IEEE EMBS Election of Members to the Administrative Committee

Lotte N. S. Andreasen Struijk received the B.Sc.E.E. degree from the Engineering College of Aarhus, Denmark, in 1993, the M.Sc.E.E. degree from Aalborg University, Denmark, in 1996, and the Ph.D. degree in biomedical engineering from the Center for Sensory-Motor Interaction, Aalborg University, in 2002.

She is currently a Professor and Research Group Leader at the Department of Health Science and Technology, Aalborg University, Denmark, where she is the Head of the Center for Rehabilitation Robotics. She has studied/worked within neuro-rehabilitation since 1996. Special focus has been on: Neuro/Sensory feedback in functional electrical stimulation systems for rehabilitation, advanced modeling and signal processing methods, neural anatomy. Later the work focused on (tongue) computer interfaces (TCI) for individuals with disabilities and on the application of these technologies at user and clinical-level.

The current work concerns rehabilitation through human computer and robotic interfaces, especially tongue based and hybrid tongue-brain based interfacing to assistive robots, prosthetics and exoskeletons. The research is interdisciplinary with a high degree of user involvement and clinical and industrial collaborations. Her work has resulted in the spinoff company TKS A/S established in 2006 commercializing the tongue interface, iTongue.

She has been active within IEEE EMBS over her entire career: reviewing articles, has served as an Associate Editor for IEEE Trans. Neural Systems & Rehabilitation Engineering, and is currently appointed co-program chair for the IEEE EMBC in Copenhagen, Denmark 2025.

I hereby apply for the Position: Geographical Representative Europe (term 1/1/202512/31/2027).

In a time where technology plays a fundamental role within challenged areas such as health and climate, IEEE is a key player.

The work of IEEE EMBS fosters the future solutions for the interconnected challenges within health and demography. We can and should play a fundamental role in promoting the development of such solutions through published leading research and human-centric technical innovation in the field of biomedical engineering.

This should be strengthened by a growth of the IEEE EMBS society and of its impact through dialog with authorities an politicians from which new strategies can be developed and implemented at high political levels.

Interdisciplinarity and user involvement in both research and innovation alongside with political awareness and promotion will help advancing the field of IEEE EMBS. IEEE EMBS will have a growing role as a base and facilitator for these engaging collaborations and interactions between users, clinicians, researchers, industry, and authorities/politicians, fostering a creative, diverse, inclusive, and innovative environment, which will also support the growth of the membership base.

I am passionate about such activities, and I am currently leading an interdisciplinary research center for rehabilitation robotics with an affiliated user board and clinical and industrial collaborators.

Professor of Bioelectronics, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa, Italy and Bertarelli Foundation Chair in Translational NeuroEngineering, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland

Silvestro Micera is currently a professor of bioelectronics at the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna (SSSA, Pisa, Italy) and the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (Lausanne, Switzerland) where he holds the Bertarelli Foundation Chair in Translational NeuroEngineering. He received a university degree (Laurea) in electrical engineering from the University of Pisa in 1996, and a PhD in biomedical engineering from the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, in 2000.

From 2000 to 2009, he was an assistant professor of biorobotics at the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna. In 2007 he won a Fulbright scholarship to study as a visiting scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, USA. From 2008 to 2011 he led the neuroprosthesis control group and was a group leader at the Institute for Automation, ETH Zurich, CH. The IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society presented him with the “Early Career Achievement Award” in 2009 and the “Technical Achievement Award” in 2021.
Prof. Dr Micera’s research interests include the development of neuroprostheses based on the use of implantable neural interfaces with the central and peripheral nervous systems to restore sensory and motor functions in persons with disabilities.

He is the author of more than 400 WoS peer-reviewed papers and holds several international patents. He is also a member of several editorial boards of peer-reviewed journals in the fields of biomedical and neural engineering.

I personally appreciated the new name of the Society. I think “Engineering Medicine and Biology” is an excellent statement for the future of the Society and the overall field. Medicine and biology will heavily rely on the innovative contributions of biomedical engineers, who will play a critical role in reshaping healthcare. As technology and medicine converge, biomedical engineers will spearhead breakthroughs in medical devices, tissue regeneration, wearable health monitors, and AI-powered diagnostic tools. Their expertise will be central to developing personalized treatment methods, designing biocompatible implants, and advancing precision medicine.

As biomedical engineers become pivotal in transforming healthcare through advancements in medical devices, biotechnology, and AI, EMBS should create platforms for interdisciplinary research, professional development, and knowledge sharing. By encouraging collaboration across fields, promoting ethical practices, and advocating for equitable access to cutting-edge technologies, the society can ensure biomedical engineers are equipped to lead breakthroughs that improve patient care, public health, and the global healthcare system. This will position EMBS at the forefront of shaping the future of medicine.

Dr. Hisham ElMoaqet received the Ph.D. degree in Mechatronics Engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA, in 2015. He was also a Research Fellow Affiliated with the Departments of Anesthesiology and Mechanical Engineering in the University of Michigan from 2015 to 2016. In 2016, Dr. ElMoaqet joined the German Jordanian University (GJU), in Amman, Jordan as an Assistant Professor of Mechatronics and Artificial Intelligence Engineering. Currently, He is an Associate Professor and the Chairman of the Mechatronics Engineering Department at GJU. Additionally, Dr. ElMoaqet held the position of Visiting Scientist at the Institute of Technical Medicine in the University of Furtwangen in Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany and at the Cardiovascular Physics Department in Humbolt University in Berlin, Germany in 2017 and 2018 respectively. His research interests include Physiological Systems Modeling, Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare, Biosignal Processing and Control, and Industry 4.0. He has made significant contributions to the development of deep learning models for the automated detection of sleep disorders using polysomnogram data as well as the prediction of critical events and clinical outcomes using pulse oximetry monitored data. He has active research collaborations with prominent academic hospitals in Middle East, Germany, and USA, working on large research projects for developing novel artificial intelligence solutions for improved patient outcomes. He was elevated to the grade of EMBS Senior Member in 2022. Within EMBS, He served a Regional Member in the EMBS Chapters Development Committee representing the Middle East and Africa Region (2020-2022), the Vice Chair of EMBS Jordan Chapter (2018-2020), and the Chair of the EMBS Jordan Chapter (2020-now). Under his leadership, the EMBS Jordan Chapter received the prestigious 2024 Best Regional Chapter award which recognized the EMBS Jordan Chapter as the best performing Chapter in Middle East and Africa Region. Dr. ElMoaqet was honored with outstanding EMBS Chapter award during the annual international EMBS flagship conference EMBC2024 that took place in Orlando, Florida in USA.

