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10/29/2008 Drezek elected 2009 AIMBE Fellow Rebekah Drezek, associate professor in bioengineering and in electrical and computer engineering, has been elected to the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) College of Fellows. The membership recognizes her achievements in bionanotechnology and molecular imaging, which have led to techniques for the early detection of breast and ovarian cancers. AIMBE fellows represent the top 2 percent of professionals in the field of medical and biological engineering.
Drezek will be inducted during the institute’s annual meeting at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C., Feb. 12. Research in Drezek’s Optical Molecular Imaging and Nanobiotechnology Laboratory is highly interdisciplinary in nature. For 10 years, her collaborative projects with the Texas Medical Center have emphasized design, prototyping and clinical testing of inexpensive, portable imaging tools that pinpoint the underlying chemical and physical changes of tissues in vivo. Her research has been published in more than 60 papers and has led to six patents and patent applications. Current projects in the Drezek laboratory focus on the development of cost-effective, miniaturized, point-of-care optical technologies for the early detection of breast and ovarian cancer. One such project includes the development of a microendoscope and needle-compatible fiber-optic systems that doctors can use for a variety of diagnostic and therapeutic breast cancer imaging needs that range from early detection to guiding surgery, monitoring the efficacy of radiation therapy and targeted drug treatments.In 2007, Drezek was one of three U.S. scientists chosen by the Department of Defense for the prestigious Era of Hope Scholar Award, and she is the principal investigator on a $3 million breast cancer imaging effort with the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Other notable awards she has received include the MIT TR100 Technology Reviews’ selection of 100 Top Young Innovators Award (2004), the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation Becton Dickinson Career Achievement Award (2005) and the Beckman Young Investigator Award (2005). She was also one of four scientists invited to speak on nanotechnology at the National Academy of Engineering Frontiers of Engineering annual meeting (2006). Drezek has a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Duke University (1996) and a doctorate in electrical engineering from the University of Texas-Austin (2001). Founded in 1991, AIMBE is an advocacy organization aimed at advancing the awareness of medical and biological engineers and their contributions among the public, lawmakers, government agencies and professional groups. Election as a fellow of AIMBE signifies broad recognition of the individual and their professional accomplishments among the biomedical engineering community. To learn more visit www.aimbe.org. --Shawn Hutchins is a staff writer in bioengineering. |
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