October 21, 2021
The Roy Blunt NextGen Precision Health building.
From telehealth to wearable step trackers, engineering has enabled a revolution of how we approach health today. Giovanna Guidoboni, Associate Dean for Research at Mizzou Engineering, will discuss ways engineers are playing a key role in medical advancements during a NextGen Precision Health Discovery Series talk in December.
Guidoboni
“Engineering is vital to precision health,” Guidoboni said. “Engineers are developing home sensors that monitor health conditions. They’re designing biomaterials for novel treatments. And they’re analyzing and interpreting medical images so providers can make sense of the data and help connect the wide spectrum of information available for a single patient.”
The virtual seminar, “Engineering Precision Health,” is from noon to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 7.
The NextGen Precision Health Discovery Series provides learning opportunities for UM System faculty and staff across disciplines. It’s part of the Roy Blunt NextGen Precision Health building, which celebrated its grand opening earlier this week.
NextGen Precision Health will help facilitate the translation of crucial lab research into specialized, individualized health care treatment. Mizzou Engineering faculty there will focus on research efforts around innovative biomaterials, cancer detection and treatment, as well as provide expertise on computing infrastructure, bioinformatics and data analytics.
Mizzou Engineering has been involved in the project in other ways, too.
Jim Fitterling, ME ’83, and Mike Brown, EE ’79, serve on the NextGen Advisory Board and each made significant financial commitments.
Companies with alumni affiliations worked on the design and construction of the building, too. PayneCrest Electric and Communications — led by CEO David Payne, EE ’83 — completed major infrastructure installations at the 265,000-square-foot facility. Burns & McDonnell — led by CEO Ray Kowalik, Civil BS ’85, MS ’99 — provided architectural, master planning and engineering design services. David Peterson, CE ’11, and Buddy Hendrix, ME ’90, are two Burns & McDonnell employees who were directly involved in the project. And several students conducted internships on the site working for PayneCrest and other contractors.
“I’m really pleased by how much Mizzou Engineering has been able to be a part of making this facility a reality,” said Noah Manring, Mizzou Engineering Dean and Ketcham Professor. “Our researchers and students will now have tremendous opportunities to collaborate with peers and conduct leading-edge research. I look forward to seeing the medical breakthroughs that come out of NextGen Precision Health.”