You, Too, Can Peer Review! A Guide for Contributing to the Peer Review Process

Organizers

Yaihara Fortis, PhD

The New York Academy of Sciences

Cherise Bernard, PhD

Elsevier

Keynote Speakers

Kam W. Leong, PhD

Editor-in-Chief, Biomaterials
Columbia University

Professor Kam W. Leong completed his PhD in Chemical Engineering at University of Pennsylvania in 1987, before joining the faculty at Johns Hopkins University where he was appointed Professor (1991) of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine; Department of Materials Science and Engineering; and the Department of Orthopedic Surgery (1998). In 2006, he joined the faculty at Duke University as a Professor with joint-appointments in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science. He moved to Columbia University in 2014, where he is currently the Samuel Y. Sheng Professor in Biomedical Engineering. He holds Honorary Professorships at Wuhan University, Sun Yat-sen University, Sichuan University, Zhejiang University, and Beijing University of Chemical Technology.

Professor Leong has been awarded numerous honors including a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Chinese American Society of Nanotechnology and Nanomedicine (2017), the Chinese Academy of Sciences President's Fellowship for Distinguished Scientists (2016), and is an Elected Member of the USA National Academy of Engineering (2013) and USA National Academy of Inventors (2013). He has published over 330 peer-reviewed manuscripts, holds 54 patents, and is the current Editor-in-Chief of Biomaterials.

Professor Leong's research focuses on understanding and exploiting the interactions of cells with biomaterials for therapeutic applications. Beginning in 1985, he has been applying controlled release principles to the delivery of chemotherapeutics, DNA-based therapeutics, and cells via polymeric biomaterials. In cancer therapy, Professor Leong was instrumental in the development of Gliadel, a controlled-release polymer invented in Professor Robert Langer's laboratory for delivering carmustine to the brain tumor site of tens of thousands of patients after surgical removal. With Dr. Tadao Ohno he developed a tumor vaccine comprising cytokines and autologous tumor tissue fragments. It has been used to treat over 350 brain cancer patients in Japan. In nonviral gene therapy, Professor Leong demonstrated the feasibility of using DNA nanoparticles to deliver FVIII and FIX genes orally to treat hemophilia in animal models. He has also developed nanomanufacturing techniques to produce DNA nanoparticles, a critical barrier in the eventual translation of nonviral gene therapy. In regenerative medicine, Professor Leong pioneered the application of DNA nanoparticles to directly convert fibroblasts into functional neurons, raising the possibility of treating intractable neurodegenerative disorders via nonviral cell therapy. He has also recently developed nanoparticle-mediated genome editing technologies.

Angela Welch, PhD

Senior Publisher, Chemical and Biomedical Engineering
Elsevier

Angela received her BS, MS, and PhD (2010) from the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Troy, NY) where she investigated tissue engineering applications in peripheral nerve repair. As a result, her research interests include: (neural) tissue engineering, BioMEMs, micro/nano-patterning, scaffold design, and biological image analysis. She has authored three manuscripts, and presented her work via poster and podium presentations at national conferences and invited talks. Since then, Angela has translated her biomedical engineering background into publishing. In her current role as Senior Publisher at Elsevier, she oversees the editorial and financial health of a suite of journals dedicated to the areas of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering. Most recently, she has helped launch two new biomedical journals: Current Opinion in Biomedical Engineering and the Journal of Immunology and Regenerative Medicine. Over the past six years, Angela has presented Author and Reviewer Workshops at universities, corporations, and conferences in the United States, Brazil, Europe, Asia, and Australia. She has also had the distinct pleasure of serving as a Guest Judge for the Northeast Bioengineering Conference Poster Competition (2014) and the Biomedical Engineering Society Undergraduate Design Competition (2015 Annual Meeting). Angela enjoys inspiring others to follow their passions in pursuit of a STEM or STEM-related career, whether at the K-12, collegiate, or post-graduate level.