Microvessels are a crucial part of our body’s circulatory system. They're responsible for delivering the oxygen and nutrients to every cell in your body and are often devastated by diseases like Diabetes and Alzheimer's. Dr. Peirce-Cottler develops computational models and combines them with wet lab experiments to study how tissues heal after injury and to develop therapies for inducing tissue regeneration.

Love this podcast? Write to us with ideas, feedback, and guest recommendations at biomedicalfrontiers@virginia.edu

Dr. Shayn Peirce-Cottler the is Harrison Distinguished Teaching Professor and Chair of Biomedical Engineering, with secondary appointments in the Department of Ophthalmology and Department of Plastic Surgery at the University of Virginia (UVA). In this episode of Biomedical Frontiers, we dive into the history and future of microvascular research, the observed connection between Alzheimer's and diabetes, and the future healthcare applications of computational modeling.

Dr. Peirce-Cottler received Bachelor’s of Science degrees in Biomedical Engineering and Engineering Mechanics from The Johns Hopkins University and her Ph.D. in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Virginia. She has published over 125 peer reviewed papers and book chapters, is a fellow in both the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering College of Fellows (AIMBE) and the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES). She was awarded the UVA School of Medicine’s Robert H. Kadner Award for Excellence in Graduate Teaching and Mentoring. Her courses in cell and molecular physiology and computational systems bioengineering are foundational to the BME undergraduate and graduate studies at UVA.

Follow Dr. Shayn Peirce-Cottler on Social Media

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shayn-peirce-cottler-a70993/

Check out Dr. Peirce-Cottler’s work: https://www.peircecottlerlab.com/

Recent publications from Shayn’s lab: https://www.peircecottlerlab.com/publications

Check out Dr. Shannon Barker's page: https://engineering.virginia.edu/faculty/shannon-barker

Read about combining synthetic biology, computational modeling, and machine learning to design and build tissues: https://journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol/article?id=10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010701

Director & Host: Dasha Tyshlek, StratCraft, Inc. www.strat-craft.com

Executive Producer: David Chen, Managing Director & Instructor of Engineering Design, UVA

Senior Producer: Hannah Moore, Associate Director, UVA Coulter

Design Director: Carolyn Wagner, Inc. & Link: carolynwagnerinc.com

Produced on behalf of Wallace H. Coulter Center for Translational Research at University of Virginia https://engineering.virginia.edu/centers-institutes/coulter-center-translational-research

Investment is critical for advancing promising biomedical research out of the lab and into the hospital. Dr. Tom Skalak has worked widely on innovation ecosystems with the White House, U.S. Congress, and Fortune 500 CEOs and C-suites seeking cultures to advance creative ideation and implementation of innovations. He urges VCs to invest locally with research universities and shares his perspective of some of the most exciting, emerging fields of research.

Love this podcast? Write to us with ideas, feedback, and guest recommendations at biomedicalfrontiers@virginia.edu

Tom Skalak joined the Joe and Clara Tsai Foundation in 2018 as Senior Advisor to Clara Wu Tsai and was previously the founding Executive Director of The Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group in Seattle, and Vice President for Research Emeritus at the University of Virginia. In these roles, Tom led creative synthesis of research and innovation programs spanning biosciences, environmental sustainability, physical sciences, engineering and technology, arts, design, entrepreneurship, and humanities. In this episode of Biomedical Frontiers, we dive into how small start-ups can grow and thrive in the competitive biomedical technology industry, innovative research in the discipline of protein design and the future applications, and the challenges in studying the emerging fields, human cognition and performance.

As Professor and Chair of Biomedical Engineering at UVAs, Tom’s original research included:

cardiovascular biomechanics, computational modeling, wound repair, and regenerative medicine, conducted with continuous NIH funding over 28 years. He is a past president of both the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) and the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES). He was the founder of the UVA-Coulter Foundation Translational Research Partnership and early-stage investment funds with corporate partners such as Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca.

Follow Dr. Tom Skalak on Social Media

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-skalak-81000611b/

Learn more about the Human Performance Alliance: https://humanperformancealliance.org/

Faculty profile: https://engineering.virginia.edu/faculty/thomas-c-skalak

The Wu Tsai Institute at Yale: https://wti.yale.edu/

Director & Host: Dasha Tyshlek, StratCraft, Inc. www.strat-craft.com

Executive Producer: David Chen, Managing Director & Instructor of Engineering Design, UVA

Senior Producer: Hannah Moore, Associate Director, UVA Coulter

Design Director: Carolyn Wagner, Inc. & Link: carolynwagnerinc.com

Produced on behalf of Wallace H. Coulter Center for Translational Research at University of Virginia https://engineering.virginia.edu/centers-institutes/coulter-center-translational-research

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States. Mark Hanson co-founded Heartbeat Health to make heart care more consistent and to ensure the patient gets the care when they need it, wherever they are. By transforming how heart care is delivered through technology, the Heartbeat Health team is accelerating access to quality cardiovascular care and improving patient outcomes. In this episode of Biomedical Frontiers, we explore how telemedicine can be a solution to improving quality of care while also reducing cost and dive into how the healthcare industry is changing as more and more providers and insurers are adopting a value based care approach.

Mark Hanson is a co-founder, advisor, and former Chief Product and AI Officer at Heartbeat Health, a venture-backed healthcare technology startup focused on delivering tech-enabled cardiovascular care at scale, nationwide. Before starting Heartbeat Health, Mark also founded BeClose, a digital health company that utilized IoT devices and AI-powered services to promote healthy independent living at home, which was merged into Alarm.com, where he served as the head of platforms and health innovations during their IPO. He is a long-time board member of the University of Virginia's School of Engineering and Applied Science Entrepreneurship Advisory Board, an Adjunct Associate Professor at The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, and an angel investor and advisor to numerous health tech startups.

Follow Dr. Mark Hanson on Social Media

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markhanson/

X: https://x.com/mark_hanson

Learn more about Heartbeat Health: https://www.heartbeathealth.com/

Read the summary of “Impact of a Virtual Cardiology Program for Post-Discharge Patients with Cardiovascular Disease: A Randomized Clinical Trial:” https://www.heartbeathealth.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/ACC23-3-pager.pdf

Director & Host: Dasha Tyshlek, StratCraft, Inc. www.strat-craft.com

Executive Producer: David Chen, Managing Director & Instructor of Engineering Design, UVA

Senior Producer: Hannah Moore, Associate Director, UVA Coulter

Design Director: Carolyn Wagner, Inc. & Link: carolynwagnerinc.com

Produced on behalf of Wallace H. Coulter Center for Translational Research at University of Virginia https://engineering.virginia.edu/centers-institutes/coulter-center-translational-research