Jennifer Wayne, Ph.D., professor in the VCU Department of Biomedical Engineering, has been selected as the recipient of the 2019 H.R. Lissner Medal from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).
Wayne is the first woman recipient — and the first recipient from VCU — of the medal, which recognizes significant contributions to bioengineering.
The award, created in 1977, is named after pioneering biomechanics professor H.R. Lissner of Wayne State University. She will be presented with the medal at the 2019 Summer Biomechanics, Bioengineering and Biotransport Conference (SB³C2019) June 25-28, 2019, in Seven Springs, Pennsylvania.
Wayne received the award for her outstanding achievements in development of new computational tools for understanding the biomechanics of joints and effects of injuries and surgical procedures, for training medical and bioengineering professionals and her service to the organization.
Wayne said she was humbled to join the list of honorees, calling the previous winners “giants within our biomechanics field.”
Barbara D. Boyan, Ph.D., the Alice T. and William H. Goodwin Jr. Dean of the College of Engineering, said, “The recognition of Dr. Wayne’s contributions to the field of biomedical engineering is well deserved. Like the Lissner Medal winners in the past, she has dedicated her career to the application of cutting edge biomechanics in order to better understand conditions that affect the musculoskeletal system and how to best treat these conditions. At the same time, Dr. Wayne has been an outstanding educator, not only of VCU’s undergraduate engineering students, but also surgery residents and fellows in orthopaedics, as well as graduate students in biomedical engineering.”
Wayne was the first female chair of the Bioengineering Division of ASME. She is an ASME Fellow and a fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE).
Wayne’s research focus areas include experimental and computational simulation of musculoskeletal function. [Watch a video of her Orthopaedic Research Laboratory.]
The computer models she has developed allow researchers to simulate the behavior of physical systems, such as understanding how joints function. Wayne said, “It gives you the ability to simulate what is taking place inside a physical system and predict what would happen if you changed certain parameters within the system.”
“This is a very prestigious award,” said Henry Donahue, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering and College of Engineering Foundation Professor at the VCU College of Engineering. “She’s made a huge contribution to biomechanics and we’re lucky to have her at VCU.”