UCT academic inducted into prestigious American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering

Professor Deon Bezuidenhout of the University of Cape Town (UCT) has been elected to join the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) College of Fellows, which comprises the top 2% of the medical and biological engineering community.

Professor Bezuidenhout is the director of the Cardiovascular Research Unit and the co-director of the Cape Heart Institute at UCT.

He was nominated, reviewed and elected by peers and members of the College of Fellows for leading biomaterials contributions to advance cardiac devices and advocating for accessibility of such devices to underprivileged patients.

“I am honoured to have been elected a fellow of the AIMBE. The membership opens additional opportunities for collaboration with distinguished colleagues.”

“I am honoured to have been elected a fellow of the AIMBE. The membership opens additional opportunities for collaboration with distinguished colleagues to facilitate the application of biomaterials science and engineering to the development of medical devices, especially those suitable for patients in low- and middle-income countries who may otherwise have little or no access to treatment,” said Bezuidenhout.

“I am especially grateful to Professor Art Coury from Northeastern University (Boston) for his nomination and support.”

Trajectory

As professor in the Department of Surgery at UCT, Bezuidenhout teaches the multidisciplinary field of biomaterials science at undergraduate and postgraduate levels to students from backgrounds in science, engineering, surgery and medicine. He has 25 years of experience with the design, synthesis, modification and processing of polymeric and bioprosthetic materials, and specialises in the development of biomaterial scaffolds and biomimetic matrices for prosthetic and regenerative medicine approaches to vascular grafts, heart valves and other applications.

Bezuidenhout is also a founder member and technical director of Strait Access Technologies, a university start-up company that develops transcatheter aortic heart valve replacements and related devices.

A formal induction ceremony will be held during AIMBE’s 2021 Annual Event on 26 March. Bezuidenhout will be inducted along with 174 colleagues who make up the AIMBE College of Fellows Class of 2021.