about.welcome from the chair

Welcome to Duke University’s Biomedical Engineering Department within the Pratt School of Engineering. This is an exciting time for the department. The quality of our student body continues to grow and improve. Our faculty is making cutting edge research advances in imaging, biophotonics, biomechanics, neuroengineering, tissue engineering and drug delivery. These achievements have been recognized by awards to students and faculty, increased grant support, and our high ranking among BME programs.

The department is growing in many ways. We have three new faculty members joining the department over the next few months to bring the number of tenure-track faculty to 23. A number of faculty and their students will move into the new Center for Interdisciplinary Engineering Medicine and Applied Science (CIEMAS) building when it opens in summer 2004. This building will provide much needed space for research and teaching and enable us to develop new research programs in biophotonics, genomics and neuroengineering. Partnership space with the School of medicine will permit new collaborations to develop. Both our undergraduate and graduate student populations are the largest in the Pratt School of Engineering. We are strengthening our graduate program by regularizing course offerings, providing improved advising, and formalizing and clarifying degree requirements. For our undergraduates, we are developing new design experiences, providing additional teaching laboratory space, and new instructional and lab support staff.

Between 2001 and 2003, Professor Mort Friedman provided able leadership as chair. During this period, three new faculty members were hired, three more were promoted, and important plans for future growth were developed. His dedication and service are greatly appreciated. Professor Friedman is now focusing his efforts upon his research, teaching and completing a revised version of his book on Biological Transport.

George A. Truskey, Ph.D.
Chair