Bizios and some of her students pose for a photo at the celebratory event held in the Denman Room on UTSA Main Campus.(left to right) Marissa Wechsler, Kristen Hamalainen, Madeleine Farrer, Dr. Bizios, Trupti Patel, Ilse Valencia, and Casey Whitney.
A Pioneer in Her Field
Rena Bizios elected to the National Academy of Medicine
College of Engineering faculty member, educator
and researcher Rena Bizios, a pioneer in
biomedical engineering, has been elected to the
National Academy of Medicine, one of the highest honors
for medical sciences, health care and public health
professionals. Bizios is the first full-time, tenure-track
UTSA faculty member to be elected to the National
Academies.
“Dr. Rena Bizios’ election to the National Academy
of Medicine is a tremendous honor for her and for
UTSA,” said Dr. Mauli Agrawal, UTSA vice president for
research. “Rena is widely recognized worldwide in her
field and is an outstanding mentor for her students.
She exemplifies the high-caliber faculty we have at
UTSA. It is truly a proud day for UTSA.”
Rena Bizios speaks to the crowd
gathered to celebrate her election to
the National Academy of Medicine in the
fall.
The research interests of Bizios, a Peter T. Flawn
Professor in the UTSA Department of Biomedical Engineering,
include cellular and tissue engineering, tissue
regeneration, biomaterials (including nanostructured
biomaterials) and biocompatibility. She is recognized
for making seminal contributions to
the understanding of cell-material
interactions, protein/cell interactions
with nanostructured biomaterials,
and for identifying the effects
of pressure and electric current
on cell functions pertinent to new
tissue formation. Her research has
applications in the tissue engineering
and tissue regeneration fields.
“When I started in this field, biomedical
engineering was not wellknown
or well-understood,” said
Bizios. “I didn’t know if it would be
successful or not. I took a risk.”
While Bizios takes great pride in
the achievements of the undergraduate
and graduate students she has
mentored, her work extends well beyond her own classroom
and laboratory. She has taught fundamental undergraduate
and graduate engineering courses and developed
new biomedical engineering courses. Moreover, she
has co-authored a landmark undergraduate textbook, An Introduction to Tissue-Biomaterial Interactions. The
textbook is a standard in the biomaterials field and has
been adopted for upper-class undergraduate and beginning
graduate courses by several biomedical engineering
programs in the United States and abroad.
“Rena Bizios is a wonderful example of the tremendous
faculty that top-tier universities are known for,”
said UTSA President Ricardo Romo. “Through her teaching,
research, and mentoring at UTSA, Dr. Bizios has
made significant contributions that have shaped, and
will continue to shape, biomedical engineering. I am so
pleased to see her work recognized by her peers in the
National Academies.”
Friends and colleagues of
Bizios raise their glasses in her honor.
Bizios’ career includes long-standing service to engineering
at the departmental, university, regional, national
and international levels. She has
served on numerous committees
and has held elected officer positions
in several societies including
the Biomedical Engineering Society,
Society for Biomaterials, American
Institute of Chemical Engineers, and
American Institute for Medical and
Biological Engineering. She frequently
speaks at universities around the
world and at national and international
conferences.
Professor Bizios’ peers have also
recognized her research accomplishments
and contributions to
education. She has received several
awards, including the Rensselaer
Alumni Association Teaching Award
(1997); Clemson Award for Outstanding Contributions to
the Literature, from the Society for Biomaterials (1998);
Distinguished Scientist Award, from the Houston Society
for Engineering in Medicine and Biology (2009); 2010
Women’s Initiatives Mentorship Excellence Award, from
the American Institute of Chemical Engineers; Founders
Award, from the Society for Biomaterials (2014); Theo C.
Pilkington Outstanding Educator Award, from the Biomedical
Engineering Division of the American Society for
Engineering Education (2014); and Amber Award, from the
UTSA Ambassadors (2014). She was also elected a charter
member of the UTSA Academy of Distinguished Researchers
earlier this year.
Moreover, Bizios is a fellow of five professional societies:
the American Institute for Medical and Biological
Engineering, International Union of the Societies for Biomaterials
Sciences and Engineering, Society of Biomedical
Engineering, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, and
American Association for the Advancement of Science
“Our newly elected members represent the brightest,
most influential, and passionate people in health, science,
and medicine in our nation and internationally,” said National
Academy of Medicine President Dr. Victor Dzau. “They
are at the top of their fields and are committed to service.
The expertise they bring to the organization will help us
respond to today’s most pressing health-related challenges
and inform the future of health, science, and medicine.”
Dr. JoAnn Browning, Dean, UTSA College of Engineering,
added - “We are proud to have such an outstanding professional
like Dr. Rena Bizios teaching and conducting research
here at UTSA. Not only has Dr. Bizios made many significant
contributions to her field, she is also an outstanding mentor
to our students in the biomedical engineering program
and is so deserving of this honor.”
“I am delighted and I feel humbled by this honor and
recognition by my peers,” said Bizios. “I share it with all
of my students, past and present, and with my colleagues
who have collaborated with me.”