Dr. William J. Federspiel joined the faculty of the University of Pittsburgh in 1995 as an Associate Professor. He received his PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Rochester in 1984 and has held academic positions in biomedical engineering at Johns Hopkins University and Boston University. His past industrial experience includes being a Principal Staff Scientist at ABIOMED Inc., a Boston based artificial heart company, and a Research Scientist at the Biomechanics Institute in Boston, a nonprofit bioengineering think-tank. In addition to his current academic position, Dr. Federspiel is a Founder of Alung Technologies, a Pittsburgh based medical start-up company, for which he currently serves as Chief Scientific Officer.
Currently, Dr. Federspiel is William Kepler Whiteford Professor of Chemical Engineering, Surgery and Bioengineering. His research interests span from basic studies on respiratory and cardiovascular fluid mechanics and mass transport to translational studies on the design and development of novel biotransport, pulmonary and cardiovascular medical devices and technologies, including respiratory assist devices or artificial lungs, blood purification devices, and drug delivery devices (see publications). He directs research in the Medical Devices Laboratory: Biotransport, Pulmonary and Cardiovascular, a core laboratory of the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine. The major research theme of the laboratory is the development of medical devices whose therapeutic function stems from biotransport and bioseparation processes and which can be translated for near-term clinical use in critical care medicine. Dr. Federspiel's current research projects include development work on the following devices and technologies:
- Percutaneous Respiratory Assist Catheter (PRAC)
- Paracorporeal Respiratory Assist Lung (PRAL)
- Microfabricated Biohybrid Artificial Lung (BAL)
- Extracorporeal Specific Antibody Filter (SAF)
- Cytokine Adsorbing Device for Sepsis (CADS)
- Bioactive and Active Membrane Coatings for Enhancing Transport (BAMCET)
CONTACT INFORMATION
William J. FederspielPhone: (412) 383-9499
Email: federspielwj@upmc.edu