Professor Abhay Pandit, Scientific Director of CÚRAM, the Science Foundation Ireland Centre for Research in Medical Devices based at NUI Galway has been elected to the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) College of Fellows. The honour comes in recognition of his outstanding contributions to establishing a national centre which will develop transformative device-based solutions to treat global chronic diseases. AIMBE is a non-profit organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., representing the most accomplished individuals in the fields of medical and biological engineering.

Prof Pandit built a critical mass of biomaterial expertise in Ireland through the establishment of the Network of Excellence for Functional Biomaterials, a strategic cluster that developed implantable materials for cardiovascular, musculoskeletal and soft tissue repair. Building on this critical mass of expertise, he now leads the Science Foundation Ireland Centre for Research in Medical Devices (CÚRAM) based at the National University of Ireland Galway. CÚRAM brings together 510 researchers with synergistic expertise in biomaterials, biomechanics, regenerative medicine, glycobiology, drug delivery and medical implant design, in addition to 27 industry partners.

Commenting on his election to the College of Fellows, Prof Pandit said “I am delighted and honoured to be recognised by such an esteemed group. Our goal at CÚRAM is to radically improve quality of life for patients with chronic illness and through our work here I look forward to contributing to AIMBE’s critical mission of advancing excellence and advocating for the fields of medical and biological engineering”

Prof. Pandit has already been inducted as an International Fellow in Biomaterials Science and Engineering and a Fellow of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society, – the first Irish academic to receive both these honour.

Prof. Pandit has co-ordinated four EU projects worth € 14.1 million and is a Senior Associate Editor of Biomaterials and an Executive Editorial Board member for Tissue Engineering journals. He has also developed an education and public engagement programme at CÚRAM to create innovative ways for communities to engage with STEM and to increase the visibility of Irish research in the biomedical engineering field, both nationally and internationally. The goal of the programme is to build and maintain strong relationships with key community partners to bring outputs to under-represented and under-engaged communities to increase diversity of researchers within the field.

Prof. Pandit was peer-nominated, peer-reviewed, and peer-elected and will become a Fellow of this prestigious group of medical and biological engineers that includes Nobel laureates, Presidential Medal of Science winners and members of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, at an induction ceremony in Washington, D.C. today, April 9, 2018. The organization brings together academia, industry, government, and scientific societies into a highly influential community in medical and biological engineering.

AIMBE is a non-profit, honorific society of the most accomplished individuals in the fields of medical and biological engineering. AIMBE's mission is to advocate for biomedical engineering innovation through public policy initiatives. AIMBE’s Annual Meeting and Induction Ceremony brings together the most accomplished researchers, innovators, and clinicians. This gathering is the only biomedical engineering conference combining scientific lectures with public policy discussions. AIMBE’s achievements and program of work can be viewed at www.aimbe.org.