Cardiovascular bioengineering expert joins UB faculty

B. Rita Alevriadou, a renowned scholar in the field of cardiovascular bioengineering, has joined the Department of Biomedical Engineering as a SUNY Empire Innovation Professor.

Alevriadou, who comes to UB from The Ohio State University, brings with her a strong track record of experience and leadership. She was director of OSU’s Vascular Mechanotransduction and Oxidative Stress Laboratory, and a member of the Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute, as well as an associate professor in the departments of Biomedical Engineering and Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine.

Prior to joining OSU, she was an assistant professor of biomedical engineering at The Johns Hopkins University. She received her PhD in chemical engineering from Rice University in 1992, followed by postdoctoral training at The Scripps Research Institute.

Alevriadou’s research focuses on understanding the molecular basis of cardiovascular diseases, such as atherosclerosis, ischemia/reperfusion injury and diabetes; her emphasis is on the role of hemodynamic shear stress on vascular endothelial cell redox status, calcium signaling, mitochondrial function and survival.

Her research is supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the American Heart Association (AHA). She is a member of the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES), where she serves on the International Affairs Committee, and was formerly on the BMES Board of Directors, and the Student Affairs and Diversity committees.

She is also a member of the Society for Redox Biology and Medicine (SfRBM) and a member of the SfRBM Women in Science mentoring program, the North American Vascular Biology Organization (NAVBO) and the AHA. She regularly reviews for federal and local funding agencies, including the NIH, AHA and National Science Foundation, and for bioengineering journals, and has been a member of the editorial board of the American Journal of Physiology-Cell Physiology since 2002.

“We are extremely pleased that Rita will be joining UB,” says Albert Titus, professor and chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering. “She will have an immediate impact within our department and across the university, building on our existing strengths in cardiovascular research.”

The Empire Innovation Program (SUNY EIP) is a state-funded competitive grant program dedicated to recruiting and retaining world-class faculty at SUNY. EIP scholars drive innovation, enhance partnerships with business and industry, increase tech transfer, create opportunities for student research, and increase the competitiveness of SUNY’s professional and graduate education programs.

Formed 10 years ago with an initial investment from the John R. Oshei Foundation, the Department of Biomedical Engineering is a collaboration between the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.