Colorado State University faculty Dr. Dean Hendrickson and Professor Melissa Reynolds have been named as senior members of the National Academy of Inventors. The honor recognizes early career faculty, scientists and administrators who “foster a spirit of innovation within their communities and institutions while educating and mentoring the next generation of inventors.”
Hendrickson is a professor of surgery in the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, whose work has helped revolutionize how veterinary, medical and nursing students can practice critical surgical techniques while training as surgeons.
Hendrickson and a former colleague, Dr. Fausto Bellezzo, both equine surgeons, developed realistic models of artificial skin in 2012. The models, which have layers and are designed to ooze fake blood, can each be used multiple times to practice surgical incisions and other techniques, such as suturing. Previously, students would practice on all kinds of materials, including orange peels, bananas, carpet scraps and cadaver samples, such as pigs’ feet.
With the help of CSU STRATA, formerly known as CSU Ventures, Hendrickson and his partner spun off a Loveland-based company called SurgiReal. Today, their skin models are used at medical, nursing and veterinary schools nationwide and internationally.
“I never expected to have a patent in my life,” said Hendrickson, who has been at CSU for 29 years and now holds eight patents. “When we started this, my goal was to help CSU students; now, we have 15 employees and sell stuff all over the world.”
Hendrickson said he is honored to be recognized for his innovation and commercialization work. “I would describe myself as a creator,” he explained. “That’s what I like to do, come up with new ideas and plans, and being recognized for having done that is pretty cool.”
He added: “Without innovation, we just keep doing the same things over and over without getting anywhere. We’re learning about new challenges all the time, and if we don’t have innovation to help fix some of those things, we’re not just stagnant, we’re losing ground.”
Reynolds leads interdisciplinary research team
Reynolds is a professor in the Department of Chemistry, with other appointments in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and the School of Biomedical Engineering. She also serves as the director of the Panacea Life Sciences Cannabinoid Research Center and the faculty director for the Campus Core Research Facilities at CSU through the Office of the Vice President for Research.
Reynolds’ research focuses on the molecular design and fabrication of biomimetic materials for use in medical devices. That research portfolio includes work to create new drugs and therapeutics through metal organic frameworks as well as their use with small devices like catheters or joint replacements for osteoarthritis.
She holds multiple patents and is the founder and CTO of Diazamed Inc. – a CSU-affiliated spinout that develops medical device coatings to prevent blood clotting and infection. She has also developed shared research with companies like Cook Medical and collaborated with health care providers at the Medical Center of the Rockies.
Reynolds has prioritized mentorship and collaboration throughout her career by helping establish the CSU STRATA ambassador program and initiating the Surfaces in Biomaterials Foundation student mentoring program for young professionals. She was also named Educator of the Year by the Colorado Bioscience Association in 2011 and was selected as one of the six inaugural Boettcher Investigators with the Webb-Waring Biomedical Research Program.
Reynolds said she is honored and humbled to receive this recognition.
“Coming from the private sector, I chose CSU because of the opportunity to make both fundamental and applied discoveries that would improve medical device outcomes,” she said. “The interdisciplinary and collaborative culture here – coupled to the opportunity to work with CSU STRATA to translate the discoveries to the public sector – has provided me and the students I work with every day outstanding opportunities to continue to innovate.”
Reynolds and Hendrickson will be recognized during the NAI’s annual conference this summer. Both were nominated for this award by CSU STRATA – a private, nonprofit corporation, legally separate from the university, that supports intellectual property management and technology transfer service activity.
