Harris Named Orrin H. Ingram
Distinguished Professor

Thomas R. Harris, Chair of the Biomedical Engineering Department, has been appointed the Orrin H. Ingram Distinguished Professor of Engineering.

“Professor Harris was selected for this honor because of his exemplary leadership and expertise in biomedical engineering education and research,” Dean Kenneth F. Galloway says.

In addition to chairing the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Harris is Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering and Medicine at Vanderbilt and Director of the National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center in Bioengineering Educational Technologies. He is also an active investigator in the problems of lung circulation.

Professor Harris obtained his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemical engineering from Texas A&M University, received his Ph.D. degree in chemical engineering from Tulane University and earned the M.D. degree from Vanderbilt. His research into lung circulation helped improve diagnosis and treatment of such lung diseases as Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome. His work also contributed to the development of minimally invasive instruments and methods to evaluate lung vascular function and fluid balance in patients.

A Fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineers, Harris’s current research focuses on the synthesis of learning science, learning technology, and bioengineering for the Engineering Research Center. This is a large, multi-university effort involving Vanderbilt, Northwestern, the University of Texas and the Harvard/MIT Health Sciences and Technology Program, aimed at developing a new system for bioengineering education.

Orrin Henry Ingram was a member of the Vanderbilt Board of Trust from 1952 until 1963 and founded what became one of the nation’s largest privately held corporations. The Ingram family funded the Distinguished Professorship in his memory. Ingram’s son, E. Bronson Ingram, was president of the Vanderbilt Board of Trust from 1991 until 1995. Martha Ingram is currently president of the Vanderbilt Board of Trust.