Biomedical Engineering Faculty
Learn from biomedical engineering pioneers enhancing lives globally.
Colin K. Drummond
Assistant Chair, Biomedical Engineering
Professor, Biomedical Engineering
Focus Areas: Medical device design, microfabrication packaging, sensor systems and cross-platform software systems integration; application of science and technology to the creation of products and services; medical device start-ups
Courses: EBME 471
In January 2015, Colin re-joined the Department of Biomedical Engineering as Professor and Assistant Chair, to lead efforts in undergraduate education with a specific focus on expanding experiential design courses and professional practice preparation. Shortly after returning to the School of Engineering, Professor Drummond assumed the role of Faculty Director for the Masters of Engineering and Management Program. Colin’s research focuses on educational pedagogy, healthcare IT, entrepreneurship and innovation; much of this research has a strong translational focus, resulting in collaboration and secondary appointments in the School of Medicine and the University Hospitals Case Medical Center. Most recently, Colin was with the School of Nursing. From 2008-2013, Colin was the Director of the Coulter-Case Translational Research Partnership (CCTRP) in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. He received his Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Syracuse University in 1985 and an MBA in Technology Management from the Weatherhead School of Management in 1997. Professor Drummond has conducted research in the areas of medical device design, microfabrication packaging, sensor systems, and cross-platform software systems integration. For over two decades Colin has worked in the application of science and technology to the creation of products and services.
Dominique M. Durand, Program Director
Elmer Lincoln Lindseth Professor in Biomedical Engineering
Director, Neural Engineering Center
Editor in Chief, Journal of Neural Engineering
Focus Areas: Neural engineering; neural interfacing; neural prostheses; computational neuroscience; neural dynamics; neuromodulation; neurophysiology and control of epilepsy
Courses: EBME 421, EBME 401D
Dominique Durand is E.L. Linsedth Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Neurosciences and Director of the Neural Engineering Center at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. He received an engineering degree from Ecole Nationale Superieure d'Electronique, Hydrolique, Informatique et Automatique de Toulouse, France in 1973. In 1974, he received a M.S. degree in Biomedical Engineering from Case Reserve University in Cleveland OH., worked several years at the Addiction Research Foundation of Toronto, Canada, and in 1982 received a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Toronto in the Institute of Biomedical Engineering. He received an NSF Young Investigator Presidential Award as well as the Diekhoff and Wittke awards for graduate and undergraduate teaching and the Mortar board top-prof awards at Case Western Reserve University. Dominique is an IEEE Fellow and also Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biomedical Engineering and Fellow of the Institute of Physics. He serves on fourteen editorial boards of peer-reviewed scientific journals, and he is the editor-in-chief and founding editor of the Journal of Neural Engineering. His research interests are in neural engineering and include computational neuroscience, neurophysiology and control of epilepsy, non-linear dynamics of neural systems, neural prostheses and applied magnetic and electrical field interactions with neural tissue. He has obtained funding for his research from the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and private foundations. He has published over 120 peer-reviewed articles, and he has consulted for many biotechnology companies and foundations.
Stephen D. Fening
Director, Case-Coulter Translational Research Partnership
Associate Professor, Biomedical Engineering
Focus Areas: Medical devices, translational research, clinical research, biomechanics, orthopaedics, sports medicine, spine
Courses: EBME 440
Stephen D. Fening is the Director of the Case-Coulter Translational Research Partnership (CCTRP) in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Case Western Reserve University. In this role, Steve drives innovation and translational research to move technologies to the market, where they can improve patient care. He received undergraduate and master's degrees in mechanical engineering, an interdisciplinary Ph.D. degree in biomedical engineering, and a postdoctoral fellowship in orthopaedic biomechanics. His career goal is to make broad and substantial improvements to patient care through translational research and commercialization. Dr. Fening is a co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Apto Orthopaedics Corporation, an early stage company focusing on non-invasive methods to adjust orthopaedic implants. He also serves as on the board of directors for several for- and not-for-profits. Prior to joining Case Western Reserve University, Dr. Fening was the Director of Orthopaedic Devices at the Austen BioInnovation Institute in Akron and the Director of Orthopaedic Research for Summa Health Systems. Prior to that, he was the Director of Research for Cleveland Clinic Sports Health. His areas of research focus included the biomechanics of sports injuries to the knee, shoulder, and head and in innovation more broadly across orthopaedic devices. In the last 10 years, he has received over $8.7M in grant funding, published more than 100 peer reviewed publications and presentations, and has several patents. He maintains adjunct faculty roles at Cleveland State University (biomedical engineering) and Northeast Ohio Medical University (anatomy), and is a member of several national and international professional societies.