My Journey with EMBS started in 2011 as a graduate student at the University Michigan in Ann Arbor in Michigan, USA. Upon completing my PhD and returning home, I founded the EMBS Professional Jordan Chapter and served as the Vice Chair and then Chair of this Chapter which was recently awarded the 2024 Best Regional Professional Chapter Award. My efforts and dedication led to put the Jordan Chapter on the EMBS map as one of the very active EMBS Chapters worldwide and helped me to identify many of the unique challenges and opportunities for EMBS members in our region. As a candidate for the EMBS Adcom, my goal is to enhance the visibility, growth, and impact of the EMBS across our diverse and dynamic region through working on the following key priorities:

1. Fostering Regional Collaboration and Innovation: The Middle East and Africa have fast growing healthcare and engineering sectors. I will promote collaboration between regional institutions, researchers, and practitioners to share knowledge and develop creative engineering and technological solutions tailored for the biomedical needs of our societies.
2. Enhancing Education and Training Opportunities: Providing cutting-edge education and professional development is essential for advancing our field. I want to expand educational initiatives, workshops, and training programs for students and professionals in the region, ensuring that they are equipped with the up-to-date biomedical engineering skills and capabilities.
3. Supporting Local Research and Development: Limited resources and infrastructure poses unique obstacles for research in the Middle East and Africa. I will advocate for increased support and funding for local research projects and engage with national and international organization groups to enhance our research capabilities and impact.
4. Strengthening EMBS Membership and Involvement: EMBS community growth requires elevating involvement and membership. I will strive to build stronger connections and relationships with local chapters and professionals, encourage active involvement, and promote EMBS membership advantages in the Middle East and Africa.

By focusing on these priorities, I am dedicated to ensuring that the EMBS maintains its position as the world largest and most renowned international society of biomedical engineering while making a meaningful impact in the Middle East and Africa. Together, we can drive forward innovation, collaboration, and progress in our field.

I have a strong background in Computer Science and Engineering, with specialized training in medical image processing, computer vision, and machine learning. My Ph.D. focused on optimizing shape constraints for biomedical image registration and segmentation. During my postdoctoral training at the Computational Radiology Lab at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School under Prof. S.K. Warfield, I tackled quantitative challenges in Diffusion-Weighted MRI of the abdomen and developed the fusion-bootstrap-moves framework for spatially-constrained quantitative MRI analysis.

In 2013, I joined Philips Healthcare, focusing on cardiac imaging and spectral CT, which led to several scientific publications and over 10 patents. In 2019, I became a faculty member at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, where I founded and currently direct the May-BlumDahl Human MRI Research Center. My efforts have built a fully functional MRI research facility that collaborates across Neuroscience, Signal Processing, and Radiology.

As the principal investigator of a multidisciplinary lab within the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering at the Technion, spanning Biomedical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, and Data Science, I lead research at the intersection of MRI physics, radiology, machine learning, and computer vision. My research program focuses on developing innovative computational methods for medical imaging, with a particular emphasis on abdominal MRI.

My research is supported by the NIH, Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA), Israel-US Binational Science Foundation (BSF), and the Israel Ministry of Science and Technology as well as the industry. I have published over 70 peer-reviewed articles in leading journals and conferences.

I am honored to be considered for the position of Regional Representative to the IEEE Society for Biomedical Engineering for the Middle East and Africa regions. With extensive experience in biomedical engineering and a deep commitment to advancing the field within our region, I am eager to contribute to the growth and development of our professional community.

As a faculty member at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, I lead a multidisciplinary lab within the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering. My lab focuses on developing innovative computational methods for medical imaging, with a strong emphasis on promoting gender diversity—10 out of 13 of my graduate students are female. I am dedicated to supporting and empowering female researchers in STEM.

If elected, my key objectives will be:

1. Promoting Regional Collaboration: Building networks between universities, research institutions, and industries across the Middle East and Africa.
2. Supporting Professional Development: Advocating for workshops, conferences, and mentorship programs, with a focus on underrepresented groups, including women.
3. Enhancing Global Visibility: Increasing recognition of our region’s biomedical engineering innovations within the IEEE community.
4. Encouraging Student and Female Researcher Involvement: Prioritizing initiatives that engage students and support female researchers.

The Middle East and Africa have immense potential to shape the future of biomedical engineering. As your Regional Representative, I am committed to advancing our field and improving healthcare outcomes across our region.

With nearly 30 years of professional experience within the United States Department of Defense, Dr. Christine A. Edwards has served in a variety of developer, researcher, leadership, and technical advisory positions. Dr. Edwards was the Deputy Chief of the Adaptive Cyber-Defense Systems Office within the National Security Agency’s (NSA’s) Laboratory for Advanced Cybersecurity Research, where she led a diverse, interdisciplinary team to create resilient and trustworthy AI-powered solutions. Her role as a Division Chief within NSA’s Computer and Analytic Sciences Group culminated in her computer vision team’s recognition as the NSA 2015 Research Team of the Year Award.

