News
Bennett Landman leads team to prize in innovation challenge
Jun. 30, 2017—Bennett Landman, associate professor of electrical engineering and radiology and director of the Center for Computational Imaging within the Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science (VUIIS), recently led the team who won the Innovation Award in the inaugural RadX Challenge. Vanderbilt’s Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences hosted the inaugural RadX Innovation Challenge Pitch Event....
Congratulations to our own VISE affiliate, Robert Webster, associate professor of ME, recently awarded one of the 13 Discovery Grants
Jun. 29, 2017—Vanderbilt University’s Office of the Provost has recognized three engineering faculty proposals with Discovery Grants, one of Vanderbilt’s primary means of investing in advancing the discovery of knowledge in its core disciplines and strengthening the university’s scholarly profile. A total of 13 faculty proposals have received funding.
MED Lab members attend International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA)
Jun. 28, 2017—Three members of the Vanderbilt Medical Engineering and Discovery Lab (MEDLab) attended the International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) last week in Singapore. Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering Robert Webster, the lab director, was invited to give a talk on his recent research, while Ph.D. student Patrick Anderson and postdoctoral scholar Loris Fichera each...
How six cups of ground coffee can improve nose, throat surgery
Jun. 22, 2017—Imagine plopping six cups of coffee grounds on the heads of patients just before they are wheeled into the operating room to have nose or throat surgery? In essence, that is what a team of Vanderbilt University engineers are proposing in an effort to improve the reliability of the sophisticated “GPS” system that surgeons use...
VISE Summer Instructional Seminar – Matthew O’Donnell, PhD
Jun. 5, 2017—Provost Research Studio in Ultrasound Imaging Research to be delivered by Matthew O’Donnell, PhD, Frank and Julie Jungers Dean Emeritus, Professor of Bioengineering, University of Washington Moderator: Brett Byram, Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering Title: Light and Sound: Integrating Photonics with Ultrasonics for Biomedical Applications Date: Thursday, June 15, 2017 Time: 12:10pm start, Noon Lunch...
VISE Summer Instructional Seminar – Stanislav Emelianov, PhD
May. 24, 2017—Provost Research Studio in Ultrasound Imaging Research to be delivered by Stanislav Emelianov, PhD, Professor, Joseph M. Pettit Chair, Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Tech & Emory School of Medicine Moderator: Brett Byram, Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering Date: Friday, June 2, 2017 Time: 1:40pm start, 1:30 pm snacks Title: Clinical Translation of Emerging Ultrasound Imaging...
Megan Poorman, BME doctoral student, says we’re all scientists, regardless of what our degree says
May. 15, 2017—Today I take a break from writing my usual graduate school advice to think about what being a researcher in higher education means. As a PhD student, I can easily just focus on my research, on the goal of graduating, and on my next abstract submission. However, there’s so much more to research than just...
Patrick Anderson, a VISE affiliate, earns NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
May. 15, 2017—The National Science Foundation recently selected 14 Vanderbilt graduate students to receive Graduate Research Fellowships. Vanderbilt Institute for Surgery and Engineering (VISE) is proud to announce Patrick Anderson, a VISE affiliate and mechanical engineering doctoral student, is among those awarded this prestigious honor. Highly sought after because they provide recipients with three years of support,...
Magnetic capsule robot designed to explore the colon
May. 11, 2017—At Digestive Disease Week 2017, Keith Obstein, MD, MPH, FASGE & Piotr R. Slawinski, talked to DDW TV about the exciting new innovation in performing colonoscopies using a “capsule robot.” Obstein and Slawinski, both VISE affiliates, collaborated on the project with medical researchers from the University of Leeds. Watch the video here:
Kudos: Read about graduating VISE affiliates
May. 10, 2017—Neal Dillon, doctorate in mechanical engineering Hunter Gilbert, doctorate in mechanical engineering Gilbert’s thesis project was about the modeling and design of concentric tube robots, which are needle-sized robots that can perform minimally invasive surgeries in places too difficult to reach with larger robots. The title of his thesis is “Concentric Tube Robots: Design, Deployment,...
Dean presents 2017 engineering faculty, staff awards
May. 10, 2017—The School of Engineering recognized faculty and staff members for their exemplary research, teaching, and professional service during the 2016-2017 academic year.
Vanderbilt joins 40 academic partners to create, deploy robotic technology in critical manufacturing sectors
May. 3, 2017—Vanderbilt University is one of 40 academic institutions participating in a new robotics manufacturing institute in Pittsburgh that will be funded with $80 million from the Department of Defense and $173 million in matching funds from more than 200 participating partners. Eric Barth, associate professor of mechanical engineering, is quoted. Vanderbilt participants include Nabil Simaan, associate...
Alphabet’s new plan to track 10,000 people could take wearables to the next level
May. 3, 2017—Verily – the life sciences research arm of Google parent company Alphabet –announced April 19 that it was starting to recruit for Project Baseline, its initiative to track the health of 10,000 people. Over the course of four years, Project Baseline will sequence participants’ genomes, test their blood, survey them and track biometric data such...
VISE Summer Instructional Seminar – Michael Insana, PhD
May. 2, 2017—VISE 2017 Summer Instructional Seminar – Provost Research Studio in Ultrasound Imaging Research to be delivered by Michael Insana, PhD, Donald Biggar Willett Professor of Engineering, Professor of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Adventures with machine-learning methods for reconstructing ultrasonic elasticity images Seminar to be moderated by Brett Byram, Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering...
VISE Summer Research Fellow named lead author on journal paper
Apr. 20, 2017—Rohan Vijayan, a biomedical engineering undergraduate student and a Vanderbilt Institute for Surgery and Engineering (VISE) Summer Research Fellow, was recently named lead author on a journal paper in the Journal of Medical Imaging. Vijayan presented his conference paper in a platform session at the SPIE Medical Imaging Conference in 2016. Vijayan works under the supervision...
Spring Seminar: Smita De, MD/PhD and Ryan Hsi, MD
Apr. 10, 2017—Speakers: Smita De, MD/PhD VISE Fellow, Instructor of Urologic Surgery and Ryan S. Hsi, MD Assistant Professor of Urologic Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center Date: Thursday, April 13, 2017 Time: 12:15pm lunch, 12:20pm start Place: Stevenson Center 5326 Title: Needs and Progress in Urologic Surgery Speaker Bios: Dr. Smita De is currently the VISE fellow...
Spring Seminar: Jack Noble, PhD
Mar. 24, 2017—Jack Noble, PhD Research Assistant Professor, Vanderbilt University Date: Thursday, March 30, 2017 Time: 12:15pm lunch, 12:20pm start Place: Stevenson Center 5326 Title: Computer-Assistance Techniques for Cochlear Implant Interventions Abstract: Cochlear implants (CIs) are neural prosthetics that induce the sensation of hearing by stimulating the auditory nerve using an array of electrodes implanted in the...
Spring Seminar: Richard Leahy, Ph.D.
Mar. 17, 2017—Richard M Leahy, PhD Dean’s Professor, Electrical Engineering and Radiology Director, Signal and Image Processing Institute University of Southern California, Los Angeles Title: Analyzing Brain Mapping Data Abstract: Magnetic resonance imaging allows us to safely acquire data from which we can study anatomy, function and connectivity in the living human brain. But how do we convert...
Spring Seminar: Ming Li, Ph.D.
Mar. 13, 2017—Ming Li, chief of bioengineering Cardiothoracic Surgery Research Program, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health Date: Monday, March 27 Time: 4:10 p.m. Location: Featheringill Hall Room 136 Title: “Medical Robotic Control and System Integration” Abstract The recent technology advancement on medical robotics facilitates minimally invasive surgery and intervention. Since the medical...
Surgery of the Future
Mar. 13, 2017—Surgery of the Future is an interactive experience that highlights research technologies funded by NIBIB that improve surgical procedures. Move through a virtual operating room to learn about technologies including new imaging tools, robotics, biomaterials, and more. Robert Webster’s research is featured.
