Fisher Honored as Fellow of Biomaterials Science and Engineering

University of Maryland’s John P. Fisher has been elected a Fellow of Biomaterials Science and Engineering (FBSE) by the International Union of Societies for Biomaterials Science and Engineering (IUSBSE). This election is the highest honor the global biomaterials community can bestow on outstanding scientists. Fisher joins a group of less than 500 biomaterials scientists internationally with this esteemed distinction, and also becomes the first FBSE at UMD in the university’s history.

Fisher is MPower Professor, Distinguished-Scholar Teacher, Fischell Family Distinguished Professor, and Department Chair of the Fischell Department of Bioengineering (BIOE). Fisher has served the A. James Clark School of Engineering at UMD for more than 20 years, having joined the Department of Chemical Engineering in 2003. Fisher was then a founding member of the Fischell Department of Bioengineering when it was launched in 2006. Fisher is also Director of the Tissue Engineering and Biomaterials Lab, where he leads a robust research team in investigating biomaterials, stem cells, bioprinting, and bioreactors for the regeneration of lost tissues.

Fisher will be formally inducted as a FBSE on May 27, 2024 at the opening of the 12th Annual World Biomaterials Congress in Daegu, South Korea. This conference is a world-wide event during which biomaterials experts gather to share the latest knowledge and research in their field.

Induction as a FBSE also enrolls Fisher into the IUSBSE’s International College of Fellows. The college provides a forum for professional discussion and interactions among all fellows, fostering international collaborations, scientific exchanges and the practice of biomaterials science and engineering within a global community of scientists. The IUSBSE is a body that brings together national and multi-national groups dedicated to the advancement of biomaterials, surgical implants, prosthetics, artificial organs, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

Election as a FBSE marks yet another honored distinction for Fisher in 2023. This September, Fisher was also elected to the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) Board of Directors. With more than 6,800 members, BMES is the world’s leading professional society for students, faculty, researchers, and industry professionals in biomedical engineering. Fisher has been a long-time, active member of BMES since 2003. He has served in various roles including abstract reviewer; session chair; track chair in several Annual BMES Meetings; Fellow of BMES; and Co-Chair of the 2018 Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia.

In October, Fisher was named Chair of the Council of Chairs (CoC), a national assembly of more than 150 bioengineering and biomedical engineering department chairs. The CoC meets throughout the year to help guide bioengineering and biomedical engineering academic units across the country as well as the biomedical engineering field as a whole. Fisher will serve as Chair-Elect on the CoC in 2024 before beginning his term as Chair in 2025.

In addition to his work with BMES and CoC, Fisher has served in numerous member and leadership positions within partner societies, including the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE); the International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineering (IAMBE); the International Society for Biofabrication (ISBF); the Society for Biomaterials (SFB); and the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS).

Fisher currently serves as Past-President of the Americas Chapter of TERMIS and was the Co-Chair of the 2014 TERMIS-Americas Annual Meeting. In his TERMIS leadership roles, Fisher led efforts to broaden the TERMIS-Americas Chapter from North America to the entire Americas; established the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee within the chapter; and participated in a delegation to South Africa to launch Africa's first tissue engineering society.

Beyond his work with many societies and programs, Fisher is involved with several journals. He is Co-Editor-in-Chief of Tissue Engineering, and serves on the editorial boards of key biomedical engineering journals such as the Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part A; Bioprinting; Biofabrication; and the Journal of Tissue Engineering & Regenerative Medicine.

Published December 14, 2023