André Churchwell, M.D., professor of Medicine, Biomedical Engineering and Radiology and Radiological Sciences and senior associate dean for Diversity Affairs at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, was recently named to the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) College of Fellows.
Churchwell joins 17 current and emeritus faculty members from Vanderbilt who have been recognized as being among the top 2 percent of medical and biological engineers in the country.
“This is an incredibly exciting announcement,” said Churchwell. “It’s reflective of a lifetime of activities from my early days at Emory University and Georgia Tech to my current posts working with biomedical engineering programs at Vanderbilt.
“And to be elected by my peers is a huge honor. To now be a member of such an august group is an extreme privilege.”
Churchwell graduated magna cum laude in biomedical engineering in 1975 from Vanderbilt University. He received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School in 1979, and later completed his internship, residency and cardiology fellowship at Emory University School of Medicine. Churchwell was inducted into the Vanderbilt School of Engineering’s Academy of Distinguished Alumni in 2010.
Members of the College of Fellows are recognized for outstanding contributions in teaching, research and innovation.
Churchwell was nominated for his “outstanding contributions to the interface of clinical cardiology and biomedical engineering for patients and as a mentor for trainees, educators and young investigators,” reads his nomination.
Founded in 1991, AIMBE’s mission is to recognize excellence in, and advocate for, the fields of medical and biological engineering in order to advance society.
AIMBE fellows have led the way for technological growth and advancement in the fields of medical and biological engineering and helped revolutionize medicine and related fields to help enhance and extend the lives of people all over the world.
Many are also members of the National Academy of Engineering, National Academy of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences.
Churchwell currently works with biomedical engineering students on senior design projects using engineering principles to solve health care problems. The projects have varied from assessing electronic blood pressure devices to improving night vision for the elderly.
“The work we do as biomedical engineers impacts all of health care,” Churchwell said. “There are a lot of engineering applications and solutions that can be applied throughout the Medical Center.”
Churchwell will be inducted along with 160 others during formal ceremonies at the AIMBE’s 25th Annual Meeting at the National Academy of Sciences Great Hall in Washington, D.C., on April 4.
Contact: Jessica Pasley
VUMC News and Communications
jessica.pasley@Vanderbilt.Edu