January 20, 2021 | Courtney Chandler - UConn Health

Kuhn Receives Prestigious International Status for Leadership in Biomaterials

This status—one of the highest honors in the field of biomaterials—is given to accomplished scientists who are recognized as leaders in the field.

L to R: Associate Professor and Associate BME Dept. Head Liisa Kuhn, Assistant Professor Alix Deymier, and Associate Professor Tannin Schmidt in the BME Dental School Laboratories on September 26, 2017. (Tina Encarnacion/UConn Health photo)

Liisa Kuhn, Ph.D, associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering—a shared department between the School of Dental Medicine, School of Medicine, and School of Engineering— recently received the honorary status of Fellow, Biomaterials Science and Engineering (FBSE), from the International Union of Societies for Biomaterials Science and Engineering (IUSBSE).

This status—one of the highest honors in the field of biomaterials—is given to accomplished scientists who are recognized as leaders in the field. Fellows are nominated by existing fellows and must have at least ten years of contributions to the field of biomaterials science and engineering among other rigorous requirements.

Liisa Kuhhn, Ph.D is an associate professor of biomedical engineering.

“I’m honored to receive this accolade for my research in bone tissue engineering, medical product standards writing, and for my 23 years of service to the Society for Biomaterials,” said Kuhn. “ I joined the Society For Biomaterials in 1997 and I was grateful for those early service and leadership opportunities that eventually grew into more significant roles culminating with me serving as the President of the Society For Biomaterials.”

Kuhn’s has been heavily involved in the Society for Biomaterials (SFB)—a multidisciplinary society of academic, healthcare, governmental and business professionals dedicated to promoting advancements in all aspects of biomaterial science, education, and professional standards. She served as elected president in 2017 and has served on nearly every SFB committee in various leadership positions. The SFB is a member of IUSBSE that recognized Kuhn with the honorary title of Fellow.

“This is a very well deserved recognition of Dr. Kuhn,” said Dr. Sangamesh Kumbar, associate professor of orthopedic surgery at UConn. “She is a very dynamic scientist and a leader in the biomaterials community. She has been a strong advocate for women engineers in the field and continues to contribute as a researcher, mentor, and  teacher promoting STEM education and the biomaterials field as a whole.  It is always a pleasure to work with her on scientific projects or education-related activities.”

In 2018, Kuhn was inducted to the prestigious College of Fellows in the American Institute for Medical and Biomedical Engineering for advancing the translation of bone biology to its application in regenerative medicine. Kuhn believes that her time spent abroad doing visiting professorships and organizing a summer school in France made her a prime candidate to receive the status of fellow at the international level through the IUSBSE.

Kuhn’s cutting-edge research in orthopedic biomaterials and drug delivery systems has been supported by several million dollars from prestigious funding sources for more than 20 years. Her publications on bone mineral and mineralized scaffolds for tissue repair and drug delivery have been cited over 4000 times.  She has shared her expertise through medical product standards writing for ASTM International—a global standards development organization—and was recognized in 2014 with the Award of Merit with an accompanying honorary title of Fellow.