Savio L-Y. Woo Appointed to National Health Research Institute Scientific Council

PITTSBURGH (Oct. 1, 2020) … Savio L-Y. Woo, distinguished university professor emeritus of bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh, has been appointed as a standing member of the National Health Research Institute Scientific Council in Taiwan, ROC beginning in 2021.

Established in 1995 by the Taiwan government, the National Health Research Institutes (NHRI) is a non-profit foundation dedicated to the enhancement of medical research and the improvement of healthcare in Taiwan. 

This prestigious election reflects Dr. Woo’s pioneering research in the field of bioengineering and his more than 50 years of translational research in the healing and repair of tissues. 

“Professor Woo is a world-renowned researcher in the musculoskeletal biomechanics and tissue engineering arena, and we have been fortunate to have him as a member of our department for three decades,” said Sanjeev Shroff, distinguished professor and Gerald E. McGinnis Chair of Bioengineering at Pitt. “We have benefited significantly from his uncanny ability to identify important new research questions and his outstanding mentorship of students and young faculty. I am certain that these talents will serve him well in his new endeavor.”

His nearly four decades of experience with the U.S. National Institutes of Health, starting as a site visitor and grant reviewer in the mid-70s, have prepared Dr. Woo for this new Scientific Council appointment. He served on the Medical Engineering and Biotechnology Study Section from 1992-1998. He was then asked to serve as chairman of the Scientific Review Committee IV-Medical Engineering and has been serving in this position since 1998.

Dr. Woo has been asked to represent biomedical engineering on the Scientific Council, which makes the final decision on which grants are funded. He will step down from his chairman position with the NHRI to serve on the Scientific Council beginning in 2021. 

About Dr. Savio L-Y. Woo

Savio L-Y. Woo is a Distinguished University Professor Emeritus of Bioengineering and the Founder and Director of the Musculoskeletal Research Center, a diverse multidisciplinary research and educational center in the Department of Bioengineering, Swanson School of Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh. He arrived at the University of Pittsburgh in 1990 after spending 20 years at the University of California, San Diego as a Professor of Surgery and Bioengineering.

Professor Woo, a pioneer in bioengineering, is renowned for his 50 years of translational research and education to improve healing and repair of soft tissues. He and his colleagues have published 311 original research papers that have led to paradigm shifts in clinical management to improve patient outcome. Professor Woo is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, National Academy of Medicine and Academia Sinica.