Jennifer L. West, dean of the University of Virginia’s School of Engineering and Applied Science, was elected Monday into the National Academy of Medicine, an accomplishment that follows her earlier election to the National Academy of Engineering. She is the only UVA leader to achieve the rare status of membership in two national academies.
“It was a tremendous privilege to be elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2016,” she said. “And now to be elected to a second academy is even more of an honor. I think it speaks to the interdisciplinary nature of our university. UVA is a particularly good place to have engineering and medicine work together.”
An election to one of the three national academies – medicine, engineering and sciences – is among the highest accolades a researcher can attain. Congress created the national academies in 1863 to advise the nation’s leadership on science and technology.
“It is my honor to welcome this truly exceptional class of new members to the National Academy of Medicine,” the organization’s president, Victor J. Dzau, said in announcing the news Monday. “Their contributions to health and medicine are unparalleled, and their leadership and expertise will be essential to helping the NAM tackle today’s urgent health challenges, inform the future of health care, and ensure health equity for the benefit of all around the globe.”
West’s election to the National Academy of Medicine is the culmination of a lifetime of work to connect engineering with medicine in pursuit of groundbreaking discoveries. She is world-renowned for her research in biomaterials, including photopolymerizable hydrogels, tissue engineering scaffolds, and nanoparticles that can be used for photothermal cancer therapy. West co-founded Nanospectra Biosciences Inc. to commercialize this new cancer treatment, which is in human clinical trials.
“Dean West is one of the world’s leading researchers and scholars, and also sets a strong example for her faculty colleagues and students by showing them how their work can make a difference for humanity,” UVA Provost Ian Baucom said. “I am delighted her contributions are being recognized this way.”
A graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who earned her doctorate at the University of Texas, Austin, West was named as the Engineering School dean in 2021, becoming the first woman to hold the post. She is also a fellow of the American Academy for the Advancement of Science; the Virginia Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine; the National Academy of Inventors; the Biomedical Engineering Society; and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. She is a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor and was named an Admiral in the Texas Navy, an honor the Texas governor bestows on accomplished state residents.
Her work has led to more than 220 scientific publications as well as 20 patents that have been licensed to eight companies.
At UVA, West has championed collaboration between the Engineering School and the School of Medicine, which share leadership of the Department of Biomedical Engineering. She has expanded the size of the engineering faculty in the department by 30% over the past two years, and has helped oversee efforts between other engineering departments, the School of Medicine and UVA Health. External research funding exceeds $23 million annually for projects between the Engineering School and Medical School.
The University has become nationally known for its commitment to biomedical research, and will break ground later this year on the Paul and Diane Manning Institute of Biotechnology. The planned state-of-the-art facility will position UVA on the cutting edge of advanced medical science, including cellular and gene therapies. The institute was made possible in large part by a $100 million gift from Paul Manning, chair and CEO of health care-focused PBM Capital, because Manning believes UVA has the resources and talented professionals, such as West, to make rapid advances in the biomedical field.
At UVA, West has distinguished herself as a leader who has created a welcoming environment for all faculty and students, including those who are traditionally underrepresented in the STEM fields, or science, technology, engineering and math. An entrepreneur herself, she also leads the Engineering School to develop entrepreneurship opportunities for faculty and students.
“We strive to ensure our efforts result in the development of technologies and products that can benefit society,” West said. “Building the resources to help students and faculty achieve that success is critical to realizing engineering’s potential.”
“UVA Engineering,” she continued, “has the potential to make the world a better place. And I will continue to champion that potential.”
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November 23, 2024
