Dear Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, In today’s joint announcement <https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2022/Q3/indiana-university,-purdue-university-announce-new-vision-for-indianapolis-campus1.html> from the boards of trustees from both IU and Purdue University- they announced a new joint institute that bridges Purdue Engineering and health-related sciences at Purdue University with the IU School of Medicine! This joint institute will build a premier program in engineering, science, and medicine to train the next generation workforce, make new breakthrough discoveries, and develop innovative solutions and life-saving technologies. In the Fall of ’21 Matthew Tews (IUSM West Lafayette) and I worked with faculty from the IU School of Medicine, Purdue BME, and Purdue Engineering to think big about the next Giant Leap in Engineering in Medicine. With faculty from across our colleges and universities, we carried out a study to 1) identify barriers for more effective collaboration, 2) identify potential solutions to overcome these barriers, 3) create a large and compelling vision for what we could do for the state, our universities, and medicine by working together in creative ways, and 4) developed an institute plan to achieve this vision. We proposed a new joint institute in Indianapolis in Engineering in Medicine- and importantly this has now grown to include our partners in Health and Human Sciences, the College of Veterinary Medicine, and the Purdue Center for Cancer Research being represented by Preeti Sivasankar, Head of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences; Harm Hogenesch (Vet Med), and Andy Mesecar (Purdue Center for Cancer Research). The institute builds from a long running collaboration between our universities and seeks to reinforce these relationships through investments in current programs, the development of new research programs, and supporting collaborations at the intersection of Purdue and IUSM. The Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering will benefit in numerous ways through increased access to clinical research, new collaborations, physical presence in Indianapolis, and new student opportunities. The new institute provides tremendous opportunities for growth with our IUSM partners- both with the IUSM-West Lafayette Campus and the IU School of Medicine in Indianapolis. Today’s announcement also establishes a new model for Purdue University West Lafayette and the upcoming integration of engineering programs in Indianapolis. I refer you to Interim Dean Mark Lundstrom’s email that includes a link to FAQ <https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2022/Q3/indiana-university,-purdue-university-announce-new-vision-for-indianapolis-campus.html> for additional information for the upcoming transitions. We’ve had long running and highly effective collaborations, partnerships, and synergies with BME at IUPUI across undergraduate and graduate education and in research. Dr. Joey Wallace and I spoke this morning and we are committed to making the transition well in a way that respects and involves our faculty, staff, and students. I want to acknowledge the fact that we have a lot of work ahead and I’m sure you have many questions- as do I, but I’m confident we will find an effective and mutually strengthening path forward that will drive new capabilities, create new opportunities, and make new discoveries. David M. Umulis Dane A. Miller Head and Professor of Biomedical Engineering | Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering Director | EMBRIO Institute Professor | Agricultural & Biological Engineering He/Him/His o: 765-494-1223 | dumulis@purdue.edu <mailto:dumulis@purdue.edu> | https://engineering.purdue.edu/~dumulis https://www.purdue.edu/research/embrio<https://www.purdue.edu/research/embrio/> Twitter: @professorthermo<https://twitter.com/professorthermo?lang=en> [cid:76F6781B-48FA-4426-A4C9-CEA47E9EBE64@itap.purdue.edu] -- Bmeroundtable-list mailing list Bmeroundtable-list@ecn.purdue.edu https://engineering.purdue.edu/ECN/mailman/listinfo/bmeroundtable-list