Agrawal’s professional achievements and visionary alliances consistently increase San Antonio’s reputation as a city of science and health, and help position UTSA to become a Tier 1 institution
BioMed SA announced today that the organization will award its fifth annual Julio Palmaz Award for Innovation in Healthcare and the Biosciences to Mauli Agrawal, Ph.D., an entrepreneur, inventor, biomedical engineer, and Dean of the College of Engineering at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). Dr. Agrawal will accept the award at BioMed SA’s annual Palmaz
Award dinner on September 16, 2010. BioMed SA is a non-profit corporation founded in 2005 to help grow and promote San Antonio’s thriving healthcare and bioscience sector. The award, named after Dr. Julio Palmaz who invented the Palmaz® Stent, honors individuals who have made significant contributions to advance the healthcare and bioscience fields.
According to Palmaz Committee co-chairs, Ken Trevett and Elaine Mendoza, the committee was struck by Dr. Agrawal’s overall track record of innovation and entrepreneurship in terms of patents, publications, product development, and company startups. Dr. Agrawal has earned a reputation at the state, national, and international levels through his leadership of worldwide professional societies and his service on the Texas Emerging Technology Fund oversight committee. Dr. Agrawal’s leadership
of Texas’ fastest growing engineering school at UTSA and the establishment of a joint graduate program in biomedical engineering with UT Health Science Center San Antonio (Health Science Center) are key to producing the region’s next generation of engineers, inventors, and entrepreneurs.
Dr. Agrawal said of the news, “This is indeed a great honor. I am truly humbled by this recognition, especially given that past recipients include giants such as Julio Palmaz and Dean Kamen whose work has touched millions of lives.”
Henry Cisneros, Founding Chair of BioMed SA, said, “Mauli Agrawal perfectly embodies the qualities of innovation and leadership that the Palmaz Award is designed to celebrate. His passion for building things, whether it be new products, companies, or educational programs, inspires us all and is helping San Antonio advance to the next level as a City of Science and Health.”
“Dr. Agrawal is a distinguished teacher, scholar, and innovator with a record of stellar service at UTSA and in the community,” said UTSA President Ricardo Romo. “His research in bioengineering has improved the lives of many, and he demonstrates great passion for students to make certain they achieve their greatest potential.”
Romo went on to cite Dr. Agrawal’s leadership in both the biomedical engineering and sustainable energy arenas as prime examples of UTSA’s progress towards becoming a Tier One research university.
As Dean of the College of Engineering at UTSA, Dr. Agrawal leads what has become the state’s fastest growing engineering school, where he serves as the Peter Flawn Professor of Biomedical Engineering. In 2000, there were 1,000 students in the College of Engineering; in 2009, nearly 2,400 students were enrolled. Prior to becoming dean in 2005, Dr. Agrawal established the joint graduate program in biomedical engineering at UTSA and the Health Science Center, the first
joint degree program between the two San Antonio institutions.
BioMed SA is a non-profit, membership-based organization, supported in part by Bexar County and the City of San Antonio. Its mission is to organize and promote San Antonio’s health care and biosciences assets to accelerate growth of the sector and enhance San Antonio’s reputation as a city of science and health.
For information on how to purchase tickets or a corporate table for BioMed SA’s Palmaz Award dinner on Sept. 16, please go to www.biomedsa.org or call 229-2118.