Inspiring Innovation Worldwide: UF BME Global Fellowship Awardees Shine Bright in 2023

Ferris Appointed as Fellow of the American Society of Biomechanics Dr. Daniel Ferris, Robert W. Adenbaum Professor, has earned the prestigious title of Fellow from the American Society of Biomechanics (ASB). Among the nominees for the 2023 cohort, he stands out for his exceptional professional achievements, leadership, and invaluable service to the ASB. An ASB member since 1995, Dr. Ferris was previously honored with the 2018 ASB Founders’ Award, a testament to his dedication and contributions to the field. His groundbreaking research on biomechanics, neural control, locomotion, and robotics has been funded by prestigious institutions such as the Army Research Laboratory and Office of Naval Research, in addition to the National Science Foundation, and the National Institutes of Health. At the heart of Dr. Ferris’ research lies a focus on the biomechanics and neural control of human locomotion. His pioneering work revolves around human-machine interactions, encompassing mechanical and electrical aspects. His projects involve mobile brain imaging, robotic lower limb exoskeletons, and bionic lower limb prostheses. His overarching goal is to unravel the principles governing human movement control and learning, aiming to optimize the design of robotic devices that can seamlessly assist human walking and running. Formal induction into the ASB Fellowship will take place during the upcoming ASB Annual Meeting in August, where Dr. Daniel Ferris will be honored for his contributions to biomechanics and his commitment to advancing human locomotion research. Keselowsky honored as Fellow of Biomaterials Science and Engineering Dr. Benjamin Keselowsky has achieved the distinguished title of Fellow of Biomaterials Science and Engineering (FBSE), the highest honor bestowed upon outstanding biomaterials scientists by the International Union of Societies for Biomaterials Science and Engineering (IUSBSE). His election into the International College of Fellows of Biomaterials Science and Engineering places him among an exclusive group of less than 500 of the most eminent biomaterials scientists globally, underscoring his exceptional contributions to the field. The induction ceremony is scheduled for May 27, 2024, during the World Biomaterials Congress (WBC2024) in Daegu, South Korea. Expressing his gratitude for this remarkable achievement, Keselowsky remarked, “I am profoundly grateful for the honor of becoming an FBSE. This recognition is the culmination of years of dedicated work advancing the biomaterials domain. My heartfelt thanks go to my students, academic mentors and collaborators, and the biomaterials and BME community.” As a full professor in the J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Florida, Keselowsky’s research is at the forefront of engineering biomaterial-cell interactions and immune engineering. Immune cells play a pivotal role in the body’s response to biomaterials upon implantation. Keselowsky’s laboratory is dedicated to advancing the fundamental understanding of immune cell interactions with biomaterials and the engineering the orchestration of immunological processes. This work holds wide-ranging implications in fields such as implanted devices, therapeutic vaccines, tissue engineering, and combination products. Rashidi inducted as AIMBE Fellow Dr. Parisa Rashidi was recently elected to the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) College of Fellows! The College of Fellows is comprised of outstanding bioengineers in academia, industry and government, representing the top 2 % of medical and biological engineering professionals. Rashidi was elected for her visionary leadership in Medical AI research and education, and benefitting patients in hospital and critical care settings. Rashidi received her Ph.D. in computer science, emphasizing machine learning. She is an associate professor at the J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Florida. She is also affiliated with the Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE) and Computer & Information Science & Engineering (CISE) departments. She is the director of the “Intelligent Health Lab” (i-Heal). Her research aims to bridge the gap between machine learning and patient care. Her awards include: Excellence in Leadership, Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering, 2022 J. Crayton Pruitt Family Term Fellow, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, 2020 – 2023 Mitchell Max Award Finalist, National Institute of Health (NIH), 2019 Excellence Award for Assistant Professors, University of Florida, 2019 Excellence Award for Assistant Professors, Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering, 2019 National Institute of Health (NIH), Trailblazer Award, 2019 National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Program (NSF CAREER), 2018 To date, she has authored 160+ peer-reviewed publications including 70+ journal articles. She has chaired numerous workshops and symposiums on intelligent health systems and has served on the program committee of 20+ conferences. She has procured over $10M in extramural research funds as an individual investigator and has helped secure over $47M with collaborators as a team. Rashidi’s research has been supported by local, state, and federal grants, including awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIBIB, NCI, and NIGMS) and the National Science Foundation (NSF). With this induction, Rashidi can expand her interests in advocacy and education regarding public policy and government funding. AIMBE is the authoritative voice and advocates for the value of medical and biological engineering to society. AIMBE aims to recognize excellence, advance the public understanding, and accelerate medical and biological innovation. No other organization can bring together academic, industry, government, and scientific societies to form a highly influential community advancing medical and biological engineering. AIMBE’s mission drives advocacy initiatives into action on Capitol Hill and beyond. RINALDi-RAMOS elected as AAAS Fellow The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the Science family of journals, has elected 19 faculty from the University of Florida to its newest class, breaking previous records for the number of faculty awarded in a single year. The honor, which includes alumni such as Thomas Edison and W.E.B. DuBois, is among the most distinctive in academia and recognizes extraordinary impact and achievement across disciplines, from research, teaching, and technology, to administration in academia, industry and government, to excellence in communicating and interpreting science to the public. Carlos M. Rinaldi-Ramos, Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering , is the chair and professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering and professor in the J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering. He is an international leader in the fields of ferrohydrodynamics, biomedical applications of magnetic nanoparticles, and diffusion of nanoparticles in complex and biological fluids. In the field of nanomedicine, Rinaldi-Ramos has made outstanding contributions to harnessing localized nanoscale heating for magnetic nanoparticle thermal cancer therapy. The 2022 class of AAAS Fellows are among 506 scientists, engineers and innovators who have been recognized for their scientifically and socially distinguished achievements. “An important measure of the university’s prowess is the accolades its faculty members receive from national and international organizations,” said David Norton, vice president for UF Research. “The awarding of Fellow from AAAS to so many UF researchers this year is the result of the remarkable achievements of these individuals and reflects very positively on UF as we strive to become the best public research university in the country.”