The College of Fellows consists of about 1,000 individuals who are the outstanding bioengineers in academia, industry and government. These leaders in the field have distinguished themselves through their contributions in research, industrial practice, and/or education. The Fellows are inducted at AIMBE's annual event, held each spring in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Gregory M. Ayers has held critical leadership roles with a number of successful medical device start-up companies. These roles range from the scientific through clinical affairs to chief executive officer. As Vice President of Clinical Affairs at InControl, Inc. he led the pre-clinical and clinical evaluations of the first implantable atrial defibrillator. To these efforts he brought a wealth of physiologic and medical expertise in cardiac electrophysiology and rhythm management. Most recently, he has led CryoCor, Inc. as a pioneer in the development of hypothermic ablation technologies for arrhythmia therapy. He is one of the few non-practicing cardiologists elected as a Fellow of the American Academy of Cardiology for his significant and practical contributions to this technology-based field. He received his BS in Interdisciplinary Engineering (Biomedical Engineering) from Purdue in 1985, his PhD in Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology from Purdue University in 1989, and his MD from Indiana University in 1992.

At C.R. Bard, Inc., Dr. John A. DeFord currently oversees Bard’s research and new product development group in the fields of vascular, urology, oncology, and surgical specialty products. Prior to joining Bard, he was the Managing Director of Early Stage Partners, a Midwest venture capital fund, where he was responsible for early stage life science investments. He led the founding and served on the Board of Directors of several life science and technology companies. At Cook Inc., Dr. DeFord spearheaded the development of several medical device divisions, including Cook Neurosurgical, Cook Radiation Oncology, and Cook Endovascular. The latter division created the worldwide product development, regulatory, sales, marketing, and operational teams which introduced the very successful Zenith™ family of endovascular grafts for the treatment of abdominal, iliac, and thoracic aneurysms. As director of the Diagnostic and Interventional Products division, he led the development of significant device innovations such as drug coated coronary and peripheral stents, endovascular grafts, biomaterial/device combinational products, antimicrobial implants, and other vascular and non-vascular products. His direction of the company’s business development activities significantly strengthened their position as a leader in the medical device industry. His vision and leadership continue to have a major impact on the development and translation of life-enhancing medical technologies.

For almost 40 years, Professor Ben M. Hillberry has been a research and education leader in the field of biomechanics. He has conducted important studies to identify the physical mechanisms contributing to osteoarthritis in the hand and hip. He has pioneered the integration of finite element modeling with simulations on cadaver specimens to predict the failure mechanisms and thereby evaluate knee, hip, and most recently spinal prostheses. He continues to work closely with numerous orthopedic device manufacturers on the design and evaluation of novel implants with increased durability and reliability. Professor Hillberry very recently retired from Purdue, and plans on spending his time sailing with family.

Congratulations to all three of Purdue's latest AIMBE Fellows!