The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) has elected founding faculty member Professor Kara McCloskey into its College of Fellows for outstanding contributions to biomaterials for cell and tissue engineering, and meritorious commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.
She is the first faculty member from UC Merced to earn this honor.
“The School of Engineering is very pleased that Professor McCloskey has earned this distinction as Fellow in AIMBE. As a founding faculty member, Professor McCloskey has grown steadily in her stature as a research contributor among her professional peers,” said Dean Mark Matsumoto. “Election as Fellow is a great honor that is well-deserved.”
McCloskey joined UC Merced in 2005. She is a tissue engineer who focuses on the design, development and maintenance of tissue products that are used for repairing, improving or restoring cardiovascular tissue function. She is a member of the Department of Material Sciences and Engineering, a research thrust lead for the Center for Cellular and Biomolecular Machines and a member of the Health Sciences Research Institute.
“Although this is a huge honor for me, my contributions to the field largely reflect the amazing work done by the numerous graduate students that I have been blessed to mentor over the year,” she said.
The College of Fellows is composed of the top 2% of medical and biological engineers in the country, including the most accomplished and distinguished engineering and medical school chairs, research directors, professors, innovators and successful entrepreneurs. AIMBE Fellows are regularly recognized for their contributions in teaching, research and innovation, and have been awarded Nobel Prizes, Presidential medals of Science and Technology and Innovation, and many also are members of the National Academy of Engineering, National Academy of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences.
McCloskey and 152 colleagues make up AIMBE’s Class of 2022 and will be formally inducted at a ceremony March 25.