American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering inducts two VCU engineers to its College of Fellows

By David Pulgar
VCU College of Engineering

The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering inducted Arvind Agarwal, Ph.D., and John Speich, Ph.D., of the Virginia Commonwealth University College of Engineering to its College of Fellows for their contributions to medicine.

Agarwal is professor and chair of the Department of Mechanical & Nuclear Engineering, and Speich is a professor in the department.

"I am proud of the innovative work of Drs. Agarwal and Speich and consider us at VCU Engineering very fortunate to have them as colleagues, educators and mentors," said Azim Eskandarian, D.Sc., the Alice T. and William H. Goodwin Jr. Dean of the College of Engineering. "Solving the challenging problems of modern engineering requires expertise from many disciplines, and this kind of collaborative work is something we consider essential at the College of Engineering."

Agarwal pioneered new regenerative medicine technologies through the development of plasma-sprayed hydroxyapatite-carbon nanotube coatings. These coatings, tailored for orthopedic implants, improve osseointegration and mechanical durability. He was also a key investigator in the National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center for Cellular Metamaterials (Cell Met).

Agarwal led the Integrated Engineering Goal 3, focusing on the development, establishment and application of advanced cutting-edge tools and methods to test and validate engineered cardiac tissues against established gold standards and broader scientific literature. This collaborative work resulted in critical metrics used for process standardization.

"I am deeply honored and humbled to be elected as a fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering," Agarwal said. "My journey began in materials science and engineering, particularly in coatings, and gradually evolved toward understanding the mechanical behavior of biomaterials. This transition has allowed me to explore a broad spectrum, from nanocomposite orthopedic coatings to softer, complex systems such as scaffolds, cells and biological tissues. It is especially meaningful to see this interdisciplinary path recognized by AIMBE, and I remain committed to advancing materials-driven solutions that impact human health."

Speich made significant contributions in the field of bladder biomechanics and urodynamics that are important steps forward in the understanding and diagnosis of overactive bladder. His collaboration with Paul Ratz, Ph.D., from the VCU School of Medicine was the first to show that the preload and active length-tension relationships in detrusor (bladder) smooth muscle are acutely regulated, leading to an editorial in the Journal of Applied Physiology noting the research's significance.

Speich's recent NIH-funded work with the Dorothy A. Pauley Department of Urology and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology involves using near infrared spectroscopy to quantify neuroexcitation and hemodynamics during bladder filling, with a goal of non-invasively identifying phenotypes based on the source of OAB as the brain, bladder or both.

"I am truly honored to be elected as an AIMBE fellow," Speich said. "My accomplishments with the VCU MechanoUrology Lab would not have been possible without Dr. Paul Ratz, who introduced me to bladder research, along with the other leaders of our team, Dr. Adam Klausner and Dr. Linda Burkett, our many collaborators at VCU and around the world, and the dozens of talented trainees that have contributed to our research over the past two decades."

Election to the AIMBE College of Fellows is among the highest professional distinctions available to medical and biological engineers, comprising the top two percent of engineers in these fields. College membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to engineering and medicine research, practice or education. Inductees also lead the pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of medical and biological engineering or developing/implementing innovative approaches to bioengineering education.

A version of this story was originally published on the College of Engineering website.