Dr. Edwards joined NSA as an electrical engineering cooperative education student from the University of Maryland, College Park. Since that time, she earned Master of Science degrees in electrical and computer engineering, and applied biomedical engineering from Johns Hopkins University, as well as a Doctor of Philosophy from Deakin University, School of Engineering in Australia. She received an appointment as a Visiting Graduate Student within the Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, and conducted her PhD research through the Mayo Clinic Neural Engineering Laboratory and Department of Neurologic Surgery.

Her research interests are focused on artificial intelligence and neuroscience, and their overlap, to create innovative solutions across multiple application domains

This was decades in the making. As an undergraduate electrical engineering student decades ago, I experienced the benefits of an IEEE membership, but left that behind upon joining the professional workforce within the Department of Defense. It was not until this year, when I attended the IEEE EMB Society’s Annual Conference, as an invited keynote speaker for the Women in Biomedical Engineering Forum (WIBME), that my eyes were opened to the amazing opportunities and resources within the IEEE as a whole and the EMBS. My WIBME presentation, entitled ‘Human and National Resiliency powered by Community and Innovation’, highlighted the following biomedical engineering-relevant topics that require global, multifaceted, and multi-disciplinary responses to ultimately save and transform lives: 1) securing cyber-physical, safety-critical systems; 2) countering drug poisonings and addictions; and 3) accelerating scientific discoveries and breakthrough technologies at the intersection of neuroscience and artificial intelligence. My talk emphasized that human resiliency requires a growth mindset, human connections and collaborative communities; and, innovation happens at the intersection of disciplines and diversity of thoughts. These takeaway points encompass my modus operandi throughout the decades, and align with the values of the EMBS. In particular, the EMBS North America Representative position is an opportunity to significantly contribute to creating and nurturing connections that enable individuals to grow and thrive in diverse, interdisciplinary communities. Further, the coordination and support activities will serve to foster the next generation of biomedical engineering leaders and innovators, and lead to positive global-scale impact across generations. It is an honor and privilege to be considered for the EMBS North America Representative position.

Elebeoba E. May, Ph. D., has been an IEEE EMBS student and professional member for nearly twentyfive years. As a member Dr. May has organized and chaired workshops and special sessions, and served as a reviewer, associate editor and guest editor for topical areas such as information, communication theory and biology; systems biology; and computational biology. She has also served on the IEEE EMBS Technical Committee on Computational Biology and the Physiome (CBaP TC), the IEEE EMBS Biomedical & Health Informatics (BHI) Technical Committee, and most recently, served as the IEEE EMBS Administrative Committee Representative for the North American Region.

Dr. May is currently an Associate Professor of Medical Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health and faculty of the Wisconsin Institute of Discovery. Prior Cullen College of Engineering and an Associate Affiliate Member of Houston Methodist Research Institute. She earned her Ph.D. degrees in Computer Engineering from North Carolina State University and has held professional appointments with the National Science Foundation, University of Houston, and Sandia National Laboratories. As director of the Multi-scale Immunobiology Design, Algorithms, and Simulation (MIDAS) Lab, Dr. May’s research has advanced integrated quantitative and empirical platforms for the development of multi-scale, predictive models of biological and biomolecular systems with an emphasis on host-pathogen interactions, microbial communities, and genetic information processing. Her work has been supported by grants from the DoE, DTRA, NIH, and NSF.

Engaging and working at the interface of disciplines is at the heart of EMBS and my own professional passion; this is why our society’s mantra of Engineering Medicine and Biology is a mission I believe in and will help advance as an AdCom Technical Representative. During the past two years, I have been honored to serve as the Administrative Committee Representative for the North America Region and worked with AdCom colleagues to broaden the participation of members in EMBS activities. We have pushed forward opportunities to grow our interdisciplinary community and expand our societies reach. In order for our society to remain at the forefront of advancing medicine and innovative ideas in biology, EMBS must continue to strengthen and expand high impact technical areas and communities.

My goal is to support members of our society to broaden and engage research communities in fields such as molecular to physiological scale systems, synthetic biology, systems biology, and connect these areas to traditional strengths of EMBS in large scale biomedical systems. Providing mechanisms that strengthen existing technical committees and supports cross committee and cross region activities are crucial to invigorating our interdisciplinary membership. My prior and continued experience connecting engineers, biological, physical and mathematical scientist across professional sectors has provided a unique perspective that will help me serve effectively as an AdCom Technical Representative. If elected, I will partner with EMBS Executive Committee, AdCom colleagues and the EMBS administrative team to ensure that we remain the premier society leading biomedical and biological engineering.

Kristy K. Brock received her PhD in Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences from the University of Michigan. After receiving her PhD, she joined the faculty at the University of Toronto (Radiation Medicine Program, Princess Margaret Hospital) and subsequently the faculty at the University of Michigan (Department of Radiation Oncology). She is currently Professor with tenure in the Department of Imaging Physics at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, where she is the founding Director for the Image-Guided Cancer Therapy Research Program. Her research focuses on image guided cancer therapy, where she has developed a biomechanical model-based deformable image registration algorithm to integrate imaging into treatment planning, delivery, and response assessment as well as to understand and validate imaging signals through correlative pathology. Her algorithm was licensed and incorporated into a commercial treatment planning system. She is board certified by the American Board of Radiology in Therapeutic Medical Physics and holds a joint appointment with the Department of Radiation Physics at MD Anderson. Dr. Brock has published over 185 papers in peer-reviewed journals, is the Editor of the book ‘Image Processing in Radiation Therapy’ and has been the PI/co-PI on 30 peer-reviewed, industry, and institutional grants. She currently serves as the Chair of the Data Science Committee for the American Association of Physicists in Medicine and Vice Chair of the Big Data Subcommittee. She is the Physics Representative of the American Society for Radiation Oncology Nominating Committee and is co-chair of the 2025 IEEE International Symposium on Biomedical Imaging.

The interface of engineering and science offers the potential to develop and translate some of the most significant and impactful innovations in imaging for diagnosis, treatment, and response assessment. As an academically trained engineer (PhD in Nuclear Engineering) and board-certified medical physicist (American Board of Radiology, Therapeutic Radiation Physics), translational innovation at this interface has been the focus of my career. In my current position as the founding Director of the Image Guided Cancer Therapy Research Program at MD Anderson Cancer Center, our mission is to empower multidisciplinary teams of physicians and scientists to address clinical challenges and technology barriers. This mission is also essential for the IEEE EMBS. Strengthening collaborations and engagement of clinicians, both physicians and clinical medical physicists, will help to ensure the resources and efforts of IEEE, both members and collectively as a society, achieve the most significant impact. Increasing engagement of clinicians, through involvement in conferences and workshops, journals and publications, and activities such as society sponsored challenges, will help to strengthen this collaboration and the IEEE EMBS. I am also inspired by IEEE’s recently adopted diversity statement, committing to the advancement of diversity, and promoting an inclusive and equitable culture and I believe this commitment to diversity is key for the growth and success of the society. It has been a profound pleasure to serve as your Practitioner representative for the past 3 years and I would be honored to serve a second term to continue to implement the initiatives that we have started.

Currently I am a Digital Health and Medical Technology Entrepreneur turned academic research Professor (2015) stimulating and fostering Translation and Entrepreneurship within an interdisciplinary Innovation environment. I am regularly engaged as keynote speaker and consultant for Digital Transformation and Innovation Generation including Exponential Medicine and disruptions in that segment. As Entrepreneur and CEO I was directly responsible for Medical-Technology companies with up to 250 employees and € 50 Mio. revenue. As COO of a global healthcare company for 1.250 employees and € 250 Mio revenue. I also spend 5 years as research engineer and project manager in the US Bay Area and started over 35 companies in my career. My current Research Profile has a focus on recognizing / identifying Unmet Needs and Innovation Generation of Tools and Concepts for novel (mainly health tech related) concepts including advanced Image + Signal Analysis, Artifical Intelligence/Big Data/Deep Learning approaches, Exponential Technologies, and Digital Tools / Devices —> Cooperation with stakeholders (User, Industry, Politics, Economists, and Academic Partners) has always been at the core of these innovation activities accompanied by an extensive national and international scientific-, academic-, and industry-network. In the last 10 years in my role as research professor I secured over 8 Mio € in external research grants, completed over 60 Master and 10 PhD students and founded / supported 12 start-up companies My Medical Technology, Digital Health, Exponential Healthcare and more general Innovation Generation lectures for Bachelor (3 lectures/seminars) and Master (4 lectures/seminars) were always rated in the top quartile and included best lecture awards. Since October 2022 I am the founding director of the Center for Innovation, Business Development, and Entrepreneurship (www.fom-cibe.de – FOM University, Essen, Germany) focusing on Translation and Future Innovation Methods. In March 2024 I founded the 5P Future of Health Investment Fund (5P – Prevention, Predictive Analysis, Precision Medicine, Participation, Prolonged Health) for the future health transformation to PREVENTION and HEALTHY LONGEVITY.

Biomedical Engineering Innovation has a future component that also needs to take into consideration – besides technological developments – a potential change of how we define “Healthcare” and where personal health assessment and monitoring will be performed and by whom. We also need to think about democratization of healthcare and provide the tools and processes for that. Biomedical Engineering Innovation can and should be leading a needed transformation to more prevention, personalized and predictive health rather than to almost exclusively focus on diagnosing a sick person and subsequently coming up with the most effective treatment options. Not only better traditional medicine is needed, but also new approaches to health. This requires new thinking, new innovation mindsets, and also novel and dedicated methodologies to understand future health issues and come up with solution ideas that need to be validated and transferred towards actual use. Entrepreneurial activities will be very important in that context as an invention will remain just an invention without actual implementation and demonstration of value to a future user. Exponential technologies in the health innovation space therefore need to be combined with an exploratory and forward looking mindset and with the intention to solve global health challenges and support the democratization of healthcare towards personal health for everyone. My work for the EMBS ADVOM will be governed by the „formula“ Novel Biomedical Engineering Development for the Future of Health = (Education + Training) x (Innovation Generation Methodologies + Technology Foresight + Health Problem Understanding + Translation and Entrepreneurial Know-How)

I am currently Associate Professor of Bioengineering at the Department of Informatics, Bioengineering, Robotics and Systems Engineering of the University of Genova, Italy. I graduated in Electronic Engineering (summa cum laude) in 1999 and obtained a PhD in Electronic Engineering and Computer Science from University of Genova (Italy) in 2003, under the supervision of Prof. M. Grattarola and Prof. S. Martinoia working in the field of neuroengineering. In 2002 I was ‘visiting scholar’ at the Dept of Physiology, Northwestern University (Chicago, IL, USA) supervised by Prof F. A. Mussa-Ivaldi. At Northwestern I had the opportunity to work on the first ever developed bi-directional neurorobotic closed loop system involving the brain of a lamprey and a small mobile robot. After a Post Doc at the University of Genova, in 2007 I joined the Neuroscience and Brain Technologies Dept at the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT) as a Post Doc, under the supervision of Prof. S. Martinoia. In 2013 I got a team leader position (‘Researcher’) in the same Institution. In 2015 I was ‘visiting Professor’ at the University of Kansas Medical Center – KUMED (Kansas City, KS, USA), hosted by Prof. R. J. Nudo, one of most prominent experts of post-stroke plasticity. From 2012 to 2015 I has been Coordinator of the FET Open European Project BrainBow, judged ‘excellent’ by the European Commission. In 2017, I joined the Rehab Technologies IIT-INAIL Joint Lab of IIT to lead a group aimed at interfacing robotic devices with the nervous system for applications in neurorehabilitation. In 2018 I got the national scientific habilitation as Full Professor of Bioengineering. Since March 2021, I have been appointed as Associate Professor of Bioengineering at the University of Genova, conducting research activities in the field of translational neuroengineering, with a special focus on neuromodulation and neuroprosthetics. I was named as IEEE EMBS Distinguished Lecturer for the years 2021 and 2022. In 2022 I have been Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee Vice-Chair. Currently, I am vice Chair of the IEEE EMBS Neural Engineering Technical Committee, chaired by Prof. Jose R. Del Milan. I have been named AdCOM member for the IEEE EMBS society for the year 2024. I authored 100 papers published in International Journals, more than 70 peer-reviewed contributions to International Conferences, 8 Book Chapters and I gave more than 100 invited scientific talks at International/National Conferences and Research Institutions. I am also Editor of 2 Books.

