A collaborative symposium between the University of Florida’s Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering and Florida International University’s Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine was held in Gainesville, FL. on December 15, 2017. The naming benefactor of both colleges, Herbert Wertheim, is a philanthropist and community leader who actively supports healthcare, engineering and education.
“This event is to showcase the innovative work that is happening at both institutions,” said Christine Schmidt, chair of UF’s J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering. “It’s a great opportunity to spark collaboration and partnerships between two interdisciplinary fields – engineering and medicine.”
Experts from both universities presented on topics ranging from nanoengineering to neural interfaces of the nervous system. Faculty presentations and topics included:
- Jeff Boyd, FIU, Genomic and Molecular medicine
- Sakhrat Khizroev, FIU, Nanomedicine and Cancer
- Madhavan Nair, FIU, Potential of Nanotechnology to cure Neuro-AIDS and Drug Addiction
- Carlos Rinaldi, UF, Nanomedicine and Cancer
- Kevin Otto, UF, Neural Engineering
“Many parallels exist between UF and FIU,” said Forrest Masters, Associate Dean for Research and Facilities at UF Engineering. “Both programs are successfully competing on the national stage, and working together will ensure that success multiplies.”
Researchers from UF and FIU plan to collaborate and intersect their areas of expertise to advance technological breakthroughs in healthcare and biomedical engineering.
The Wertheim named colleges of Engineering (UF), Medicine (FIU) and Nursing (FIU) have been funded with more than one hundred million dollars from the Herbert and Nicole Wertheim and the Wertheim Family Foundation. These gifts support the family’s emphasis on higher education and its central role in creating opportunities to improve lives within the community and impacting society as a whole.
Be part of the Wertheim Transformation: www.eng.ufl.edu/about/transformation