Savio Woo, Ph.D., D.Sc., D.Eng.

ASME has established a new Society-level award, the ASME Savio L-Y. Woo Translational Biomechanics Medal, which recognizes ASME members who have translated meritorious bioengineering science to clinical practice through research, education, professional development, and service to the bioengineering community.

Nominations are now being accepted for the award, which was proposed by the ASME Bioengineering Division and celebrates the career and achievements of bioengineering trailblazer Savio L-Y. Woo, Ph.D., a Distinguished University Professor of Bioengineering and the founder and director of the Musculoskeletal Research Center (MSRC) at the University of Pittsburgh.

Dr. Woo, an ASME Life Fellow and former chair of the Bioengineering Division, is a pioneer in translational biomechanics who has conducted research in the healing and repair of tissues for more than 40 years. Woo joined the University of Pittsburgh faculty in 1990 after spending 20 years as professor of surgery and bioengineering at the University of California, San Diego. He and his research teams have authored more than 320 original research papers in refereed journals, as well as 146 book chapters and review articles, and their work has had a significant impact on the management of ligament and tendon injuries.

The Board of Directors of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has named Savio L-Y. Woo, Ph.D., D. Sc.(Hon.), D. Eng. (Hon.) the 2012 recipient of the prestigious IEEE Gold Medal for Innovations in Healthcare Technology. The IEEE Gold Medal is presented for outstanding contributions and/or innovations in engineering within the fields of medicine, biology and healthcare technology, and is sponsored by the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS).

Dr. Woo is a Distinguished University Professor of Bioengineering and the Founder and Director of the Musculoskeletal Research Center (MSRC) of the Department of Bioengineering, Swanson School of Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh. He was recognized by the IEEE for “pivotal contributions to biomechanics and its application to orthopaedic surgery and sports medicine.”

“Savio Woo is a great scientist and engineer.  This award, the 2012 IEEE Gold Medal of Innovations in Healthcare Technology could not go to a more deserving person,” noted Gerald D. Holder, the Swanson School U.S. Steel Dean of Engineering. “Dr. Woo has previously been awarded the Olympic Gold Medal in Sports Medicine, the only engineer ever to be so recognized, and this award cements his status as one of the leading healthcare engineers in the world.”