Carnegie Corporation Honors BMES Fellow Athanasiou

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Carnegie Corporation Honors BMES Fellow Athanasiou and Other Distinguished Immigrants for Their Vital and Inspiring Contributions to Our Democracy

Landover, MD, June 28, 2023 — The Carnegie Corporation of New York today announced its annual list of Great Immigrants, honoring 35 naturalized citizens who have enriched and strengthened our society and our democracy, including BMES Fellow Kyriacos A. Athanasiou, originally from Cyprus, who is Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of California, Irvine.

Athanasiou is a long-time BMES supporter and creator of the Athanasiou Endowment Fund. At the BMES Annual Meeting this year, Oct. 11-14 in Seattle, WA, the first BMES Medal of Excellence in Translational Bioengineering (the Athanasiou Medal) will be awarded. The award also supports the BMES journals program.

Athanasiou is a Greek Cypriot-American bioengineer who has contributed significantly to both academic advancements as well as high-technology industries. He is currently a Distinguished Professor at the University of California, Irvine. He joined UCI from the University of California, Davis where he also served as the Chair of the Biomedical Engineering department. Before joining the University of California in 2009, he was the Karl F. Hasselmann Professor at Rice University. He has published hundreds of scientific articles detailing structure-function relationships and tissue engineering approaches for articular cartilage, the knee meniscus, and the temporomandibular joint.

In addition to his academic accomplishments, Athanasiou is known for his significant contributions in co-founding fifteen companies based on technologies co-developed by his group. 

In 2002, Athanasiou was elected President of the Biomedical Engineering Society, serving as BMES President from 2003 through 2004. He has also served as editor-in-chief of the Society's flagship journal, the Annals of Biomedical Engineering.

Among other awards and recognitions, Athanasiou has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine and the National Academy of Inventors. In addition to being a BMES Fellow, he is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. 

The 2023 Class of Great Immigrants is comprised of naturalized citizens from 33 countries and a wide range of backgrounds and fields. For generations, immigrants have come to the United States seeking opportunities for themselves and their families. Among this year’s honorees, like Athanasiou, are individuals who have fostered opportunities for others through their work as educators, mentors, philanthropists, job creators, public servants, storytellers, and advocates. 

Each Fourth of July since 2006, the Carnegie Corporation has invited Americans to celebrate these exemplary individuals by participating in its online public awareness campaign, Great Immigrants, Great Americans.

For further information, please contact:
John Falcioni | Executive Director/COE
Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES)
falcionij@bmes.org | 301.459.1999

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About the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES):
The Biomedical Engineering Society promotes a collaborative and inclusive community to advance human health through education, discovery, and translation. Its vision is the health and wellness for all through engineering innovation.