Grainger Distinguished Chair in Engineering Rohit Bhargava has been elected to the 2024 class of Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) Fellows joining a distinguished line of bioengineering professors to do so. This prestigious honor recognizes BMES members with the most outstanding records of achievement and advancements in the field of biomedical engineering.
Written by Ben Libman
Grainger Distinguished Chair in Engineering Rohit Bhargava
Grainger Distinguished Chair in Engineering Rohit Bhargava has been elected to the 2024 class of Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) Fellows. This prestigious honor recognizes BMES members with the most outstanding records of achievement and advancements in the field of biomedical engineering.
Bhargava was elected “for developing chemical imaging technology, from theory to commercial translation, and its biomedical and clinical applications.” The board also noted his “... contributions to forming and leading the first engineering-based cancer center in the US.”
Bhargava’s grade was announced at the annual BMES conference, held in Baltimore, Maryland. He was one of only twelve people to earn the grade this year.
“I am grateful to be recognized by the BMES community and join many of our colleagues in bioengineering as a BMES Fellow,” Bhargava said. “I have been involved with the BMES since I was a postdoctoral fellow. The conference is important for the new scientific advances but also for educational strategies and directions that we observe. It is a great place to meet colleagues across BME departments and also our funding agencies and their representatives. As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the department’s founding, it was heartening to see the amazing array of excellent talks from our faculty, students, and alumni. This year, several of my students presented posters.”
“It is gratifying to see someone so deserving earn this award,” said department head Mark Anastasio. “Bhargava’s laboratory is producing groundbreaking research and shaping the future of bioengineering every day. We are glad to have him as part of our department.”
Bhargava is not the only Illinois bioengineering professor to have earned this grade. Professors Jenny Amos and Brendan Harley have also achieved the rank of fellow, among others. Professor Amos reflected on Bhargava’s induction, saying “The highlight of the BMES conference was definitely Bhargava’s fellow award and getting to see him and our department represented on the big stage.”
BMES is the leading professional organization for biomedical engineering and bioengineering. Founded in 1968, the Society has over 5,000 members and supports student chapters at the high school and university levels.