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Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic has Been Elected to the US Institute of Medicine

The best Serbian scientist of all-time Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic has recently been elected to the Institute of Medicine. Two years ago she was elected into the National Academy of Engineering, and now she has been elected to the elite Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academies. Two mentioned branches together with National Research Council present the most respectable institution in the world of science – National Academy of Science, USA. For the second time, she is honored a place among more than 300 Nobel prize winners, who are also members of the National Academy of Science.

Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic is professor of Biomedical Engineering and the Director of Laboratory for Stem Cells and Tissue Engineering at distinguished Columbia University, New York, NY.

“I was thrilled to hear the news. This is such a great honor. My lab is diligently working on developing new technologies for regenerating bone, heart, and lung, and for drug testing in human tissue platforms.” says Vunjak-Novakovic. “We are just entering the era of personalized medicine, and this is a most exciting time to be a biomedical engineer. We are very satisfied with progress we are making in these fields. Our research presents very exciting collaborative efforts between biology and engineering.”

Gordana earned her PhD in chemical engineering from the University of Belgrade, Serbia where she learned to perform research activities. As a Fulbright Fellow she arrived at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). She was lucky to meet and work with the most famous and the most cited bioengineer of our time, Professor Robert Langer, who invented a new area – tissue engineering. Among her many recognitions, Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic is also a member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts. She has over 70 patents, accepted and registered.

“The election into the National Academy of Engineering for me presents a great honor. I am really happy because I am the first women from Serbia and at the same time the first woman at Columbia to ever earn that prestigious distinction. Of course, this is the confirmation to my profession, to the Faculty where I work, and to the country where I was born”, said PHD Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic.

 Source: Politika