Guigen Zhang, professor and chair of the F. Joseph Halcomb III, M.D. Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME) and Endowed Halcomb Chair, began his term as the president of the Society For Biomaterials (SFB) at the 2021 annual conference on April 22.
In his inaugural speech, Zhang laid out several areas of focus into which he would lead the society in the coming year. Among them, he plans to promote scientific excellence and inclusion hand-in-hand in the spirit of convergence, help advance better integration of translational science and regulatory science and work with advocacy groups to inform better policies on biomedical research, technology innovation and education.
The SFB is a multidisciplinary organization that comprises academic, health care, governmental and business professionals dedicated to promoting advancements in all aspects of biomaterial science, education and professional standards to enhance human health and quality of life. While the SFB was officially charted in 1974, its beginning dates back to 1969.
Zhang is the first Chinese-American to serve the SFB as president in its 50-plus years of history. He joined UK in 2017. Zhang is an elected Fellow of Biomaterials Science and Engineering (FBSE) and an elected Fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE).