A leading national organization has named two professors at Carle Illinois College of Medicine ‘emerging leaders’ in the field of medical and biological engineering.
CI MED Health Innovation Professor Mariana Kersh and Teaching Associate Professor Manuel Hernandez were chosen by the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) for their three-year Emerging Leaders program. The honor recognizes their research, teaching, public service, and commitment to diversity within the field.
“The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) unites the most accomplished people across sectors from medical and biological engineering,” said Amy Wagoner Johnson, the head of CI MED’s Department of Biomedical and Translational Sciences (BMTS), who nominated Kersh and Hernandez. The Emerging Leaders program aims to increase AIMBE’s engagement with emerging leaders, especially those from groups that have been underrepresented in health-related sciences, and serve as a pathway to the AIMBE College of Fellows.
“Professors Kersh and Hernandez are exemplary – both engineers, both faculty members in BMTS whose research focuses on human health, and both are committed to diversity in research and education. They are both deeply engaged in the CI MED curriculum that trains our physician-innovators,” Wagoner Johnson said.
Kersh is an expert in biomechanics within mechanical engineering. Her research has characterized the mechanical and structural properties of bone and passive soft tissues to better understand their contributions to musculoskeletal function. She is also pioneering the use of MRI-based assessments of tissue microstructure to identify biomarkers of fatigue-related ligament and tissue damage. At CI MED, Kersh serves as an engineering partner in the IDEA course, contributing significantly to the design and engineering portions of the curriculum, and guiding third-year medical students on human-centered innovation.
Hernandez is a bioengineer and an expert in kinesiology whose research incorporates neuroscience and biomechanics to develop breakthroughs in the diagnosis and treatment of neurological, psychological, and musculoskeletal conditions in adults. At CI MED, Hernandez serves as course co-director of the musculoskeletal-integumentary course for first-year medical students. He also serves as a medical education facilitator and has led Medical Engineering Discovery and Innovation sessions aimed at integrating concepts crucial for innovation in the medical curriculum.
“It's especially exciting for CI MED to have two faculty recognized as emerging leaders because our central tenant combines engineering and medicine,” Wagoner Johnson said.
Twenty emerging leaders are selected annually. Kersh and Hernandez will be recognized at the AIMBE annual meeting and will have an opportunity to receive mentoring from current Fellows.