My research interests are in the field of Neuroengineering, with a twofold perspective: from one side developing novel devices which can act directly at the level of a neuronal injury to replace the functioning of a living network, from the other side designing electroceutical-based protocols able to promote neuronal plasticity and thus rehabilitate the injured networks. I am also interested in the exploration of novel electrophysiological biomarkers of neuropathologies and behavioral recovery, both in animal models and in humans, related to the analysis of brain signals at different spatio-temporal scales (spikes, LFP, EEG) and to connectivity investigations. In order to reach this objective, I strongly believe in the importance of a continuous dialogue among patients, clinicians and researchers to foster new technological solutions that can have rapid and well-accepted applications and that can positively impact the life of disabled people.

I am IEEE EMBS member since 2012 and WIE member since 2014. During these years, I have been involved in several activities related to the IEEE EMBS community, as briefly detailed in the following. First of all, I am part of the IEEE Neural Engineering Technical Committee since 2015, for which I have been named vice-Chair starting from 2024. I regularly publish for the IEEE conferences and I have been actively involved as Associate Editor for the review process of EMBC in the last 10 years. I also organized several symposia in IEEE conferences (mostly EMBC and NER) and I was named Program Co-Chair for IEEE NER’21, the flagship conference for the Neural Engineering community. For the years 2021 and 2022, I have been named IEEE EMBS Distinguished Lecturer, for which I regularly gave talks and seminars in different IEEE Chapters and sponsored events, either virtual or in person. Thanks to this appointment, I had the pleasure to meet great people, especially young and very motivated students with whom I had the occasion to interact and exchange ideas. In December 2021, I was Co-Chair e Co-organizer of the IEEE WIE International Leadership Summit held in Genova, Italy and in 2022 I was appointed as Chair for the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion committee of EMBS, thanks to which I was involved in the organization of the WIEEDI event at EMBC’22 in Glasgow, UK. I had the honor of serving on the organizing committee for the inaugural Women in Biomedical Engineering Forum, held at EMBC’23 in Sydney, Australia. I also participated in the second Women in Biomedical Engineering Forum, held at EMBC’24 in Orlando, Florida, USA. In 2024, I served as AD COM Practitioner Representative and attended various meetings throughout the year, including those held in Orlando just before EMBC’24. Additionally, I had the privilege of being a lecturer at the prestigious 21st International Summer Academy BIO-X on Data Science in Healthcare, Medicine, and Biology, held in Chania, Crete, in 2024, organized by Prof. Metin and Yasemin Akay.

I am extremely proud to be part of the IEEE EMBS community, which has given me the opportunity to connect with colleagues and professionals from around the world. I would be honored to continue serving this community as the AD COM Practitioner Representative. In this prestigious role, I would contribute to shaping the strategic direction of our community, fostering important synergistic interactions among members, and engaging individuals from both clinical fields (e.g., companies, hospitals, clinicians, patients, and their families) and technical domains (e.g., artificial intelligence, robotics). I am eager to leverage my multidisciplinary experience to benefit the community and to learn from senior scientists and experts, particularly in the areas of translation and technology transfer. I firmly believe that real change and impact are possible only when our technologies extend beyond the confines of the lab. In this regard, our community, guided by exceptional leaders and their expertise, is the ideal environment to ‘make it happen.’

As an AD COM member, it is also crucial to understand the needs of our society and members. I am committed to identifying and addressing potential challenges and barriers in pursuing a career in science, especially for women and underrepresented minorities. Establishing a continuous dialogue between students and experienced researchers will be essential in understanding their needs and providing support. I envision a more inclusive world for people of any country, gender, religion, or age. Within our community, we have the opportunity to take the first step toward a brighter future, not only in science but beyond.

Trayanova holds the Murray B. Sachs Professorship in the BME Department at Johns Hopkins University. She is also a Professor of Medicine and of Applied Mathematics and Statistics. She created and directs the Alliance for Cardiovascular Diagnostic and Treatment Innovation. She is the Director for AI Research in Health and Medicine in the Data Science and AI Institute. She also directs the Computational Cardiology Laboratory.

Trayanova is internationally recognized as a leader in personalized modeling of heart electrophysiology (heart digital twinning) and in machine learning/AI in cardiovascular applications. Her output includes 450 publications, many in the most prestigious journals: The Lancet, Nature Cardiovascular Research, Nature Communications, Nature BME, ScienceAdvances, ScienceTM, Nature Reviews Cardiology, etc.

Trayanova has received numerous honors and awards. Following an NIH Pioneer Award, she was inducted in the Women of Technology International Hall of Fame, an honor conferred each year only on 5 women around the world. She received the Distinguished Scientist Award from Heart Rhythm Society, followed by the Zipes Distinguished Award, and by the Gordon Moe Award by the Cardiac Electrophysiology Society. In 2025, Trayanova will be the recipient of the Hodgkin-Huxley-Katz Award by the Physiological Society. Trayanova has been named a Fellow of every American and European clinical cardiology society, testifying to her impact in clinical practice. She is also Fellow of AIMBE, BMES, IAMBE, and IUPS. Trayanova’s work has received widespread media coverage (e.g. recent article in WSJ). She is inventor on numerous patents and a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors.

