Fereydoon Namavar, ScD, is a professor emeritus in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation, and director of the Nano-Biotechnology Laboratory. He is an active member of the Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience and a courtesy professor at the Department of Electrical Engineering at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. Dr. Namavar earned a Doctor of Science, summa cum laude, degree in nuclear physics, from the Institute for Nuclear and Radiation Physics at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium. One of his primary research interests is to understand how cells attach to a nanostructured surface. By mimicking the cell behavior, he is designing and fabricating nanostructured surfaces that exhibit or simulate the effects of a cell in cell-cell interactions. Presently, he is also involved with the development of novel concepts and technologies to maximize the lifetime of orthopaedic implants and minimize the possibility of wear and revision surgery through the development of novel nanostructure materials for (i) friction and wear reduction, (ii) substrates for tissue engineering and enhancement of bone growth, and (iii) novel anti-bacterial coatings for short- and long-term applications of prosthetic devices. In a collaborative research project with other UNMC faculty, Dr. Namavar is using stem cell nanotechnology to regulate cellular growth in order to enhance or prevent cell proliferation, to either improve health or prevent disease with an emphasis on orthopaedic applications. Dr. Namavar has received over 50 grants and contracts from a variety of corporations and government agencies, including DOE, DOD, NIH, NASA and NSF. He has authored or co-authored over 230 scientific papers throughout his career. He collaborates with scientists around the world and holds seven patents, including US patent 7,048,767, entitled “Nano-crystalline, homo-metallic, protective coatings” for reducing the wear of artificial orthopaedics implants. Dr. Namavar was awarded professor emeritus status on January 1, 2014.
Walter W. Huurman, MD, is a Professor Emeritus of Orthopaedic Surgery and Pediatrics at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. He received his MD degree from Northwestern University and completed his orthopaedic residency at the U.S. Naval Medical Center in Oakland, California. He completed training in pediatric orthopaedic surgery at the A.I. duPont Institute. A board certified orthopaedic surgeon, Dr. Huurman has served on the editorial boards of the American Academy of Pediatrics journal, Pediatrics in Review, and the Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics. He has served as associate editor of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery and on the editorial review boards of the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, and Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research. Dr. Huurman served as an oral examiner for the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (1982, 1986-87, 1990-92, & 1994-2003). He is a member of the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the North American Spine Society, and the American Orthopaedic Association. His areas of concentration include the juvenile spine, clubfoot, and juvenile hip disease, as well as editing pediatric publications. Dr. Huurman retired to Professor Emeritus status on July 31, 2006.
Julia A. Bridge, MD, FACMG, is a Professor in the UNMC Departments of Pathology, Pediatrics and Orthopaedic Surgery. She is Director of UNMC's Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory for Sarcoma Gene Rearrangements, Director of the UNMC Tissue Bank, and Director of the Nebraska Collaborative Laboratory. Dr. Bridge serves on the editorial board of Cancer Genetics, Cancer Cytopathology, Modern Pathology, and Journal of Orthopaedic Science as well as several national committees including the Soft Tissue Sarcoma and Ewing’s sarcoma committees for the Children’s Oncology Group (COG), the Molecular Oncology Committee for the College of American Pathologists (CAP) and the VA Genomic Medicine Program Advisory Committee (GMPAC). After earning her MD degree from the University of Nebraska College of Medicine, she completed a pathology residency at the University of Kansas Medical Center, a fellowship in clinical cytogenetics at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and a fellowship in molecular biology at the Southwest Biomedical Research Institute in Arizona. Board certified by the American Board of Pathology and the American Board of Medical Genetics, Dr. Bridge's research interests include the genetics of bone and soft tissue tumors.
Steven Hinrichs, MD, is Professor and Chair in the Department of Pathology and Microbiology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha and the Director of the Nebraska Public Health Laboratory (NPHL), as well as Director of the University of Nebraska Center for Biosecurity. In his position as laboratory director he has been responsible for the development of a statewide program for the rapid identification of biological agents of mass destruction. He is principal investigator of multiple national awards from the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Department of Defense for the development of an outreach program to extend training and expertise in the early recognition of biological warfare agents.
Dr. Hinrichs is past Chair of the APHL committee on Management and Information Systems and is a strong advocate for further development of communication systems and electronic infrastructure in rural states. Under his direction, the NPHL was one of the first public health laboratories in the country to develop internet-based test ordering and reporting capabilities with the ultimate goal of real-time identification of emerging epidemics. He is currently the national co-leader of the Public Health Informatics Project (PHLIP), which is focused on the harmonization of electronic laboratory messaging practices.
Dr. Hinrichs' medical background includes board certification in anatomic and clinical pathology after completion of a residency at the University of California, Davis Medical Center. His research laboratory focuses on molecular diagnostics and the role of viruses in cancer. Dr. Hinrichs has published over 130 papers in basic science and medical journals.