The Orthopaedic Research Society (ORS) has named two Virginia Commonwealth University College of Engineering leaders 2021 ORS Fellows.
Barbara D. Boyan, Ph.D., the Alice T. and William H. Goodwin, Jr. Dean of the college, and Henry J. Donahue, Ph.D., the Alice T. and William H. Goodwin, Jr. Distinguished Chair and chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, were recognized for this honor on Feb. 15 at the ORS virtual annual meeting.
“It is a great honor to be named Fellow of a society that has nurtured me throughout my scientific career, beginning with my postdoctoral fellowship so many years ago,” Boyan said. “It was particularly rewarding to share this honor with my colleague, Dr. Hank Donahue, and with clinicians and scientists with whom I have collaborated on projects ranging from the basic science of bone and cartilage to complex medical applications of new technology.”
The ORS fellows program, established in 2018, honors longtime members for their professional and scientific contributions to the organization and to the field of orthopaedic and musculoskeletal research. Criteria for selection include a candidate’s national and international status and reputation in the field.
The distinction is the most recent accolade that Boyan and Donahue have received, reflecting deep expertise in this area at a young college celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.
Both Boyan and Donahue are also fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering and American Society for Bone and Mineral Research. In addition, Boyan is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, and a fellow in the National Academy of Inventors, the European Academy of Science and Arts, and the International College of Fellows of Biomaterials Science and Engineering.
Donahue, who has also been honored by ORS for his dedication to mentoring, said he was proud to see that his former postdoctoral fellow, Claire Yellowley, Ph.D., now a professor at University of California, Davis, was also named an ORS fellow.
Donahue said, “We’re very fortunate to be surrounded by colleagues that are building orthopaedics-related research here.” He added that the department’s experienced faculty, along with multi-disciplinary partnerships with the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at VCU School of Medicine, have helped to drive recruitment for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows eager to specialize in the field.
VCU Engineering faculty who specialize in musculoskeletal research:
Experimental (Cell/Molecular)
René Olivares-Navarrete, D.D.S., Ph.D.