SBME Symposium 2026

2026

This inclusive event welcomes students, researchers, industry professionals, and biomedical engineering enthusiasts alike to a day filled with insightful presentations and valuable networking opportunities.

DR. CONNIE EAVES MEMORIAL LECTURESHIP: Dr. Lola Eniola-Adefeso

The Dr. Connie Eaves Memorial Lectureship for Women in Biomedical Engineering celebrates distinguished researchers who have made significant contributions to the BME field. This year’s recipient is Dr. Lola Eniola-Adefeso, Dean of the UIC College of Engineering. Don’t miss Dr. Eniola-Adefeso’s lecture, titled “Leveraging the Natural Cellular and Biomolecular Interactions in Blood for the Design of Targeted, Anti-Inflammatory Particle Therapeutics,” at this year’s Symposium.

Lecture Abstract:

Vascular-targeted particle therapeutics offer the possibility of increased drug effectiveness while minimizing side effects often associated with systemic drug administration. Factors that influence the likelihood of targeted particle therapeutics reaching the vascular wall are the ability to identify 1) a disease-specific target, 2) the appropriate drug carrier type and geometry for efficient interaction with the vascular wall, and 3) a drug-carrier combination that allows for the desired release of the targeted therapeutics. Dr. Eniola Adefeso’s work focuses on probing the role of particle geometry, material chemistry, and blood rheology/dynamics on the ability of vascular-targeted drug carriers to interact with the blood vessel wall – an important consideration that will control the effectiveness of drug targeting regardless of the targeted disease or delivered therapeutically. This presentation will highlight the carrier-blood cell interactions that affect drug carrier binding to the vascular wall and alter critical neutrophil functions in disease. In this talk, Dr. Eniola-Adefeso will present the material design parameters for optimal drug carriers’ design for active and passive use in treating acute lung injury and other inflammatory diseases.

Dr. Lola Eniola-Adefeso’s Biography:

Lola Eniola-Adefeso is the 10th dean of the University of Illinois Chicago College of Engineering. A distinguished chemical and biomedical engineer, she brings over 25 years of experience advancing interdisciplinary research and inclusive excellence. She has published 70+ peer-reviewed papers, secured significant federal funding, and holds three patents, one of which is licensed to a biotech firm.
Dean Eniola-Adefeso serves as president of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering and holds leadership roles with the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and the National Academies. She is a passionate advocate for diversity in engineering, having led the NextProf program and co-founded BME Women Faculty UNITE. She also helped organize the 2024 Forging Futures Together summit, connecting HBCU and Big 10+ engineering deans.
Before joining UIC, she was a professor at the University of Michigan, where she held the Vennema Endowed Professorship and was named a University Diversity and Social Transformation Professor. She earned her PhD from the University of Pennsylvania and is a Meyerhoff Scholar alumna of UMBC.