Image credit: Acers
An interdisciplinary research forum titled “Engineering Better Outcomes – A Dialogue with the UC Engineering Community to Build Collaborations” was held on Jan. 15, 2026, at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC). The event brought together faculty from engineering, science, and medicine to explore collaborative research opportunities at the interface of engineering and healthcare.
Engineering faculty presented recent advances in nano-biomedicine closely related to materials science, bioceramics, biomaterials, nanoparticles, medical devices, and nano-enabled diagnostic and therapeutic technologies. The forum highlighted the critical role of advanced materials in medical applications such as implants, drug and gene delivery, biosensing, and regenerative medicine.
The informal, discussion-driven format encouraged open exchange of ideas and immediate feedback from basic and clinical researchers, helping to identify new interdisciplinary research directions. These interactions are expected to catalyze future collaborations between engineering and medical faculty and to accelerate translational research.
This event provides the strong relevance of bioceramics and advanced nanomaterials research to healthcare innovation and highlights opportunities for researchers and students to engage with The American Ceramic Society (ACerS) through membership, technical divisions, and participation in Society-sponsored conferences and symposia.
The forum was organized by Drs. Mattia Quattrocelli and Paul Spearman, of CCHMC. As part of local outreach activities, Donglu Shi (University of Cincinnati, College of Engineering and Applied Science) assisted in identifying and coordinating UC engineering faculty whose research aligns with clinical and translational interests at CCHMC. Shi serves as the Outreach Chair of the ACerS Dayton/Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Chapter, facilitating connections between advanced materials researchers and biomedical and clinical collaborators.
