A New Year with IEM (2026)

Directing IEM and leading a scientific lab are surprisingly similar. You start with a broad vision and then are constantly surprised – in a good way – by the achievements that come about from devoted collaborators and staff along with happy accidents and, yes, occasional failures. 
When I became IEM Director in 2019, for example, I could not have imagined the amazing professional education, training, and partnership that IEM provides the medtech community through the Clinical Immersion Program and our (likely expanding) menu of short courses.

Nor could I have imagined the Center Accelerator program, which has helped found NSF ATP-Bio, REVEAL, and other research centers that are advancing (and, in some cases, revolutionizing) their fields. And with another year’s worth of grant proposals waiting to be evaluated at various agencies, who knows what new breakthroughs will be in the Director’s New Year Message next year?  

The Inspire Conference and IEM’s growing involvement with OIC of America to bring STEM to local K-12 students are other delightful surprises within this past year, as are the expanding partnerships with industry through the Visible Heart® Labs, the Bakken Medical Devices Center, and our newly formed Industry Advisory Council.

IEM’s broad vision has not changed: we are committed to advancing medicine by bringing engineers, scientists, and clinicians together. We are excited to continue this commitment in 2026 and hope that you join us on our journey of ongoing surprises and achievements.

Interested in a closer look at the amazing things IEM accomplished in 2025? Check out our 2024-25 Annual Report.