UF Biomedical Engineering Chair Brings Visionary Leadership to AIMBE

This article was originally published on the J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering website.

Christine E. Schmidt, Ph.D., Pruitt Family Professor and chair of the J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering. has been named president-elect of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE). Schmidt was inducted at AIMBE’s annual event held March 19-20, 2017 in Washington D.C. She will begin her term as president in 2018.

Members of AIMBE’s College Fellows are nominated each year by their peers and represent the top 2% of the medical and biological engineering community. Since AIMBE’s inception, over 2,000 esteemed individuals have been inducted. AIMBE’s College consists of clinicians, industry professionals, academics and scientists, who have distinguished themselves through their contributions in research, industrial practice and/or education. Fundamental to their achievements is the common goal of embracing innovation to improve the healthcare and safety of society.

I am honored to be nominated for the position of President-Elect of AIMBE and will strive to advocate for bioengineering and the translation of health care solutions.Dr. Christine Schmidt

Schmidt believes that AIMBE plays a central role in all aspects of our daily lives and has a responsibility to educate the public, government, industry and all stakeholders about medical and biological engineering.

“It is our responsibility, particularly considering the given political climate, to be proactive in educating and advocating, ensuring that the United States is competitive in the bioengineering field, both in terms of advanced research, as well as clinical translation and commercialization,” said Schmidt.

The UF biomedical engineering chair, who has more than 20 years of faculty career and research experience, is actively engaged in the public education of bioengineering. She’s worked alongside mentors and previous leaders from AIMBE’s Board of Directors to continue a culture of innovation and discovery in the medical and biological engineering communities.

Christine Schmidt’s research is focused on engineering novel materials and therapeutic systems to stimulate damaged peripheral and spinal neurons to regenerate.

Her transformative work on nerve regeneration has spanned more than a decade, crossing interdisciplinary research, and has made its way into the marketplace.

Licensed by startup, AxoGen, Schmidt’s discovery is changing the lives of patients worldwide.

After years of failed surgeries, Shirley Pincus (below) found relief with Christine Schmidt’s breakthrough. She had 3 painful neuromas in her leg removed, and her nerve was repaired with AxoGen’s Avance® Nerve Graft.

Read more about Shirley’s Journey>>>