McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine faculty member Sanjeev Shroff, PhD 
(pictured top), distinguished professor and Gerald E. McGinnis chair of bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering, has been named chair of the Department of Bioengineering, effective September 1, 2013. He succeeds McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine faculty member Harvey Borovetz, PhD (pictured bottom), distinguished professor of bioengineering, who decided to step down in April 2013 after an 11-year tenure as chair. Dr. Borovetz will continue to be a faculty member in the Department of Bioengineering, Swanson School of Engineering. Dr. Shroff is the third chair of the Department of Bioengineering, which was founded in 1998.
“Dr. Shroff has built a strong reputation as an academic, researcher and student mentor, and I am pleased to appoint him as department chair,” noted Gerald D. Holder, PhD, US Steel dean of engineering at the Swanson School. “He is respected among his colleagues at Pitt and his peers throughout the field of bioengineering, and I am enthusiastic about the leadership and experience he will bring to this new role.”
“I am very pleased and deeply honored by this appointment. I am also humbled to follow Dr. Borovetz’s remarkable tenure as chair. I derive great comfort knowing that I will be working with an outstanding group of people – faculty, students, and staff – who are united in their commitment to academic excellence,” noted Dr. Shroff.
Dr. Shroff is recognized as a distinguished scholar in cardiovascular physiology and mechano-energetics. His research has been supported by grants from American Heart Association (AHA), National Science Foundation (NSF), and National Institutes of Health (NIH), and he has received continuous funding from the NIH since 1986. He was the recipient of the prestigious Established Investigator Award from the AHA (1986-1991) and was elected as a Fellow of the American Physiological Society (1988), Fellow of American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (1999), and Fellow of Biomedical Engineering Society (2007). Recognized by his colleagues and peers as a consummate teacher and mentor, he has received the Carnegie Science Center Award for Excellence (University/Post-Secondary Educator) in 2007, the Swanson School’s Outstanding Educator Award in 2010, and Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Award in 2011. He has mentored 31 graduate students at the Swanson School (15 post-doctoral and 16 pre-doctoral), 10 of who now hold academic (faculty) positions. In 2012 Pitt Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg named Dr. Shroff as distinguished professor, a designation that constitutes the highest honor that the University can accord a member of the professoriate and one that recognizes eminence in several fields of study, transcending accomplishments in and contributions to a single discipline, and garnering national and international recognition.
Dr. Shroff received his PhD in bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania and was a faculty member in the University of Chicago Department of Medicine (Cardiology Division) for 17 years. He joined the Swanson School of Engineering in April 2000 as Professor and Gerald E. McGinnis endowed chair in bioengineering. He was later appointed as professor of medicine in the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and senior investigator in the Magee-Women’s Research Institute in 2001; a core faculty member in the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine in 2002; and associate chair of bioengineering in 2008.
“Sanjeev’s future success could not be possible without the passion and dedication that his predecessor, Harvey Borovetz, brought to the Department,” Dean Holder said. “Harvey has been a tremendously effective leader over his almost 40-year career at Pitt, and in particular has been the guiding force behind the dramatic growth of our bioengineering program. The department is consistently ranked near the top 10 bioengineering departments in the country; PhD production has increased from 0 to more than 20 in recent years; its enrollment has grown such that it is now among the most sought-after departments in the Swanson School; and its research expenditures are now the highest among the School’s programs. Harvey has developed strong collaborations with Pitt’s School of Medicine and with UPMC, as well as with other programs around the country, and helped to establish stellar programs in translational research. We are indeed fortunate that he will continue with us as faculty.”
“Dr. Shroff’s unswerving commitment to the education of both undergraduate and graduate students; his recognized leadership in cardiovascular bioengineering research; and his tireless service to the Swanson School, University of Pittsburgh and bioengineering profession make him the ideal person to lead the Department of Bioengineering as we celebrate our 15th birthday and beyond,” noted Dr. Borovetz.
Illustration: University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering.
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