I was honored to present the 2016 Fred Kavli Distinguished Lectureship in Materials Science and plenary speech at the Material Research Society (MRS) meeting in Phoenix, AZ. My talk, “Regenerative Engineering—Convergence Built Upon Materials Science,” highlighted the importance of convergence research as illustrated by some of our latest research on the HEAL Project. Many thanks to the MRS for inviting me to speak. I also want to thank the Kavli Foundation for supporting the lectureship.

During the meeting, I also gave a brief interview with MRS TV, below:

On March 1st, it was a privilege to speak at Carnegie Mellon University as part of the Biomedical Engineering Seminar Series. My talk, “Regenerative Engineering: The Future of Tissue Regeneration,” highlighted the importance of convergence research as illustrated by some of our latest work on the HEAL Project. I also discussed the important role of biomaterials in regenerative engineering. I am so grateful to both the Biomedical Engineering department and the university for inviting me to speak. Thanks to Kathy Samuels who coordinated my visit and to all in attendance!

On October 8, I had the great honor to co-chair a special session with Dr. Gilda Barabino for the 25th Biomedical Engineering Society Meeting in Tampa, FL. The session was entitled “Biomedical Engineering Technology for the Elimination of Health Disparities.”  The goal of this session was exploring the roles of various biomedical engineering technologies for use in eliminating health disparities. Topics included the use of technologies for addressing musculoskeletal conditions such as arthritis and osteoporosis, new emerging technologies involving mobile health (mhealth) which present possibilities for treatment of diabetes and hypertension. The session also addressed the use of biomedical technologies in developing countries, with an eye toward the adaptation of technologies to address issues here in the U.S. The 2015 BME Innovation and Career Development Travel Award winners were also announced at the session.

On January 19, I served as the keynote speaker for the 30th Annual Martin Luther King Jr./Albert Owens Scholarship Breakfast at Lincoln Middle School in Meriden, CT. My speech highlighted the great work and progress made from the dawn of the civil right movement to the present day. In citing the disproportionate incarceration rates of black men and the prevalence of significant health disparities affecting black children, women and men, I also emphasized that work needs to continue to achieve Dr. King’s vision.

For 30 years, the Martin Luther King Jr./Albert Owens Scholarship Fund has honored the memory of not only Martin Luther King Jr., but Meriden’s own Albert Owens, a civic and union leader, who served as the city’s first human rights director. The breakfast has raised over $100,000 for scholarships which help local students achieve their dreams of college degrees.

Meriden resident Rhudean S. Raye founded the Martin Luther King Jr./Albert Owens Scholarship Breakfast and has run it for the entirety of its existence. Ms. Raye attended college at the Bennett College for Women in Greensboro, NC, received her nurse’s training at Coney Island Hospital in Brooklyn, NY, and came to Meriden in the 1950s. While working as a nurse at the Meriden-Wallingford Hospital, she obtained her certification to become an elementary teacher. As one of Meriden’s first black teachers, she taught first and second grade at the Nathan Hale School for 32 years.