Trayanova has made exceptional contributions to the advancement of biomedical engineering and has been a leader in the translation of computational and AI approaches to the clinic. Her leadership has had a major impact on academia and society more broadly through her contributions to improving clinical decision making and human health, through innovation and entrepreneurship, through superb academic mentorship, and through contributions to peer review and professional societies governance. Trayanova is an engineer who started as a basic scientist and became a leader in clinical translation. She pioneered computational cardiology, making it part of precision medicine in cardiology. She is a world-renowned leader and trailblazer in the translation of modern computational modeling (digital twinning) and AI approaches in prognosis, diagnosis, and treatment of patients with heart disease. Trayanova also is leading an FDA-approved randomized clinical trial testing the ablative treatment of atrial arrhythmia using personalized digital twins – this is a first-of-it-type computational modeling-guided heart procedure clinical trial. Trayanova is also a leader in the broad advancement of using ethical AI tools in all aspects of research and scholarship. Her achievements rest on understanding the links between research and the clinic, and on her ability to communicate with clinicians and financial donors, with passion and enthusiasm, engendering trust. She is passionate about the capacity of biomedical engineering to transform treatment of disease and advance patient well-being and is keen to shape and promote these developments. These experiences and qualities will be invaluable in her role as Practitioner in IEEE EMBS AdCom.

Dr. Matthew Wipperman works in Digital Medicine at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, where he focuses on the strategy and application of digital sensor technology-derived digital biomarkers to the Regeneron portfolio. Matthew joined Regeneron in 2019 as a Quantitative Translational Scientist in Early Clinical Development & Experimental Sciences. Across biomarker and clinical research studies, he contributes to strategy, design, and exploratory data analyses across biomarker modalities.

This work drives the discovery and understanding of innovative biomarkers and clinical trial endpoints, the elucidation of mechanisms of action and drug pharmacodynamics, identification of sub-populations where pharmaceutical interventions will be effective, and exploration of alternative indications for approved drugs. He drives digital biomarker strategy for clinical development programs, aiming to transform drug trial outcome measures by quantifying patient function in real-world settings.

Matthew actively initiates and leads collaborations with diverse teams across clinical, research, regulatory, and external functions, to ensure scientific and clinical success of projects. He holds a BA and PhD in Chemistry, and an MSc in Clinical and Translational Science, with 15 years of experience in laboratory, computational, and basic scientific domains. Prior to Regeneron, he worked in clinical biomarker research at Sloan Kettering, where he led clinical biomarker and immunology work in infectious disease clinical research. He also continues to sit on the faculty in the Department of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine as a courtesy appointment, reflecting his ongoing connection to academic medicine.

As a candidate for the Technical Representative position, I am honored to present my vision and commitment to advancing the technical strengths of EMBS to the NYC community. My career has been dedicated to the intersection of digital medicine, biomarker research, and clinical development, which all touch on applications of biomedical engineers to human-subjects health research—a lifelong passion of mine. Further, I am positioned to advocate for EMBS given my years-long, practical, hands-on experience with applied biomedical engineering.

At Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, I currently work on the strategy and application of digital sensor technology-derived digital biomarkers to our clinical development pipeline. The use of wearable sensors and algorithms in health research is still a growing field, and the practical, real-world challenges we face to use these tools in a meaningful way is exciting, and a place where real learnings can happen. I believe that having robust communities where students, faculty, clinicians and hospital staff, and industry researchers can collaborate on ideas is critical to fostering an ecosystem that can enable such creative work to happen.

We just (re-)founded the IEEE EMBS New York chapter, and I was actively involved in setting this up (with the current leadership) and came to the first meeting where we voted to establish the chapter in the NY IEEE offices last month. We brainstormed various ways we could engage scientifically with the biomedical engineering community in NYC, and I plan on working with this group to have a series of academic talks and networking events (in person) to foster engagement with the society.

In addition to my industry experience, my academic background and ongoing connection to academic medicine through my courtesy appointment at Weill Cornell Medicine have provided me with a unique perspective on the integration of academic research and clinical practice.

As a Technical Representative, my vision is to advocate for the career-developing strengths of EMBS by promoting engagement with the chapter and society (the students). Specifically, my expertise in the integration of digital technologies into clinical practice and fostering collaborations across disciplines is a key skill. I am a collaborative, open minded, and scientifically curious individual, with a passion for applied biomedical engineering in the medical field, who believes in empowering students to persue their creative ideas with a focus to better our world.

I am excited about the opportunity to serve as a Technical Representative and to contribute to the continued success and growth of EMBS. With my background, expertise, and vision, I am confident that I can effectively represent and advocate for the technical strengths of our organization.

Incubator: specialist for initiating, conducting and commercializing data science and artificial intelligence research in the US (10 years), EU (2 years), and APAC (8 years) in health, pharma, and Bio/MedTech markets across enterprise, clinical, academia, start-up, scale-up, not-for-profit, regulatory, and government sectors. Acclaimed expert in, advocate for, and advisor on AI ethics.

Inventor and Scientist: I hold 72 granted patents, authored 74 peer-reviewed top-tier scientific publications1, received USD 60M of R&D funding, led the AI portfolio of Australia’s largest digital health incubator and investor managing over AUD 200M, and have productized innovation as SaMD and SaaS in these fields: AI for clinical trial design and drug discovery; bionanotech; materials science, DNA-sequencing; electronic health data management and analytics; ethical design and use of AI and neurotech; neuromorphic computing; epilepsy diagnostics (my US Patents 10,596,377 and 11,219,405 launched Seer Medical, the first Australian health AI start-up to reach a >$100M valuation); edge-in/cloud-out AI technology for assisting human decision makers; AI for wearables/patient monitoring; virtual care/telehealth; consumer healthtech; crowdsourced AI challenges; brain-machine-interfaces; AI-agents; robotics; semiconductor tech.

