Martin L. Yarmush's Brooklyn roots imprinted qualities onto him like fighting for the
underdog, good instincts and the desire to start new work that is solid and lasts, he said at the BMES Annual Meeting during his Pritzker Distinguished Lecturer talk.
That background led to an extremely varied career, he told meeting attendees.
Yarmush is an internationally recognized bioeningeer and translational scientist whose laboratory has been a pioneer and leader in multiple fields including tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, applied immunology and biotechnology, BioMEMs and nanotechnology, and metabolic engineering and functional genomics.
One of Yarmush's many endeavors is VenousPro, a medical device that safely, accurately and consistently draws blood or delivers intravenous fluids. The product uses Infrared and ultrasound imaging to select suitable target insertion sites. With real-time guidance from the imaging system, the needle is robotically inserted into the vein at the target site.
The diversity of Yarmsuh's career is partly due to his passion for basic research, applied research and basic inspired research. His advice for young investigators was to focus on finding their passions.
"Find something you love and see it through," he said.
Richard Hart delivers BMES State of the Society
The Biomedical Engineering Society is thriving due to steady growth in recent years, BMES President Richard T. Hart reported in his State of the Society address at the 2015 BMES Annual Meeting in Tampa.
The Society is financially stable and the 2015 meeting attracted the largest number of exhibitors in the organization's history. The 2015 meeting is also on track to possibly be the most attended in history.
Some of the Society's growth is likely related to the increase of accredited BME departments at universities, he said. Currently there are 92 accredited BME programs.
The upward trajectory of the field is healthy trend, but Hart warned, "We are not going to be able to increase indefinitely."
Still, Hart said, the future of BMES is bright. The Society has a number of initiatives underway including increasing its collaboration with industry partners.
Four new board of director members and newly elected President Lori Setton and Treasure Dawn Elliott will help lead the society in all its future endeavors.
Hart also presented awards to this year's class of Fellows.
Barabino receives Distinguished Service Award
The BMES Distinguished Service Award is presented periodically to recognize members who have made extraordinary contributions to the Society.
This year the award was presented to Gilda Barabino, dean of the Grove School of Engineering at the City College of New York.
Barabino is the Society's current past president. She served on the BMES executive committee for over a decade in various roles, as well serving as a BMES board member.
Much of Barabino's work has focused on diversity issues in the field of BME.
BMES has helped Barabino pursue her lifelong commitment to pursuing social justice and equity, and broadened opportunities, she said. "My experience with BMES has allowed me to fuel that passion and direct it toward making a difference in biomedical engineering. I urge you to use BMES as a vehicle to fuel your passion and promote your cause to enhance our field," she said.
"The power of one to make a difference is evident. One individual, one department, one institution, one professional society and one foundation, all bound together by efforts that have helped chart the course and shape the future of biomedical engineering. The future is bright for biomedical engineering and each one of you is a contributor to its brightness."
Celebration of Minorities in BME Luncheon: Balancing Personal and Professional Challenges
Christine S. Grant, PhD, Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs and Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at North Carolina State University led a very interactive talk that focused on facing both personal and professional challenges.
From dealing with an un-supportive professor to caring for a sick loved one, Grant encouraged attendees to think about and discuss dealing with life challenges. She asked attendees to identify challenges, create solutions and execute fixes.
Biomedical Engineering Technology for the Elimination of Health Disparities
This year's panel examined the use of technology to help mitigate health disparities; such as the use of mobile apps to help broaden the reach of care. But the speakers cautioned, even that kind of technology has several potential issues that could effect access. Such as apps being developed only for the most expensive phones.
Future of Funding: Special plenary session about the funding landscape in biomedical research 
Explore Tampa beyond the BMES meeting
While the Biomedical Engineering Society Annual Meeting will be home to the most interesting and educational events in Tampa October 7-10, you still might want to break free and explore the city.
Here is a quick list of restaurants, watering holes and sites within walking distance of the convention center.
>>Read More
BEDRock band to play BMES Friday Night BashDon't miss the BEDRock band out on the Riverwalk during the BMES Friday Night Bash.
The band members are your biomedical engineering colleagues and guarantee a fun time for all.
Schedule
7 - Registration - Convention Center
8 - Platform Sessions - 19 sessions
9:30 - Exhibit Hall Opens
Speed Mentoring @ BMES Booth (#521)
9:30 - Poster Viewing with Authors - Exhibit Floor
10:30 - NIBIB Lecture/DEBUT Awards Ceremony - Ballroom BC
12:15 - Women in BME Luncheon - Ballroom D
1:45 - Platform Sessions- 19 sessions
2 - Start-ups and Venture Capital: Navigating the Funding Process and Investment Pitches - Room 12
3:15 Tech Transfer session - Rome 12
4 - Poster Viewing with Authors - Exhibit Floor
5:15 - Special Plenary - How one little dolphin learned to swim again - Ballroom BC
6:30 - BMES Bash - Convention Center - Riverwalk CLICK HERE for full Schedule at a Glance
Follow us on social media
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/BMESocietyTwitter:
@bmesocietyPlease use the hashtag: BMES2015
YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/user/BMESociety Mobile App:
Go to Apple or Android store and search for: Mira Mobile
Download the free app
Select
BMES2015 from the list of available meetings
