Rate My Professor Barbara Boyan

Barbara D. Boyan, Ph.D., serves as Executive Director of the Institute for Engineering and Medicine and holds the Alice T. and William H. Goodwin, Jr. Chair in Biomedical Engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University College of Engineering, where she is also a professor of biomedical engineering. She was the Dean of the College of Engineering from 2013 to 2022. Prior to joining VCU, Boyan was a professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology (2002–2012), serving as Associate Dean for Research and Innovation, Price Gilbert, Jr. Chair in Tissue Engineering, and Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar. Her earlier career included leadership roles at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, such as Director of Research (1988–), Director of the Industry-University Cooperative Research Center (1986–), and Director of the Center for the Enhancement of the Biology/Biomaterials Interface (1992–).

Boyan received her B.A. in Biology in 1970, M.A. in Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology in 1974, and Ph.D. in 1975, all from Rice University. Her research specializes in musculoskeletal biology, including bone mineralization, cartilage cell biology, tissue-engineered products for orthopedic and oral health applications, and advanced implant technologies. A renowned entrepreneur, she co-founded OsteoBiologics Inc. in 1993 and has launched several other biomedical companies, holding 24 U.S. patents. She is the author of over 520 peer-reviewed publications. Boyan’s contributions have earned her election to the National Academy of Engineering (2012), fellowship in the National Academy of Inventors (2016), American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, Orthopaedic Research Society, and others. Notable awards include the AADOCR Distinguished Scientist Award (2022), North American Spine Society Henry Farfan Award (2020), and service as AADOCR President (1996–1997). She has chaired the FDA Orthopaedic Device Panel and serves on various boards, including the Virginia Innovation Partnership Authority.