A bioengineer who is working to grow new arteries in a lab and an industrial engineer who is developing a health care app are the first winners of two new awards that strengthen ties between Clemson University and Greenville Health System (GHS).
Dan Simionescu and Kevin Taaffe, both of Clemson University, have each won awards named for Jerry E. Dempsey and his late wife, Harriet. Dempsey received his mechanical engineering degree from Clemson in 1954 and is the former chairman of the GHS board of trustees.
The professorship awards were set up to help encourage collaboration between Clemson engineers who work on the cutting edge of technology and GHS clinicians who can help ensure that research reflects patient needs.
“This is an exciting moment,” Dempsey said. “Not only are we honoring two individual researchers, but we are also strengthening the bonds between two organizations that help make the Upstate great. Bringing together Clemson and GHS positions us to work together on the groundbreaking research that will improve patient outcomes here at home and around the world.
Clemson and GHS officials gathered Tuesday to announce the awards at the Clemson University Biomedical Engineering Innovation Campus (CUBEInC). The campus is a collection of cutting-edge Clemson labs and offices at the GHS Patewood Medical Campus.
Spence Taylor, the president and chief academic officer of Greenville Health System Clinical University, said, “The Dempsey professorship awards demonstrate continued collaboration between GHS and Clemson to address what we believe to be America’s greatest health threat: the challenged health care system itself.
“This initiative promotes transformation through the advancement of patient-centered care, quality improvement and service innovation. The combined impact of our clinicians and researchers working together exceeds what we can do as individual institutions.” Read Full Story »
Paul Alongi, College of Engineering and Science
