Dr. Bryan Brown to Receive the TERMIS-AM 2014 Educational Award

McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine faculty member Bryan Brown, PhD, will receive Brownthe TERMIS-AM 2014 Educational Award during the December 2014 TERMIS-AM Conference in Washington, DC.  The Educational Award is presented based on the educational accomplishments of an individual who serves as an advisor/supervisor of students within the field of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

Dr. Brown is a Research Assistant Professor with the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh with a secondary appointment in Pitt’s Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences. He is also the Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health Scholar (NIH K12), Magee Women’s Research Institute at the University of Pittsburgh, and an Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University.

Nominations for the Educational Award are made by an individual’s student/mentee.  Dr. Brown’s nomination was submitted by his student, Travis Prest.  Mr. Prest describes his experience with Dr. Brown as follows:

The experience I have gained from working in Dr. Brown’s lab has been invaluable. He creates an environment that promotes learning and innovation. His daily presence in the lab means that he is always available to answer questions or listen to ideas. He is hands-on when needed, but gives us the independence to try out our own ideas. During the first few weeks, my experience deficit was obvious, but Dr. Brown took the time to instruct me. He regularly meets with his students as a whole, as subgroups, and as individuals in order to listen to our progress, critique our theories, and keep us on track. Because of this supervision, he is able to intervene when things start to go astray. … With his support, I am currently in the Research Master’s track, with a goal of pursuing the PhD in bioengineering. This pursuit has been made possible thanks to the guidance of Dr. Brown. Through his leadership and mentoring, I have developed a sense of duty to myself that calls me to succeed in the classroom, in the laboratory, and in my professional life.

In addition, Dr. Brown received three letters of recommendation from McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine senior researchers:

I … wish to inform the Review Committee of Dr. Brown’s commitment to diversity in his overall education missions. In 2011 – 2012 Dr. Brown co-authored an abstract with an underrepresented student from Morehouse University. The abstract was presented at the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (2011), and the abstract was awarded the Interdisciplinary Research Award at the conference! In 2012 – 2013 Dr. Brown mentored an undergraduate student from Howard University through the Pittsburgh Tissue Engineering Initiative Summer Internship Program. Dr. Brown was also selected as a mentor for an underrepresented student as part of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine 2013 Summer Premedical Academic Enrichment Program. These examples are strong evidence that Dr. Brown’s teaching and mentorship will have a profound impact on STEM education for both majority and underrepresented students, which is a wonderful goal for us all! – Harvey Borovetz, PhD, Distinguished Professor and Former Chair of Bioengineering and the Robert L. Hardesty Professor of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh.

Since re-joining the McGowan Institute Bryan has established an independent laboratory, recruited a number of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, is directing multiple courses in the Department of Bioengineering, and continues to both publish and submit innovative grant applications. Bryan has proven to be an excellent mentor in a remarkably short period of time, and his courses receive top ratings from our undergraduate and graduate students. Beyond these achievements, and more pertinent to this award, Bryan is dedicated to providing opportunities for others to become involved with regenerative medicine. It is not uncommon to see Bryan in the halls of the McGowan Institute leading a tour of local students or giving a presentation at the Carnegie Science Center. Through these activities, Bryan seeks to encourage students who would otherwise not be exposed to the field to consider pursuing STEM studies leading to graduate education in bioengineering or medicine. –Steven Badylak, DVM, PhD, MD, Professor in the Department of Surgery, Deputy Director of the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, and Director of the Center for Pre-Clinical Tissue Engineering within the Institute.

… I am particularly proud to say that Bryan has organized and will direct a new educational initiative within the McGowan Institute offered this summer. The McGowan Institute Summer School, of which Bryan is the director, is aimed at providing both international and regional undergraduate students with a hands-on learning program in regenerative medicine. These students will interact through lectures and laboratory activities with the world-class faculty members of the McGowan Institute and participate in networking and career building activities. This is a first regenerative medicine-focused program of its type in the United States. The program is open to all undergraduates but targets students at universities where they may not be exposed to bioengineering and regenerative medicine with a goal of recruiting top students from these universities into the field. This year’s cohort consists of 20 students from across the United States and internationally, many of whom come from backgrounds considered to be under-represented in the field of regenerative medicine. I am sure that this program will be a great success and continue to grow in the years to come.  –William Wagner, PhD, Director, McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Professor of Surgery, Bioengineering and Chemical Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh, Director of Thrombosis Research for the Artificial Heart and Lung Program, and Deputy Director of the NSF Engineering Research Center on “Revolutionizing Metallic Biomaterials.”

Congratulations, Dr. Brown, on this well-deserved recognition!

The TERMIS-AM Conference is the key annual meeting held in the Americas each year, and brings together over 800 researchers, scientists, trainees, and students from both academia and industry to discuss critical developments in the field. The meeting is led by keynote speakers each day, and consists of parallel technical sessions as well as poster presentations. A strong role in the meeting planning and execution will be played by the TERMIS-AM Student and Young Investigator Section (SYIS). Furthermore, there will be an emphasis on promoting the careers of women and underrepresented groups in the tissue engineering and regenerative medicine fields.

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TERMIS-AM 2014 Awards

TERMIS-AM 2014 Meeting