ENGINEERING AND MEDICINE ON THE FRONT LINES: A Q&A WITH DR. MARK SOCHOR
Dr. Mark Sochorstraddles two high-tech fields at the University of Virginia: engineering and medicine. At the UVA School of Medicine, he’s an emergency room physician, a research vice chair, and an associate professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine. At UVA Engineering, he is the medical director for the Center for Applied Biomechanics and an associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering.
Dr. Sochor is also the associate director of the Center for Engineering in Medicine, which bridges multiple schools on campus.
UVA Engineering asked him to share his unique perspective as a front-liner during the COVID-19 pandemic.
CENTER FOR ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE-FUNDED RESEARCH PROJECTS
Spring 2020 Cohort
Computational Modeling
Combining Agent-based Computational Modeling with Experiments to Study Novel Mechanisms in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis
Shayn Peirce-Cottler - professor, biomedical engineering (UVA Engineering) Dr. Catherine Bonham - assistant professor, medicine - pulmonary & critical care (UVA School of Medicine)
Cancer and Engineering
Co-Funded by the UVA Cancer Center
Microsystem with Tumor Treating Fields for In vitro Study of Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Glioma
Nathan Swami - professor, electrical and computer engineering (UVA Engineering) Hui Zong - associate professor, microbiology, immunology, and cancer biology (UVA School of Medicine) Dr. Benjamin Purow - professor, neurology (UVA School of Medicine)
Potentiating Melanoma Immunotherapy with Focused Ultrasound Boiling Histotripsy
Upper EXTremity Examination for Neuromuscular Diseases (U-EXTEND): Technology-enabled Methods to Assess Treatment Efficacy and Accelerate Drug Discovery
Laura Barnes - associate professor, engineering systems and environment (UVA Engineering) Dr. Rebecca Scharf - associate professor, pediatrics (UVA School of Medicine) Silvia Blemker - professor, biomedical engineering (UVA Engineering) Mehdi Boukhechba - assistant professor, engineering systems and environment (UVA Engineering)
Novel Sensing
FluiSense: Using Multimodal Mobile Sensing for Better Fluid Control for End Stage Kidney Disease Patients
Mehdi Boukhechba - assistant professor, engineering systems and environment (UVA Engineering) Dr. Emaad Abdel-Rahman - professor, medicine - nephrology (UVA School of Medicine) Dr. Brendan Bowman - associate professor, medicine - nephrology (UVA School of Medicine) Jamie Marie Zoellner - associate professor, public health sciences (UVA School of Medicine)
A Portable Microfluidic Detector for Rapid Identification of Infectious Pathogens and Substances of Abuse
James Landers - professor, chemistry (UVA College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences) Dr. Chris Holstege - professor, emergency medicine (UVA School of Medicine)
Machine Learning
Deep Learning for Automated Identification of GI Landmarks in Video Capsule Endoscopy
Dr. Sana Syed - professor, pediatrics (UVA School of Medicine) Michael D. Porter - associate professor, engineering systems and environment (UVA Engineering)
Center-Funded Faculty Member Helps Develop New COVID-19 Test
Dr. Amy Mathers, an infectious disease expert who is working on a research project regarding antimicrobial resistance as part of her seed grant from the Center for Engineering in Medicine, was instrumental in developing the new COVID-19 tests that are now being administered at UVA Hospital. The new testing capability allowed UVA Health to more broadly and immediately advance its service to the public during this crisis and provided health officials a better idea of the spread of COVID-19 in the Charlottesville area.
Center Researcher Crossing Blood-Brain Barrier with Ultrasound
Richard J. Price, professor of biomedical engineering and research director of the UVA Focused Ultrasound Center, is working with other University of Virginia researchers to pioneer the use of focused ultrasound to defy the brain’s protective barrier so that doctors could, at last, deliver many treatments directly into the brain to battle neurological diseases. The approach could revolutionize treatment for conditions from Alzheimer’s to epilepsy to brain tumors – and even help repair the devastating damage caused by stroke. Dr. Price will continue this work with a seed grant from the center and concentrate on melanoma cancer.
Student Embedding: From Biomechanical Engineering Into Pediatric Surgery
Ben Igo is a mechanical engineer (M.S. Mechanical Engineering '20) who embedded in pediatric surgery to improve current surgical methodologies and materials used for the pediatric population. "After graduating, I hope to work at a company or institution where I am able to work on designing and developing innovative technologies and products that will improve quality of life," said Ben.
The center has developed a structured model for helping to develop engineering-medicine research grants. The center will provide extensive proposal support for researchers who want secure funding at institutions like the National Institutes for Health (NIH). As you’ll see in the model graphic, from ideation to revision review, the center is willing to offer help at any step along the way!
