Fellowships

The University of Virginia’s Center for Engineering in Medicine supports faculty fellowships that embed UVA Engineering faculty members within the UVA School of Medicine.


The University of Virginia’s Center for Engineering in Medicine now supports faculty fellowships that embed UVA Engineering faculty members within the UVA School of Medicine.

Sustained, firsthand observation of the clinical environment and regular conversations with clinical colleagues spark ideas for new ways to merge engineering, technology and medicine and solve complex health care challenges. Engineers and clinicians make progress in ways that would not be possible if they were not working in an immersive collaboration; researchers can also move ideas from concept to clinical translation more quickly, all of which is great news for patients.

Embedding faculty is part of the center’s $10 million effort to promote innovation and the exchange of ideas at the nexus of engineering and medicine. The center’s faculty fellowships come with a small amount of funding that allows faculty to separate from their busy academic schedules and engage in an intensive research experience.

Faculty and Clinical Resident Fellowships

Mapping the Lung's Vascular Network

UVA Health pulmonary and critical care fellow Dr. Daisy Zhu is investigating the cell signals and pathways that lead to the development of the lung's vascular network.

Device for Cardiac Patients with Severe Heart Failure

Cardiothoracic surgery resident Dr. Evan Rotar will collaborate with UVA School of Medicine clinicians and UVA engineers to design a device that will help cardiac patients with severe heart failure.

Environmental Engineering and Infectious Disease Pathology

Lisa Colosi-Peterson, associate professor in the Department of Engineering Systems and Environment, joins the microbiology and pathology laboratories of Dr. Amy Mathers. The two researchers are developing the diagnostic capabilities for the University-wide dorm water COVID-19 testing.

Biomechanics and Neuropsychology

Researchers are developing an end-to-end model for studying traumatic brain injury by forging links between injury prevention and impact biomechanics, neuroradiology and neuropsychology.

Computer Science and Infectious Diseases

Researchers are creating a way to combine multiple specialties in medicine with different tools from artificial intelligence, machine learning and statistics to detect C. diff spread and design interventions for minimizing outbreaks in hospitals.

Electrical Engineering and MRI Imaging

Researchers are using diffusion MRI imaging and data analysis techniques to help understand the causes of tremors and to create a better means for pre-operative planning and postoperative evaluation of tremor patients.

Kidney Epidemiology and Data Mining

Researchers are helping patients taking multiple medications by identifying high-risk drug combinations in kidney disease through machine learning applications.

Chronic Leukemia and Machine Learning

Researchers are trying to improve the future design of cancer treatment by assessing health-related quality of life traits in leukemia patient data.

Cardiovascular Medicine and Biomedical Image Analysis

Miaomiao Zhang, assistant professor, electrical and computer engineering, is helping patients taking multiple medications by identifying high-risk drug combinations in kidney disease through machine learning applications.