Event Recap: 3rd Annual Rising Stars in Engineering in Health Workshop

A tradition started by Columbia University's Department of Biomedical Engineering lived on in its third iteration, but for the first time, it was not hosted by Columbia.

On November 18th and 19th, 2022, prominent researchers across the United States and Canada convened on the campus of Johns Hopkins University for the 2022 Rising Stars in Engineering in Health Workshop. The workshop selects a couple dozen of the best and brightest young researchers working at the intersection of engineering and biomedicine. Those selected for the Rising Stars cohort are typically one to two years away from applying for a faculty position, hoping to gain valuable insight into the journey of a prospective new faculty researcher through the two-day interactive workshop.

This year, the workshop was a joint venture between Columbia Engineering, Columbia Medicine, and Johns Hopkins Biomedical Engineering. Each institution pursues excellence in engineering in health and has prioritized doing so in an environment that embraces diversity, equity, and inclusion. This workshop represents the collaboration between Columbia and Johns Hopkins as they work side-by-side to innovate at the intersection of engineering and health science and educate the next generation of scientists.

This year, the Rising Stars honed their interview and communication skills by presenting 5-minute lightning talks in an overview of their research. They met with junior and senior faculty to gain more insight into the world of academia. And in a new twist this year, the Rising Stars even practiced improv to improve their confidence and interview skills when seeking faculty positions.

However, this year also saw a surprise in the welcoming of the Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering at Cornell University as a new institutional partner for the Rising Stars in Engineering in Health Workshop. Starting in 2023, the workshop will be supported by all three universities, with the location changing campus every year. 2023's Rising Stars in Engineering in Health Workshop is expected to be hosted by Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.

Be sure to follow Columbia BME (@ColumbiaBME), Cornell BME (@CornellBME), and Johns Hopkins BME (@JHUBME) on social media for updates about the next call for applications!