Dr. Laura Niklason honored for leadership in health and technology
In just one week, Dr. Laura Niklason was honored for her outstanding contributions to health and technology by two major organizations.
On April 20, Fortune magazine published its “34 Leaders Who Are Changing Health Care,” list. Along with Joe Biden, Bill and Melinda Gates, Atul Gawande, and Arianna Huffington, Niklason was recognized for “driving progress in medicine and the business of keeping us healthy.” Specifically, Niklason was singled out by Fortune for her work as founder of Humacyte, where she has led efforts to engineer vascular and lung tissue as the company’s founder.
A leader in “regenerative medicine,” Niklason innovated bioengineered blood vessels for patients with kidney failure as well as peripheral artery disease. The man-made vessels, known as human acellular vessels (HAVs), are currently in clinical trials. Niklason’s engineered blood vessels are the first life-sustaining engineered tissue to be studied in any Phase III trial.
Also this week, Women in Technology International announced that Niklason would be among its 2017 inductees to the Women in Technology Hall of Fame. Considered one of the most prestigious honors for women in technology, the award was established in 1996 to “recognize, honor, and promote the outstanding contributions women make to the technological communities that improve society and business.” Inductees have also demonstrated commitment to mentoring women and girls in STEM. The 2017 honorees will be inducted at the 23rd Annual Women in Technology Summit in San Jose, California on June 12.
Niklason is the Nicholas Greene Professor of Anesthesiology and professor of biomedical engineering at Yale School of Medicine. Her research focuses primarily on regenerative strategies for cardiovascular and lung tissues. Niklason’s lab was one of the first to describe the engineering of whole lung tissue that could exchange gas in vivo.