Intrapreneur: IBM-certified executive project and people manager; founder currently managing a program emerging from stealth mode backed by an AUD 39M Series-A round; negotiator; design thinker; agile problem solver; extensive hands-on experience in change and crisis management.

Strategist: expert in leading without authority and in creating diverse, interdisciplinary teams, partnerships and collaborations; media-trained science communicator and influencer featured in WIRED Magazine, Forbes, Popular Science, and the World Economic Forum; strategic advisor on data- and AI-driven digital business transformation in health, Bio/MedTech and pharma sectors.

I will advance and support the IEEE EMBS agenda, in APAC region and globally, by leveraging my networks and experience…

…as intrapreneur: I incubated and commercialized ethical data science and AI technology in complex digital health and biotech environments spanning industry, clinical, academia, start-up, not-for-profit, and government sectors for over a decade in APAC (executive roles at IBM Research Australia, Digital Health Cooperative Research Centre Ltd., and CSIRO) and in the UK/US (senior roles at IBM Research).

…as strategic advisor: I have served and am serving on these executive boards: IBM Life Sciences Research Council, IBM Neuroethics Council, Australian Brain Alliance Steering Committee, Advisory Board Myelin-H, Advisory Council Harvard Business Review. I am a member of Forbes Technology Council, the Coalition for Health AI (CHAI), an Advisor to Harvard Medical School and to Massachusetts General Hospital, and I work closely with the Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA), the Australasian Institute for Digital Health (AIDH), and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) executive leadership on numerous APAC and global digital health initiatives.

…as inventor: I hold 72 granted patents, published 74 peer-reviewed technical papers, and productized innovation in digital health data management and AI, the ethics of AI, and AI for clinical trial design.

…as an IEEE Senior Member: I build on over 11 years of active and ongoing IEEE service history for various IEEE organisations, including IEEE EMBS. My key contributions are summarised in the supplemental information on the next page.

Peixin Zhao has received the B.E. degree in Biomedical Engineering from Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China, in 2023 June. She is currently a graduate student in National University of Singapore.

She has worked as the clinical engineer intern in Run Run Shao Hospital (Hangzhou, China), the R&D intern in Mindray Scientific Co., Ltd. (Wuhan, China), and the healthcare industry researcher intern in China Merchants Securities Investment Co., Ltd. (Shenzhen, China).

She has participated in many society volunteer activities as well. For example, she served as the leader of promotion group in Chinese Youth Science Camp. She supervised the promotion group, wrote press releases and published in official media.

Her academic interests include Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Digital Healthcare. In addition, she also has a wide range of hobbies outside of campus, such as kayaking, long-distance running and Chinese Dragon Boat.

As a graduate student in Biomedical Engineering, I have gained a deep understanding of the healthcare field and have witnessed the contributions EMBS has made in the professional field. I am eager to become a student representative of EMBS and help the society make a broader impact on improving human health. My vision for this position is focused on two key points: enhancing the influence of EMBS and fostering interdisciplinary collaboration.

Enhancing the Influence of EMBS

If I have the honor to be the student representative, I will be committed to enhancing the influence of EMBS among students, and promoting the global inclusion. I suggested propagating EMBS members’ interests in universities (online or offline), such as acquiring job opportunities and communicating with world-renowned researchers, to attract more students to join EMBS. At the same time, existing members are encouraged to set up EMBS clubs in their own schools to expand the influence of EMBS in various regions.

In addition, as a global association, IEEE EMBS serves students from diverse cultural, geographic, and socioeconomic backgrounds. As a student representative, I want to ensure that all students, regardless of their background, have equal access to the opportunities and resources offered by EMBS. I propose to extend the influence of EMBS to more lagging regions. Specific practices include the provision of summer school scholarships and other opportunities to participate in EMBS activities. Besides, I hope to increase the availability of multilingual resources to support non-native English speakers to ensure that language barriers do not hinder participation. By creating a more inclusive environment, we can ensure that all students are valued and equipped to contribute to society.

Fostering Interdisciplinary Collaboration

Biomedical engineering is interdisciplinary in nature. Solutions to complex healthcare problems come from cutting-edge research in engineering, biology, physics, materials science, medicine and son on. As a student representative, I will work to foster connections between students with different academic backgrounds and research interests. To achieve this goal, I propose to organize interdisciplinary workshops that bring together students from different fields to tackle real-world challenges in healthcare. For example, we can organize joint activities with IEEE Robotics & Automation Society or IEEE Signal Processing Society to share educational resources, so that students from different disciplines can have a collision of ideas and get inspired for new solutions.

In conclusion, the role of IEEE EMBS Student Representative is a unique opportunity. And I hope to create a more vibrant, connected, and diverse EMBS society that enables students to reach their full potential and make meaningful contributions to the field of biomedical engineering.

Organizer and Moderator:

• International “mAI” Talk Series (May 2023):
  • Organized and moderated an international series focusing on AI in medicine and biology. This event brought together young scientists and professionals from various fields to discuss the latest advancements and applications of AI in healthcare.

Active Participant:

• IEEE EMBS International Conference on Data Science and Engineering in Healthcare, Medicine & Biology (Malta, December 2023):
  • Participated in discussions on the role of data science in healthcare innovation, with a focus on machine learning and AI applications.
• 21st International Summer Academy BIO-X (Crete, June 2024):
  • Actively engaged in this academy sponsored by IEEE, focusing on the challenges and opportunities of data science in healthcare, particularly in medical imaging and precision medicine.
• IEEE EMBC (Orlando, July 2024):
  • Delivered a talk on integrating AI into clinical practice, fostering dialogue on the practical applications of AI in healthcare.

Philip Hempel’s involvement in these IEEE EMBS events highlights his commitment to advancing biomedical engineering, particularly through the practical application of AI in clinical settings.

As a PhD student with a background in biology and over 10 years of experience as a paramedic, I bring a unique perspective to the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS). My journey has shown me the power of uniting people from diverse fields, regions, and career stages. This diversity is our strength, and as your Student Representative, I am committed to fostering an environment where everyone can contribute to the future of biomedical engineering. My experience as a paramedic has sharpened my focus on practical applications.  I have
organized conferences and talks that connect theoretical knowledge with real-world outcomes, ensuring students from all backgrounds see the tangible impact of their work. Early career involvement empowers individuals and strengthens our community’s ability to tackle tomorrow’s challenges.

As the leader of the Student Activities Committee (SAC), I aim to expand student engagement in EMBS through more talks, conferences, and publications that highlight diverse perspectives and practical applications. These initiatives will provide platforms for students to showcase their work and connect across disciplines and career stages. My goal is to support every student in finding their unique trajectory, ensuring that EMBS remains a welcoming and dynamic community.

Together, we can create a forward-thinking, inclusive environment where early connections and active participation drive innovation. I am dedicated to representing our collective interests and ensuring our society grows and thrives. As your Student Representative, I will work tirelessly to support you and ensure our diverse voices shape the future of biomedical engineering.

Declan O’Loughlin is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering and a Principal Investigator in the Trinity Centre for Biomedical Engineering at Trinity College Dublin.

He received the BE and PhD degrees in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the University of Galway in 2014 and 2018 and was an Irish Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow at the School of Medicine at the University of Galway until 2020. His research interests are the use of electronics and electromagnetics for medical device applications, particularly on microwave modelling for medical diagnostic applications from fundamental electrical properties characterisation to translational research. In microwave breast imaging, Dr O’Loughlin developed tools and techniques to account for human variability in reconstruction algorithms and estimated the sensitivity and specificity of the modality using these techniques using experimental and volunteer clinical datasets.

Dr O’Loughlin is the founding Student Branch Counsellor for Trinity College Dublin and an Associate Editor of the IEEE Journal of Translational Engineering in Medicine and Biology. He was selected as an inaugural member of Young Academy Ireland (’23) and has received a number of national and international awards including the Irish Research Council (IRC) New Foundations Award, the Irish-Canada University Foundation (ICUF) James M. Flaherty Scholarship and the International Union of Radio Science (URSI) Young Scientist Award. He is a Member of Engineers Ireland, a Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and a Senior Member of the International Union of Radio Science (URSI).

As Young Professional representative, I would like to help cement and enhance the reputation of EMBS as the world-leading professional society for engineering in medicine and biology among the next generation of students and young professionals. As an electronic engineering working in healthcare applications, the IEEE and EMB have been integral to my professional development through the Transactions and Conferences and the networking and exposure that the IEEE facilitates. I would love the opportunity to contribute to the EMB community to help grow and develop the same activities and opportunities that I have benefitted from as student volunteer and young professional.

Within my section, I am working to increase the progression of student members to active young professionals and life-long engaged members and as Young Professional Representative, I would prioritise the development of activities and opportunities targeted as keeping student and young professional members engaged as they progress through their careers. As an active young professional in both the IEEE and in the national Young Academy movement, I am well-placed to engage with active and lapsed members to understand and explain the benefits and opportunities that EMB can offer.

Having grown and developed IEEE and EMB activity in my institutions and Section for over six years, if selected, I am confident I could contribute to ensuring that the EMB continues as a world-leading professional society and support the careers of the next generation of engineers in healthcare.

Nicolai Spicher is a research group leader at the University Medical Center Göttingen, Germany, where he leads the Biosignal Processing Lab of the Institute for Medical Informatics. He received a M.Sc. degree in Computer Science (2014) and a Ph.D. degree from University Duisburg/Essen (2020) where he was a member of the Erwin L. Hahn Institute for Magnetic Resonance Imaging. He completed postdoctoral training at the Peter L. Reichertz Institute of TU Brauschweig and Hannover Medical School. Nicolai is the recipient of various awards including the Johann Peter Süßmilch Medal of the German Association for Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology. His research interests include signal processing and machine learning for cardiovascular and multimodal applications.

Since 2022, Nicolai is a member of the EMBS Germany Chapter and serves as its chair since 2023. Nicolai is the Young Professional Representative of IEEE EMBS in the term 2023 through 2024. Nicolai is a member of the EMBS Biomedical Signal Processing Technical Committee since 2024. Nicolai is a member of the IEEE Germany Section AdCom and serves as Technical Program Chair of the IEEE German Education Conference (GECon) since 2022.

When I submitted my nomination for the position of EMBS YP Representative in 2022, I did not really know what to expect. However, I was warmly welcomed by the entire AdCom, ExCom and the many volunteers within EMBS. The YP committee was formed with exceptionally motivated colleagues and I cannot thank them enough.

The launch of the YP Paper Competition at EMBC 2024 was one of our first activities that was very well received with 24.5% of the paper submissions participating. It was a great pleasure to present the awards to outstanding YP members at the opening ceremony. We also initiated the Career Catalyst Series, which offered online webinars and a fireside chat at EMBC on topics such as scientific writing, AI tools for publishing, and building a research profile. We also worked closely with the VP Conference and SAC: A highlight this year was the EMBC SYP reception, which was a great fun and networking opportunity. In addition, with activities such as the free headshot and resume database, we aim to provide more value to members transitioning from university to professional life.

While these were important first activities, I would love to continue to serve as the YP representative and work further towards our goals. We already have exciting ideas for expanding the YP competition, more webinars, and various activities at next year’s EMBC in Copenhagen. I have spoken with many of you online and in Orlando and would love to increase the value of EMBS for you personally.