On Oct. 13, Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME) faculty Dr. Joshua Hutcheson was chosen to receive a 2023 Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering (CMBE) Young Innovator Award at the 2023 Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) Conference in Seattle, Washington. As Associate Professor and Graduate Program Director, Dr. Hutcheson’s work and research interests involve understanding the molecular and mechanical-based mechanisms of cardiovascular disease and developing new treatment and diagnostic modalities to treat cardiovascular diseases.
The CMBE Young Innovator Award is a formal recognition of researchers who are rising stars in the field of biomedical engineering. In addition to receiving this award, this year’s winners had the opportunity to present their current research at the BMES conference and will also have their research included in the August 2023 special issue of The 2023 Young Innovators of CMBE in the CMBE journal.
“To be recognized alongside the other young innovators who received the award was a great honor,” says Dr. Hutcheson of his most recent award. “I have been aware of this award for many years. My Ph.D. mentor, Dr. David Merryman, received the award in 2014. I recently learned that we are the first mentor-mentee pair to win the award!”
Dr. Hutcheson and his group of researchers are currently focused on studying the differences between the mineralization of cells in arteries and bones in cardiovascular calcification. Clinical observations have shown that the formation of cardiovascular calcification is often associated with a decrease in bone minerals. His lab is studying why these differences in artery and bone cell mineralization occur, which can help in future therapeutic developments, such as creating drugs for vascular disease that don’t alter bones and can target both areas separately.
Special Issue: The 2023 Young Innovators of Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering