August 15, 2007 —

BME extends a very warm welcome to Dr. Francisco Valero-Cuevas, who joins us this Fall as Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Biokinesiology. Dr. Valero-Cuevas obtained his BS in Engineering at Swarthmore College, a MS in Mechanical Engineering from Queen’s University in Canada, and his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University. Until recently, he was an Associate Professor at the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Cornell University with a secondary appointment in Orthopedic Surgery, as well as Associate Scientist in the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. He has won numerous awards over the years, with the most noteworthy being the NSF Faculty Early Career Development Award.
  
Dr. Valero-Cuevas’ long-term research goal is the elucidation of the fundamental principles of neuromuscular versatility in the control of dextrous manipulation of the human finger. His novel approach emphasizes the integration of experimental and analytical methods that incoporate knowledge from fields as diverse as neurophysiology, biomechanics, mathematics and computer science. The scope of his inquiry is not limited to understanding normal musculo-skeletal function but also extends to the clinical realm, in particular the rehabilitation of finger manipulation function in post-injury or disease conditions. He is an Associate Editor for the IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering and a regular member of the NIH Motor Function, Speech and Rehabilitation (grant review) Study Section.