Miklos Gratzl
Associate Professor, Biomedical Engineering
Focus Areas: Biomedical sensing and diagnostics in vitro and in vivo, electrochemical and optical techniques, BioMEMS for cellular transport, cancer multi-drug resistance at the single cell level, sliver sensor for multi-analyte patient monitoring
Courses: EBME 401D
Miklos Gratzl is an Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering at CWRU and director of the Laboratory for Biomedical Sensing. He received his BS and MS degrees at the University of Veszprem in Hungary, and his Ph.D. jointly at the Technological University in Budapest, Hungary, and at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, Switzerland. He has done research in some of the best laboratories in the World before coming to CWRU. He has given about 250 scientific lectures at conferences and seminars, about half of them invited. He has about 100 papers published, of which more than 50 are from research done at CWRU. He received the Graduate Teaching Award of the Case School of Engineering jointly with Professor Durand in 2012. Research funding came from federal agencies such as NIH, NSF, and NASA as well as from private foundations such as the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and the Coulter Foundation. Industrial sponsored research was funded by a number of companies: among them Guidant, Vision Sensors, Advanced Biosensors, Pinnacle, Biometrix, and Apollo Medical Devices. He has many patents, and three have been licensed by companies. He is or has been on the editorial board or advisory board of a number of journals such as the Annals of Biomedical Engineering and SENSORS. His research focuses on sensor development and applications in cancer therapeutics, epithelial physiology, and cystic fibrosis, among others.
Kenneth R. Laurita, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Medicine and Biomedical Engineering
Focus Areas: Affinity-based delivery of small molecule drugs and biomolecules for applications in device infection, HIV, orthopedics, cardiovascular, ophthalmology and cancer; directed differentiation of stem cells for tissue engineering applications, such as endothelial cells, cardiomyocytes, motor neurons and T-cells
Courses: EBME 406, EMBE 451
Kenneth R. Laurita, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Medicine and Biomedical Engineering at the Metrohealth Campus of Case Western Reserve University. He received his BS, MS, and PhD degrees in Biomedical Engineering at Case Western Reserve University. Dr. Laurita’s main scientific interest is to understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms of abnormal heart rhythm (arrhythmias). To this end, Dr. Laurita has played a seminal role in developing innovative methods for imaging cellular function at the level of the whole heart using fluorescent indicators. Crucially, he has leveraged these methods to determine novel mechanisms of arrhythmias and innovative therapeutic strategies. Dr. Laurita has received an honorable mention for the John S. Diekhoff Graduate Teaching Award, and had mentored over 30 pre and post-doctoral students. Dr. Laurita has authored over 80 original scientific manuscripts, review articles, and book chapters. He is a scientific reviewer for numerous journals and serves on the editorial board for the American Journal of Physiology, Journal of Cardiac Electrophysiology and Heart Rhythm. Dr. Laurita has also served on NIH study section as a permanent member and on numerous ad-hoc committees. He has held NIH funding every year since 2001 and has received grants from the American Heart Association, the Whitaker Foundation, and industry.
Zhenghong Lee, Ph.D.
Professor, Biomedical Engineering
Focus Areas: Affinity-based delivery of small molecule drugs and biomolecules for applications in device infection, HIV, orthopedics, cardiovascular, ophthalmology and cancer; directed differentiation of stem cells for tissue engineering applications, such as endothelial cells, cardiomyocytes, motor neurons and T-cells
Courses: EBME 406, EMBE 451
Dr. Zhenghong Lee is Professor of Radiology and Biomedical Engineering at Case Western Reserve University and a Co-Leader of Cancer Imaging Program at Case Comprehensive Cancer Center. He stations at Nuclear Medicine Division of Radiology Department at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center. Dr. Lee has been working with SPECT and PET imaging for cancer research involving prostate cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). He is familiar with optimal study design. Dr. Lee is also an expert in multi-modal image registration and quantitative image analysis that includes compartment modeling using dynamically acquired PET image data.
