Gilda A. Barabino, Ph.D.
President (Former)
Professor of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering
Olin College of Engineering
Seminar Information
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a debilitating genetic disorder affecting 100,000 Americans and millions globally, that induces chronic inflammation and vascular dysfunction and causes multiple organ damage as a result. The application of engineering approaches to better understand, treat, manage, and cure SCD has contributed to important breakthroughs and improved health outcomes for individuals living with the disease.
This presentation provides a window into engineering approaches to SCD from the perspective of an engineer with decades long engagement in sickle cell research, education and advocacy.
Gilda Barabino served as the second President of Olin College of Engineering where she currently holds a faculty appointment as Professor of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering. Prior to Olin, she held faculty and administrative appointments at the City College of New York, Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University and Northeastern University. A chemical engineer by training, with broad interests in global health and interdisciplinary research and education, Dr. Barabino prepares future leaders and enables technological advances at the intersection of engineering and medicine. At the City College of New York, she established the Master’s in Translational Medicine program integrating engineering, medical innovation, and entrepreneurship. Her seminal research in sickle cell disease and orthopedic engineering informed current technologies and formed the basis for novel therapies.
Dr. Barabino leads on a global stage and is the Past Board Chair and Past President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She serves as the Chair of the National Academies Committee on Women in Science, Engineering and Medicine and chairs the National Academy of Medicine’s Commission on Investment Imperatives
for a Healthy Nation. She also serves on the boards of AAC&U, Beth Israel Deaconess - Needham Hospital, GlobalMindED, the Lingnan Foundation, the NIH Scientific Management Review Board, the New York Hall of Science, NYC FIRST, Pratt Institute, and VentureWell.
In recognition of her visionary leadership and far-reaching impact, Dr. Barabino has received many of the highest honors in academia and science. She is an elected member of the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Medicine, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, and the Biomedical Engineering Society. She is a recipient of the Dickson Prize in Science, the
Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring, the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering’s Pierre Galletti Award and Rice University’s Distinguished Alumni Award.
Dr. Barabino earned her BS in Chemistry from Xavier University of Louisiana and her PhD in Chemical Engineering from Rice University. She holds honorary degrees from Dartmouth College and Xavier University of Louisiana.