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Sujata Bhatia

Sujata Bhatia, MD, PhD

Research Professor
Drexel University College of Medicine, Department of Microbiology and Immunology

Phone: 215.762.1903
Email: skb322@drexel.edu

Bio

I am both a licensed professional engineer and a physician. The goal of my work is to improve human health through the application of engineering analysis. My background spans industry and academia, and my experience includes medical device and biotechnology product development, preclinical trials, clinical trials and intellectual property. Currently I am focused on graduate education, specifically the training of the next generation of biomedical innovators. I serve as director of the Biomedicine Graduate Programs at the Drexel University College of Medicine. In this capacity, I lead the development and administration of novel interdisciplinary academic programs. These pioneering biomedicine graduate degree programs operate at the intersection of medicine and law; medicine and business; medicine and entrepreneurship; and medicine and media arts and design. My aspirational goal is to create additional biomedicine graduate degree programs that unite medicine and engineering, as well as medicine and computer science.

I engage students in product design for medicine. I develop hands-on clinical immersion experiences so that students can apply their skills in entrepreneurship, business, law, media arts and design, and engineering to identify unmet clinical needs; predict human disease patterns; and prevent, treat and cure illness. In turn, I use examples from clinical medicine, drug delivery and biomaterials in my teaching to illustrate concepts of thermodynamics, kinetics and transport phenomena. I believe that physicians and engineers must be motivated by societal benefit and therefore I am motivated by stopping the world’s leading killers.

Over the course of my career, I have taught students and worked with colleagues from diverse fields, including philosophy, history, linguistics, international development, political science, entrepreneurship, finance, art, science and engineering. I am committed to the idea that individuals from all backgrounds can contribute to medicine, and I encourage prospective graduate students from all academic backgrounds to contact me to discuss educational opportunities and pathways at Drexel University College of Medicine.

Education

  • MD – University of Pennsylvania (2003)
  • PhD – University of Pennsylvania (2003)

 

Research Interests

Advancing healthcare; biomedical and biochemical engineering for clinical applications; biomaterials for medical devices; innovative teaching models for clinical immersion, experiential learning, and product design.

 

Publications

BOOKS

Beyond the Code: A Philosophical Guide to Engineering Ethics
H. Furey, S. Hill, S. K. Bhatia
CRC Press, Taylor & Francis: New York (2021). ISBN 978-1138183865

Reimagining Innovation in Humanitarian Medicine: Engineering Care for Health and Welfare
K. W. Ramadurai, S. K. Bhatia Springer, New York (2019). ISBN 978-3030032845

Bio-Based Materials as Applicable, Accessible, and Affordable Healthcare Solutions
A. A. Tracy, S. K. Bhatia, K. W. Ramadurai
Springer: New York (2018). ISBN 978-3319693255

3D Printing and Bio-Based Materials in Global Health
S. K. Bhatia, K. W. Ramadurai
Springer: New York (2017). ISBN 978-3319582764

Medical Applications for Biomaterials in Bolivia
S. Arias, S. K. Bhatia
Springer: New York (2015). ISBN 978-3319167749

Drug Delivery: Materials Design and Clinical Perspective
E. P. Holowka, S. K. Bhatia
Springer: New York (2014). ISBN: 978-1493919970

Naturally Based Biomaterials and Therapeutics: The Case of India
V. Eswarappa, S. K. Bhatia
Springer: New York (2012). ISBN: 978-1461453857

Medical Devices and Biomaterials for the Developing World: Case Studies in Ghana and Nicaragua
O. A. Fatunde, S. K. Bhatia
Springer: New York (2012). ISBN: 978-1461447580

Engineering Biomaterials for Regenerative Medicine
S. K. Bhatia
Springer: New York (2011). ISBN: 978-1461410799
Appeared on Amazon.com Kindle best-seller lists for Polymer Science, Polymer Chemistry, and Microbiology

Biomaterials for Clinical Applications
S. K. Bhatia
Springer: New York (2010). ISBN: 978-1441969194
• Utilized as textbook for ENSC 132 – Tissue Engineering for Clinical Applications, a course for undergraduate and graduate students at Harvard University; CHEG 667 – Biomaterials for Gene and Drug Delivery, a course for undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Delaware; and CHEM 6650 – Special Topics in Physical and Inorganic Chemistry: Biomaterials, a course for undergraduate and graduate students at Oklahoma State University
• Appeared on Amazon.com best-seller lists for Biomedical Engineering, Clinical Chemistry, and Biotechnology
• Appeared on Amazon.com Kindle best-seller lists for Clinical Chemistry and Materials Science
• Selected as Innovation Book of the Week by Harvard Science, Technology, and Globalization Project

JOURNAL ARTICLES

“Chemical Engineers Respond to the Addiction Epidemic”
S. K. Bhatia, D. L. Turock
Chemical Engineering Progress (2017), 113: 29-33
• Selected as cover story for November 2017 issue of Chemical Engineering Progress

“3D-Printed Prosthetics Roll Off the Presses”
S. K. Bhatia, S. Sharma
Chemical Engineering Progress (2014), 110: 28-33

“Fermentation Fundamentals: Brewing Bugs for Bioengineering”
S. K. Bhatia
Chemical Engineering Progress (2014), 110: 38-42

“Engineering the Extracellular Matrix: Endoderm, Mesoderm, and Ectoderm”
M. L. Williams, S. K. Bhatia
Biotechnology Journal (2014), 337-347

“Global Grand Challenges for Engineering and International Development”
S. K. Bhatia
Harvard International Review (2013), 35: 4-5

“Biology as a Basis for Biochemical Engineering”
S. K. Bhatia
Chemical Engineering Progress (2013), 109:40-44

“Biobased Plastics and Bionanocomposites: Current Status and Future Opportunities”
M. M. Reddy, S. Vivekanandhan, M. Misra, S. K. Bhatia, A. Mohanty
Progress in Polymer Science (2013), 38:1653-1689

“Bioactive Devices: Uniting Form with Function”
S. K. Bhatia
Chemical Engineering Progress (2013), 109:36-39
Invited contribution for Society of Biological Engineers special section on Drug Delivery, featured on cover of March 2013 issue of Chemical Engineering Progress

“Development Tech”
S. K. Bhatia
Harvard International Review (2013), 34:4-5

“Bio-Based Materials Step Into the Operating Room”
S. K. Bhatia
Chemical Engineering Progress (2012), 108:49-53
Selected as cover story for September 2012 issue of Chemical Engineering Progress

“Ascending Aortic Curvature as an Independent Risk Factor for Aortic Dissection: The Mathematical Model and Underlying Equations”
S. Sahni, S. K. Bhatia
European Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery (2012), 42:755

“Metabolic Engineering for the Production of Clinically Important Molecules: Omega-3 Fatty Acids, Artemisinin, and Taxol”
V. M. Ye, S. K. Bhatia
Biotechnology Journal (2012), 1:20-33

“Engineering and the Prevention of Global Chronic Disease: Forging Partnerships Between Engineers and Public Health Leaders”
S. K. Bhatia, S. P. Kishore
Ethics in Biology, Engineering, and Medicine (2011), 2:347-352

“Health Care in the Developing World: Embracing a New Definition of Technology to Include Biomaterials”
O. A. Fatunde, S. K. Bhatia
Ethics in Biology, Engineering and Medicine (2011), 2:353-364

“Sealing and Healing of Clear Corneal Incisions with an Improved Dextran Aldehyde-PEG Amine Tissue Adhesive”
H. K. Chenault, S. K. Bhatia, W. G. DiMaio, G. L. Vincent, W. Camacho, A. Behrens
Current Eye Research (2011), 36:997-1004

“Tissue Engineering for Clinical Applications”
S. K. Bhatia
Biotechnology Journal (2010), 5:1309-1323. (Invited review)
• Subsequently selected for a joint issue of Biotechnology Journal and Biotechnology & Bioengineering on the occasion of the "Biochemical and Molecular Engineering XVII - Emerging Frontiers" conference

“Poly(vinyl alcohol) acetoacetate-Based Tissue Adhesives are Non-cytotoxic and Non-inflammatory”
S. K. Bhatia, S. D. Arthur
Biotechnology Letters (2008), 30:1339-1345

“Correlation of Visual In Vitro Cytotoxicity Ratings of Biomaterials with Quantitative In Vitro Cell Viability Measurements”
S. K. Bhatia, A. B. Yetter
Cell Biology and Toxicology (2008), 24:315-319

“Interactions of Polysaccharide-Based Tissue Adhesives with Clinically Relevant Macrophage and Fibroblast Cell Lines”
S. K. Bhatia, S. D. Arthur, H. K. Chenault, G. K. Kodokian
Biotechnology Letters (2007), 29:1645-1649

“Coagulation Facilitates Tumor Cell Spreading in the Pulmonary Vasculature During Early Metastatic Colony Formation”
J. H. Im, W. Fu, H. Wang, S. K. Bhatia, D. A. Hammer, M. A. Kowalska, R. J. Muschel
Cancer Research (2004), 64:8613-8619

“The State Diagram for Cell Adhesion Mediated by Two Receptors”
S. K. Bhatia, M. R. King, D. A. Hammer
Biophysical Journal (2003), 84:2671-2690