Debra McGivney
Assistant Professor, Biomedical Engineering
Focus Areas: Affinity-based delivery of small molecule drugs and biomolecules for applications in device infection, HIV, orthopedics, cardiovascular, ophthalmology and cancer; directed differentiation of stem cells for tissue engineering applications, such as endothelial cells, cardiomyocytes, motor neurons and T-cells
Courses: EBME 406, EMBE 451
Debra McGivney is an Assistant Professor in Biomedical Engineering. She received her BS in Mathematics from the University of Notre Dame in 2004, her MS in Mathematics from John Carroll University in 2006, and her PhD in Applied Mathematics from Case Western Reserve University in 2013. Her research has focused on mathematical inverse problems and their solutions, in particular through Bayesian statistical analysis. She has focused on applying these mathematical techniques to medical imaging applications, including Electrical Impedance Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Fingerprinting. She additionally has worked on data compression and sequence optimization for Magnetic Resonance Fingerprinting. She is a member of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine and the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics. Her teaching experience includes courses in both Mathematics and Engineering, including Calculus, Linear Algebra, Mathematical Optimization for Engineers, Signals and Systems (both undergraduate and graduate level), and Mathematical Modeling for Biomedical Engineers (both undergraduate and graduate level). She has been involved with these courses at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
Horst von Recum
Professor, Biomedical Engineering
Focus Areas: Affinity-based delivery of small molecule drugs and biomolecules for applications in device infection, HIV, orthopedics, cardiovascular, ophthalmology and cancer; directed differentiation of stem cells for tissue engineering applications, such as endothelial cells, cardiomyocytes, motor neurons and T-cells
Courses: EBME 406, EMBE 451
Professor von Recum received undergraduate degrees in Chemical Engineering and in Biochemisty from Rice University. From there he went to the University of Utah where he obtained his PhD in Bioengineering. As such, he has seen how the separate disciplines of Biology and Engineering are brought together uniquely in the education of a Biomedical Engineer. Prof. von Recum has taught this course continuously since 2005, and there have been many refinements and updates to the curriculum as the field has evolved.
Dustin Tyler
Kent H. Smith II Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Focus Areas: Improving human neurologic health and function through the integration of engineered devices into living systems
Courses: EBME 432
Dr. Dustin Tyler is a professor in Biomedical Engineering at Case Western. He is also the Director of the Functional Neural Interface Lab. His research interests and goals include advancing the field of neural engineering in three specific areas: clinical implementation of neural prosthesis systems; development of advanced devices to improve extraction of information from and activation of the human nervous system; and neuromimetic interfaces between neural tissue and engineered devices.
David Wilson
Robert J. Herbold Professor
Professor, Biomedical Engineering
Focus Areas: Biomedical image processing, digital processing and quantitative image quality of X-ray fluoroscopy images, interventional MRI
Courses: EBME 410
David L. Wilson, PhD, is the Robert Herbold Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Radiology, Case Western Reserve University (CWRU). His research has focused on biomedical image analysis including quantification and visualization of disease in clinical and preclinical models as well as quantitative evaluation of image quality. Professor Wilson has been PI on numerous federal and state research grant awards, and has >130 peer-reviewed publications and >5600 citations. He serves on editorial boards, NIH study sections, and conference organization committees. In addition, at CWRU, he has served as Associate Chair, principal investigator on major development grants, principal investigator on the doctoral student NIH T32 training grant, Interdisciplinary Biomedical Imaging, and advisor to numerous graduate and undergraduate students, all of whom are quite exceptional. Dr. Wilson is a founder of BioInVision, Inc., a company which is commercializing cryo-imaging. Dr. Wilson received his PhD in Electrical Engineering with an emphasis in biomedical engineering from Rice University, Houston, TX.
Xin Yu
Professor, Biomedical Engineering
Focus Areas: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) methods for integrative understanding of cardiovascular physiology and diseases; basic science and translational clinical research that combines the state-of-the-art NMR technology with molecular biology approaches to explore the mechanisms of myocardial remodeling in diseased hearts
Courses: EBME 432
Dr. Yu received her B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Science and Technology of China and an M.S. degree from the Johns Hopkins University. Her research career in magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy began at MIT, where she conducted her doctoral research at the MGH-NMR Center, now the MGH/HST Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging. After graduation in 1996, she spent three years as a postdoctoral fellow at Duke University Medical Center. From 1999 to 2004, she was an instructor at Washington University Medical Center. She joined the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Case Western Reserve University in 2004 and was awarded tenure in 2009. Her main research interest is at the interface of MR physics and cellular physiology, with a focus on cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. She has been the principal investigator of three NIH R01 grants and one R21 grant. She has served as a charter member of the NIH BMIT-B study section from 2013 to 2017. She also serves on the Editorial Advisory Board of NMR in Biomedicine, and the Editorial Boards of the American Journal of Physiology – Heart and Circulatory Physiology and Quantitative Imaging in Medicine and Surgery. She was elected a fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) in 2013.
Additional Faculty
Through core coursework and electives, you may take courses with the following faculty:
