Pitt bioengineering professor to talk about replacement parts

The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford will host Dr. William Wagner, distinguished professor at the University of Pittsburgh, for a public lecture March 13 as part of the Dr. Carol A. Baker Speaker Series.

Wagner is a professor of surgery, chemical engineering and bioengineering. His free talk, “Fifty Years after the Six Million Dollar Man and Bionic Woman – How are we Replacing and Repairing our Parts?” will take place at 7 p.m. in the Mukaiyama University Room of the Frame-Westerberg Commons. Light refreshments will be served.

Wagner is the founding editor and editor-in-chief of one of the leading biomaterials journals, Acta Biomaterialia. He has been selected to the “Scientific American 50,” the magazine’s annual list recognizing leaders in science and technology from the research, business and policy fields.

His research interests are in cardiovascular engineering projects that address medical device biocompatibility and design, biomaterial development and tissue engineering. He runs the Wagner Cardiovascular Engineering Laboratory at the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Pitt.

“I learned about Dr. Wagner’s Lab when its OneValve Team won the Pitt Innovation Challenge in 2019,” said Dr. David Merwine, chair of the Division of Biological & Health Sciences.  “I teach a Biomedical Engineering seminar course every other spring and was very excited to share this artificial heart valve work with my students. I can’t wait to see what other advancements Dr. Wagner will describe.”  

Wagner’s research has generated 50 patents to date, and patent filings have resulted in the formation of three companies. In 2017, he was inducted as a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors. 

Dr. Carol A. Baker, for whom the biology guest lecture is named, is a biologist and was the vice president and dean of academic affairs at Pitt-Bradford from 1989 until 2002. The Dr. Carol A. Baker Speaker Series brings scientists to campus who can speak to the public about their research and meet with Pitt-Bradford students and faculty.

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