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Sujata Bhatia

Sujata Bhatia, MD, PhD

Professor


Department: Microbiology & Immunology

Education

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

Awards & Honors

  • 2021 – National Academy of Engineering, Invited Speaker for Grand Challenges Scholars Program EU Chapter Conference
  • 2020 – Harvard University, Invited Speaker for Harvard Students vs. Pandemics
  • 2019 – University of Pennsylvania, Invited Keynote Speaker for Bioengineering Graduate Research Symposium
  • 2016 – Harvard University, Harvard Yearbook Class of 2016 Favorite Professor
  • 2015 – Harvard University, Harvard Yearbook Class of 2015 Favorite Professor
  • 2015 – Harvard University, Star Family Prize for Excellence in Advising Nominee
  • 2015 – University of Delaware, Invited Graduation Speaker for Department of Biological Sciences
  • 2014 – Harvard University, Harvard Yearbook Class of 2014 Favorite Professor
  • 2014 – Harvard University, Star Family Prize for Excellence in Advising Nominee in All Four Award Categories
  • 2014 – American Society for Engineering Education, 20 Under 40 List of Top Engineering Educators
  • 2014 – TEDxUNC University of North Carolina, Invited Speaker at TEDx Conference
  • 2014 – State of Delaware, “Yes I Can” Hall of Fame
  • 2014 – Anne Arundel Community College, Invited Graduation Speaker for Engineering Scholars Program
  • 2013 – Harvard University, Capers and Marion McDonald Award for Excellence in Mentoring and Advising
  • 2013 – Harvard University, Star Family Prize for Excellence in Advising Winner
  • 2013 – Harvard University, Invited Commencement Speaker for Master of Liberal Arts Graduation Ceremony
  • 2013 – Harvard University, Certificate of Teaching Excellence from Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning
  • 2013 – White House, Invited to Champions of Change Ceremony
  • 2013 – National Academy of Engineering, Frontiers of Engineering Education (one of 73)
  • 2013 – National Academy of Engineering & National Academy of Sciences & Institute of Medicine, Keck Futures Initiative
  • 2013 – National Academy of Engineering, Invited Participant in U.S.-U.K.-China Global Grand Challenges Summit
  • 2013 – United States Department of State, Invited Participant and Co-Organizer in Global Diaspora Forum
  • 2013 – American Association for the Advancement of Science, Invited Speaker
  • 2013 – MIT Entrepreneurship Center, Invited Participant in “Hacking Medicine” Conference (one of 100)
  • 2013 – Women of Color STEM Outstanding Achievement Award, Technology Rising Star
  • 2013 – Christiana High School, Golden Anniversary Star Graduate
  • 2012 – Harvard University, John R. Marquand Award for Exceptional Advising and Counseling of Harvard Students
  • 2012 – Harvard University, Star Family Prize for Excellence in Advising Finalist
  • 2012 – Harvard University, Certificate of Teaching Excellence from Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning
  • 2012 – Harvard University, President’s Innovation Fund for Faculty Award
  • 2012 – Harvard University, Resident Fellow in Administrative Fellowship Program
  • 2012 – Phi Beta Kappa at Harvard College, Invited Keynote Speaker
  • 2012 – MIT Entrepreneurship Center, Invited Participant in “Hacking Medicine” Conference (one of 80)
  • 2012 – BioEnvironmental Polymer Society, Invited Keynote Speaker
  • 2012 – National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance, Course and Program Grant
  • 2011 – MIT Entrepreneurship Center, Invited Participant in Inaugural “Hacking Medicine” Conference (one of 100)
  • 2009 – Girls Incorporated of Delaware, Strong Smart & Bold Award
  • 2009 – American Association of University Women, Invited Keynote Speaker
  • 2008 – National Science Olympiad, Invited Keynote Speaker
  • 2007 – National Academy of Engineering, Japan-America Frontiers of Engineering Co-Organizer
  • 2007 – State of Delaware, Hall of Fame of Delaware Women
  • 2006 – National Academy of Engineering, Japan-America Frontiers of Engineering (one of 40)
  • 2006 – University of Delaware, Presidential Citation for Outstanding Achievement
  • 2005 – National Academy of Engineering, U.S. Frontiers of Engineering (one of 100)

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.

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

Research

My research and writing focus on interdisciplinary approaches to medical innovation and creativity. I have authored or co-authored ten textbooks, on a multitude of topics including engineering ethics; humanitarian medicine and frugal innovation; affordable healthcare solutions; global health; 3D printing; medical materials from renewable resources; tissue engineering and regenerative medicine; drug delivery; and biomaterials. Moving forward, I hope to train new biomedical innovators to address pressing and emerging challenges, such as personalized medicine, remote telemedicine, health care cybersecurity, opioid addiction and pandemic preparedness.

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

* This physician's clinical practice is independent of Drexel University.