HJAR Jan/Feb 2020

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS I JAN / FEB 2020 19 with Raj R. Rao, Ph.D. Professor and Department Head of Biomedical Engineering at University of Arkansas Fayetteville Raj R. Rao, Ph.D. is professor and department head of biomedical engineering, and holds the George M. and Boyce W. Billingsley Endowed Chair in Engineering in the College of Engineering, University of Arkansas (U of A), Fayetteville. He previously served on the faculty in the Department of Chemical and Life Science Engineering in the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) College of Engineering, with an affiliate appointment in the Department of Human and Molecular Genetics in the VCU School of Medicine. Rao received a dual degree in Chemical Engineering [BE(Hons)] and Biology [MSc(Hons) from the Birla Institute of Technology and Sciences, Pilani, India (1993), earned an MS in Biotechnology from the University of Texas, San Antonio (1996) and a Ph.D. in Bio- logical Engineering from the University of Georgia (2001). Following completion of his graduate studies, he conducted postdoctoral research at the Regenerative Bioscience Center, The University of Georgia, and then joined the faculty at VCU in the Fall of 2005. His research interests are in the broad area of cellular engineering that utilize interdisciplinary ap- proaches towards better understanding of stem cell fate in the context of regenerative biomedical therapies. With primary support from NIH, NSF and DoD, his research and educational programs have contributed to 50+ journal articles, book chapters, and conference proceedings; 80+ confer- ence abstracts; and 80+ invited lectures. He is committed to integration of research and education, and is actively involved in the dissemination of scientific expertise through organization of training workshops and development of educational modules for K-12 students and the public. He currently serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Biological Engineering , a BioMed Cen- tral-Springer Nature publication, and holds memberships in AAAS, AHA, BMES, IBE, ASEE and AIChE. Awards and Honors include the NSF-CAREER, Qimonda Professorship, Billingsley Profes- sorship, VCU Engineering Student Council Outstanding Professor Award & IBE Presidential Cita- tion for Distinguished Service. He also serves as an ABET Program Evaluator for the Biomedical Engineering Society. He was recently appointed as a Chancellor’s Academic Fellow at the U of A to help drive focus and campus-wide growth in the signature area of ‘Improving Human Health and Community Vibrancy’.