IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2022 - 33

WIE From Around the World
Representing the
Underrepresented
Akay promoting global opportunities
d
Dr. Metin Akay has always been drawn
to biomedical applications of technology,
even before the graduate field of
biomedical engineering was fully developed.
" When I was a little boy, I would
go to the dentist or doctor's office with
excitement and be amazed by all of the
equipment envisioned, designed, and
implemented by engineers, " he recalls.
When he thought about a future field
of study, engineering was always in his
mind because of its ability to have an
impact on people, society, and the economy,
and the crossroads of engineering,
science, and medicine was where he felt
most inspired.
Driven to Serve
He had a tragic personal connection as
well. Growing up in Sivas, in the eastern
part of Turkey, Akay was only four years
old when his sister sadly passed away
from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
(SIDS). " It was a great tragedy for our
family, especially for my mother, " he
shares. " I always had a burning desire
in my heart and mind to help. " Akay
later joined a group working on the
causes and prevention of SIDS while he
was on the faculty at Dartmouth College,
explaining, " It's very rewarding to
work on something this impactful. You
have an incredible impulse inside you
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MWIE.2022.3155896
Date of current version: 4 May 2022
to be part of the solution, and you never
feel tired. "
This passion never wavered. Akay
received his B.S. and M.S. degrees
in electrical engineering from
Bogazici University in Turkey
and a Ph.D. degree in
biomedical engineering
from Rutgers University
in New Jersey. Although
graduate programs in
biomedical engineering
were still in low numbers,
Akay sought out Dr. Walter
Welkowitz, the founding
department chair at Rutgers and
also one of the inventors of the artificial
heart, eager to be a part of his
lab and further the field. " I was mentored
by two brilliant neuroscientists
and biomedical engineers at Rutgers,
Dr. Welkowitz and Dr. Jerome Lettvin,
who significantly influenced my career, "
he explains.
Now, as president of IEEE's Engiton.
" We built a very unique translational
research environment, focused on
integrating innovative research and academic
programs to meet the demands
and requirements of the ever-changing
global economy that continues to drive
health-care technology, management,
and delivery, " he explains. What that
looks like is a program filled with academic
rigor but also a welcoming, caring
culture that includes an open-door
policy where any student can visit with
Akay at any time.
" I came to Houston because when I
interviewed, I realized that many
of the kids are the first in
their families to go to college
and are coming from
economically disadvantaged
or underrepresented
groups, " he shares. " I
thought that if I could
build a unique department
Dr. Metin Akay
that could graduate these
students into the workforce
and leadership positions in
health care, it would really shape the
future for and inspire those kids from
underrepresented groups. " To that end,
the department has built several collaborations
with industry, and many
of its Ph.D. graduates have gone on to
respected health-care companies such
as Siemens, Philips, Abbott, Medtronic,
Merck, and more.
Akay also launched an undergraduneering
in Medicine and Biology Society
(EMBS) in addition to founding chair and
John S. Dunn Endowed Chair Professor in
the Department of Biomedical Engineering
at the University of Houston, Dr. Akay
is committed to promoting and fostering
health-care engineering innovation globally
as well as to the next generation of
biomedical engineers who will practice it.
He is proud of the department he
established at the University of HousJUNE
2022
ate research program sponsored by the
department for students who would have
otherwise needed jobs off campus. " They
work in the lab as paid undergraduate
research assistants, which lets them get
attached to the research and think about
higher education, " he adds. " I think it's
an inspiring environment for them to be
working side by side with senior students. "
The lab is the Neural Engineering
and Informatics Laboratory, which Akay
IEEE WOMEN IN ENGINEERING MAGAZINE
33
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2022

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