Join us for “Engineering Better Scaffolds for Improved Healing of Bone Defects” a keynote presentation by Dr. Donghui Zhu, College of Engineering-Chemical & Biomedical, MizzouForward faculty candidate.  Dr. Zhu will present on his research for approximately 40-minutes with a 20-minute question and answer session to follow.

Dr. Donghui Zhu is the SUNY Empire Innovation Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Institute for Engineering-Driven Medicine, Center of Healthy Aging, and Neuroscience Program at SUNY-Stony Brook University. He completed his Ph.D. in Bioengineering from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2006 and then pursued postdoctoral training at the University of Rochester. Since joining academia in 2010 as a tenure-track faculty member, Dr. Zhu has been committed to the field of biomaterials and tissue engineering. Dr. Zhu’s research endeavors span a wide range of medical applications, including medical implants and devices, regenerative medicine, and therapies for cardiovascular diseases, musculoskeletal disorders, aging, and dementia. His groundbreaking research has garnered over ten million in total extramural research funding and produced more than 100 peer-reviewed publications, establishing him as a leading figure in his field. He is an elected Fellow of the American Heart Association (AHA) and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE). Moreover, Dr. Zhu serves as an editor-in-chief for two prestigious scientific journals, “Smart Material in Medicine” and “Engineered Regeneration,” in addition to his position on the editorial board of numerous scientific journals. He is a member of several federal grant review panels, including NIH, NSF, DoD, and FDA. Through his exceptional research and leadership, Dr. Zhu has made seminal contributions to the field of biomedical engineering and continues to advance the frontier of regenerative medicine and aging research.

Dr. Zhu’s laboratory pursues interdisciplinary, transformative, and translational research that capitalizes on advancements in biomaterials, immunoengineering, and neuroengineering to forge innovative and enhanced clinical solutions for emerging challenges in fields such as regenerative medicine, skeletal disease, cardiovascular disease, neurological disorders, and more. In this keynote talk, he will specifically address their efforts to improve bone regeneration using novel polymeric and metallic hybrid materials. Critical-sized bone defects and implant-associated infections pose substantial challenges in clinical settings. While bone grafts are a practical treatment option, their clinical use is limited by surgical risks and the morbidity linked to autologous grafts, as well as sourcing limitations and immune rejection risks associated with allogeneic grafts. The first part of this seminar will explore recent advancements in smart bioactive polymeric scaffolds that enhance healing of critical size bone defects. The second part will discuss surface engineering of traditional titanium bone implants to improve bone regeneration under infectious conditions.

You can access Dr. Zhu’s CV via OneDrive here:

 CV_Zhu_2024.pdf  (University log in required to access)

After the keynote, please provide candidate feedback with our brief survey.