VISE rocks SPIE Medical Imaging Conference racking up five student awards
Mar. 7, 2017—Twenty-five students from five laboratories affiliated with the Vanderbilt Institute in Surgery and Engineering (VISE) attended the SPIE Medical Imaging 2017 Conference in mid-February. Five Vanderbilt students across Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, and Biomedical Engineering were selected for scientific awards out of almost 450 papers presented this year. The week-long conference showcases cutting edge-research, world-class...
Spring Seminar: Catie Chang, Ph.D.
Mar. 3, 2017—Catie Chang, Research Fellow National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH Date: Thursday, March 16, 2017 Time: 12:15 p.m. lunch, lecture begins at 12:20 p.m. Location: Stevenson Center 5326 Title: Uncovering new dimensions of human brain function from fMRI data Abstract: Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a powerful technique in human neuroscience. The richness...
Spring Seminar: Dario Englot, M.D., Ph.D.
Feb. 28, 2017—Dario Englot, MD, PhD, Fellow and Clinical Instructor in Functional Neurosurgery, Department of Neurological Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center Date: Thursday, March 2, 2017 Time: 12:15pm lunch, 12:20pm start Place: Stevenson Center 5326 Title: Brain network disturbances in surgical epilepsy: Integrating electrophysiology and neuroimaging techniques Abstract: Epilepsy is a common and debilitating neurological disorder that...
EECS/VISE Spring Seminar: Rolando Estrada, Ph.D.
Feb. 24, 2017—Speaker: Rolando Estrada, PhD, Research Scientist, Teledyne Scientific and Imaging Date: Monday, February 27, 2017 Time: 4:15pm Place: FGH, Room 136 Title: Automating Retinal Vessel Analysis: Topology Estimation and Artery-Vein Classification Abstract: The retinal vasculature is clinically important, not only for diagnosing ocular diseases, including diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma, but also for monitoring conditions with...
VISE affiliate Bennett Landman, Ph.D., uses big data to solve big medical problems in the MASI lab
Feb. 14, 2017—As an initial member of the Vanderbilt Institute on Surgery and Engineering, the Medical-image Analysis and Statistical Interpretation (MASI) lab seeks to transform medical imaging from pixels to information to improve patient care. We lead Personalized Medicine with Medical Imaging Informatics (PM2I2) efforts in translational research to explore innovative, clinically useful techniques. Our primary technical...
Visiting bioengineering professor talks about treating the heart
Feb. 13, 2017—Vanderbilt Institute in Surgery and Engineering (VISE) brought Karen Christman, Ph.D., professor of bioengineering and associate dean for students, UC San Diego, Jacobs School of Engineering, to Vanderbilt for a two-day visit. While on campus, Professor Christman met with various members of the engineering department, participated in a mentoring luncheon, and concluded her visit by...
Spring Seminar: Ron Alterovitz, Ph.D.
Feb. 10, 2017—Speaker: Ron Alterovitz, Ph.D. Associate Professor Department of Computer Science University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Date: Thursday, February 23, 2017 Time: 12:20pm start, 12:15pm lunch Place: Stevenson Center 5326 Abstract: Advances in robotics have the potential to improve healthcare delivery, from enabling surgical procedures that are beyond current clinical capabilities to autonomously assisting...
Spring Seminar: Karen L. Christman, PhD, FAHA
Feb. 2, 2017—Speaker: Karen L. Christman, PhD, FAHA, Professor of Bioengineering, Jacobs School of Engineering, University of California Date: Thursday, February 9, 2017 Time: 12:20pm start, 12:15pm lunch Place: Stevenson Center 5326 Title: Biomaterials for Treating the Heart Abstract: Biomaterials have significant potential to treat various cardiac conditions, including both adult and pediatric. In particular, new therapies for...
Brain Surgery Robots
Jan. 30, 2017—Ground breaking technology that enables robots to perform high-risk surgeries more safely shows that robotic surgical tools play a major role in the future of medicine. Robert Webster, PhD., explains the groundbreaking Intracerebral Hemorrhage (ICH robot) he and his MED Lab team are developing.
Collaborations Gone Haywire
Jan. 27, 2017—Graduate students are often the point of contact for complex communications among researchers across campus, the nation and the world. But what happens when projects get off track? Biomedical engineering Ph.D. student and VISE affiliate Megan Poorman shared tips from her experience.