million in support. 

Most recently, Drs. Huang, Maisel, and Stroka received NIH grants totaling $7 million in support.

  • BIOE Assistant Professor Huang Chiao (Joe) Huang is working to harness the power of light to improve the efficacy of anticancer drugs used to treat pancreatic and ovarian cancers. In collaboration with Dr. Dana Marie Roque of the University of Maryland School of Medicine and Dr. Tayyaba Hasan of the Wellman Center for Photomedicine at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, Huang is exploring new avenues for treating cancers that are uniquely resistant to potentially lifesaving therapeutics. Huang was awarded a five-year, $3.3 million National Institutes of Health (NIH)/National Cancer Institute Research Project (R01) grant this summer to support his efforts. 
    » Learn more about Dr. Huang's work
     
  • BIOE Assistant Professor Katharina Maisel is working to develop new techniques to study the interstitium and lymphatics so that bioengineers can one day design therapeutics to be both more effective in combating disease and less harmful to the body’s healthy cells. Maisel was awarded a five-year, $1.8 million grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health to support these efforts. 
    » Learn more about Dr. Maisel's work
     
  • BIOE Associate Professor and alum Kimberly Stroka (Ph.D. '11) was awarded a five-year, $1.9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health/National Institute of General Medical Sciences to investigate how a particular protein that is known to control water transport across the cell membrane also influences cell migration in a range of physiological and pathological processes.  Her aim is to not only shed new light on mechanisms driving normal physiological processes, but also to help advance understanding of what drives cells to become invasive in various diseases and cancers.
    » Learn more about Dr. Stroka's work

 

 

Education Milestones

The Fischell Department of Bioengineering is invested in helping students succeed bothing during and beyond their time at the University of Maryland, equipping students for diverse careers in both academia and industry. The department also strongly emphasizes experiential learning, drawing students into research and translational work. Stay tuned as we highlight our progress toward major milestones in this area.

Scientific Technology/Translation Milestones

By translating research findings into new practices and products, the Fischell Department of Bioengineering can meet key societal needs within human and environmental health. Stay tuned as we unveil our progress toward meeting milestone goals in this area.

Innovation & Impact Milestones

Shining light on work put forth by the Fischell Department of Bioengineering maximizes the impact of our research findings and translation successes. Stay tuned in the coming weeks as we celebrate our progress toward milestones in this area.


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