Voting for SB3C Foundation Board Open Positions

Laurel Kuxhaus

Dr. Laurel Kuxhaus is an orthopaedic biomechanist by training and has served the broader biomedical engineering community as a faculty member, a congressional fellow, and a program officer at federal agencies. Most recently, she was the Program Director of the Bridge2AI Program at the National Institutes of Health. Immediately prior, she was a Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and an affiliate of the Institute for STEM Education at Clarkson University. During that time, she served as the first ASME Congressional Fellow in Bioengineering (2018-19) and as a Program Director of the Biomechanics & Mechanobiology program at the National Science Foundation (2019-2023). Relevant to the community supported by the ASME Bioengineering Division, she has been an active member of the DDRR and Education committees since 2007, serving in capacities including theme lead, workshop organizer, and Chair of the Education Committee (2013-2016). Her organizational and communication skills were put to the test while serving as Information Chair for SB3C in 2017. Her time on the Executive Committee as Student Affairs chair (2016-2018) was abbreviated when she was selected to be the first Congressional Fellow supported by the Bioengineering Division. Her consistent contributions to the Bioengineering Division community’s recognition of mentoring are evident in the annual meeting of the Division (e.g., she led mentoring workshops in 2011 and 2012) and in her collaborative work to establish the Nerem medal for education and mentorship; she currently serves as the Committee Chair for that award. She continues to serve the community through guest editorship of a special issue of JBME, and offers grantwriting workshops and consultations. When not advancing science, Dr. Kuxhaus enjoys playing classical music, especially chamber music.

Richard E. Debski

Richard E. Debski, Ph.D. received both his B.S. (1991) and Ph.D. (1997) in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh. Currently, he is a Professor of Bioengineering and Orthopaedic Surgery, and serves as the co-director of the Orthopaedic Robotics Laboratory. His research has received several awards including the 2003 Achilles Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Research Award from the International Society of Arthroscopy, Knee Surgery and Orthopaedic Sports Medicine; the 2004 Y.C. Fung Young Investigator Award from the Bioengineering Division of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers; and the Chancellor’s Distinguished Research Award – Junior Scholar at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Debski is a member of the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons, American Society of Mechanical Engineers and Orthopaedic Research Society, and has published over 170 original research papers, 30 book chapters and review articles, and 350 abstracts. His primary interests include the study of shoulder instability - specifically, the structure and function of the ligaments and joint capsules at the shoulder, as well as the contributions from the surrounding musculature. He is a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Orthopaedic Research Society and American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineers. Professor Debski has served the research community and ASME/SB3C in many capacities: Associate Editor, Journal of Biomechanical Engineering (2007-2013), Newsletter Editor, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Bioengineering Division, 2005-2008, Publications Chair, 2008 Summer Bioengineering Conference-American Society of Mechanical Engineers, June 18-21, FL, Member - YC Fung Young Investigator Award Committee, Bioengineering Division, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 2008-2013, Member - Solid Mechanics Committee, Bioengineering Division, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 1998-Present, Vice Chair - Solid Mechanics Committee, Bioengineering Division, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 2011-2013, Chair - Solid Mechanics Committee, Bioengineering Division, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 2013-2016, Conference Chair/Representative, American Society of Mechanical Engineering – Bioengineering Division for 2018 World Congress of Biomechanics, November 2015-2018, Member-at-Large, American Society of Mechanical Engineers – Bioengineering Division, Executive Committee, July 2016-2019, Secretary, SB3C – Executive Board, July 2019-2022. Professor Debski also served as President - Orthopaedic Research Laboratory Alumni Council, 1996-2017.

Brianne K. Connizzo

Dr. Brianne K. Connizzo is an Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Boston University, where she leads a rapidly growing research program focused on multiscale and multimodal approaches to studying extracellular matrix remodeling. She earned her undergraduate degree with highest honors from Smith College in 2010 and her Ph.D. in Bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania in 2015, where her work on tendon structure-function relationships received recognition, including awards in the M.S. and Ph.D. ASME/SB3C Student Paper Competitions. Dr. Connizzo then completed her NIH-supported postdoctoral studies at MIT, establishing novel models for ex vivo loading and unloading-induced tissue remodeling. Her lab’s success has been demonstrated by a strong funding portfolio, including an NIH R35-MIRA award, impactful publications, and accolades such as the Journal of Orthopaedic Research Early Career Award. A dedicated leader in the musculoskeletal bioengineering community, Dr. Connizzo has been actively involved with ASME/SB3C since 2017, including serving as Information Chair for the 2023 conference and supporting student engagement through mentorship and technical committee contributions.

Hoda Hatoum

Dr. Hoda Hatoum is an Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Michigan Technological University focusing on research in Biofluid Dynamics. She has been involved with SB3C since graduate school and now considers it the primary conference for her lab’s research dissemination. In 2024, she served as the Social Media Chair for SB3C and currently holds the position of Outreach and Communication Specialist for the ASME Bioengineering Division. These roles have given her insight into the organizational structure of both organizations/divisions and a unique perspective on the integration of SB3C and ASME Bioengineering Division initiatives. She is enthusiastic about supporting SB3C’s communication and planning efforts through the Secretary role.

Rebecca Heise

Dr. Rebecca Heise has served as the department chair of biomedical engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) since 2024. In 2023, Dr. Heise was awarded the Inez A Caudill Jr Distinguished Professorship in Biomedical Engineering. She holds an affiliate appointment in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics at VCU and is a member of the Massey Cancer Center, the Institute for Engineering in Medicine, and the Center for Pharmaceutical Engineering. She earned her B.S. in Chemical Engineering with an additional major in Biomedical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University in 2003. She then earned her PhD in bioengineering from the University of Pittsburgh in 2008. She then did her postdoctoral work in the Laboratory of Respiratory Biology at the NIEHS in Research Triangle Park, NC. She joined the faculty of Biomedical Engineering at VCU in 2010, earned promotion and tenure at the Associate level in 2017, and became a full Professor in 2024. Dr. Heise’s research focuses on pulmonary mechanobiology and regenerative medicine. Her laboratory has been consistently funded by the NIH, NSF, and the Commonwealth of Virginia. Dr. Heise is deeply committed to serving the SB3C community and increasing participation in biomedical engineering through leadership and mentoring. In addition to being the PI on the NSF REU Site: Mechanobiology at VCU, she has significant involvement in BMES, the American Thoracic Society, and SB3C. She served as a session chair/organizer twice for the World Congress of Biomechanics (2018 and 2022). She is a regular abstract reviewer for the SB3C/ASME BED meetings, and she has served multiple times as a session chair and judge for the SPC competitions. She served for 2 years in a leadership role for the SB3C meeting as the Diversity Chair (virtual meetings 2020 and 2021). In the Diversity Chair role, Dr. Heise organized diversity awards, set up a mentor-mentee match, and curated Justice Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) panels for the SB3C summer meetings. She has served in the leadership of the Women’s Networking Group since 2020. Dr. Heise also regularly participates in Virginia Higher Education Advocacy Day in the Richmond, VA, and lobbies the U.S. congress with the Council for Undergraduate Research.